The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-25
STATE WILL PLAY. ITS TRUMP CARD'
 AT HEARING TODAY.
Mystery Witness" SChed- uIed to Take Stand YeSteT- day, Will Testify at
 Final Session
Ny Assoeiated Press

BASTROP, La, Jan. 24.-W1 troops on duty in Warehouse parish in connection with the states in- vestigation into the activities of hooded men scheduled to depart in1- mediately and with the hearing ex- pected to be concluded tomorrow, Adjutant General Toombs arrived here today with message from Governor Parker to leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and officials of the parish, 1t was learned on good authority, that if any of the states witnesses were threatened in any way between the conclusion of the hearing and the meeting of the grand jury, martial law in the parish would be declared immediately.
 General Toombs refused to deny or confirm the report, declaring that Governor Parker rather than himself should be the one to dis cuss it. The only reference he would make to troops was that the cavalry units on duty at Mer Rouge and Bastrop, and the four auto matic riflemen here, would return home either tomorrow or Friday.
 Fails to Appear
 The hearing. which was to have been concluded today after having been in progress since January 5, struck a snag when the last witness summoned, and regarded as one of the most important, telephoned that because of illness. 1t would be inn possible for him to arrive here be- fore tonight. AS a consequence the hearing was adjourned to be resumed at 3 o'clock tomorrow morning, an hourl earlier than usual, In order that final adjournment be taken be- fore noon.
 The absentee is the mystery wit ness," who has been widely discussed here during the last few days. He is Leon J. Jones. traveling sales man of Moselle, Miss, who Is ex- pected to testify regarding the last known movements of the hooded kid napers of Watt Daniel and T. F. Richard, the bodies of whom were found in Lake Lafourche on De- cember 2.
 Jones, according to officials, was travelling through this section of Louisiana when his automobile broke down the night of August 24 and left him stranded on the Oakridge-Lake Lafourche highway near the lake. It was on this road that Daniel and Richard were Kidnapped.
 Saw Masked Men
 The salesman, It Is said. later told Marshall Mott. student at the Unl- versity of Mississippi, that while In his disabled car an automobile truck, containing several masked men and two others. who apparently were prisoners, passed him bound toward the lake.
 Sometime later, 1t Is said he will testify, the truck with the hooded men but without the prisoners, re- turned, bound in the direction from whence 1t came.
 Jones recently was located by agents of the department of justice who had conducted almost a nation wide search for him and the office of Attorney General Coco has been delaying the taking f,his testimony until the last.
 Few witnesses were on the stand today, and had Jones been present, the hearing would have been con cluded before midafternoon.
 H. H. Riordan. general manager in the Monroe district for the South ern Carbon company, was regarded as the most important witness of the session.
 Brings in Records
 Mir. Riordan brought into court the time book kept by Harold Tee gerstrom, missing timekeeper of the companys plant at Spyker. who dis appeared December 29, payrolls made up by Teegerstrom and cancelled checks paid to employees during the period from August 16 to 31, last.
 T. Jeff Burnett, former deputy sheriff of Morehouse parish, and an employe of the Spyker plant, has tes tlfied that Burnett was at work the night of August 24. and 1t was ex- pected that the time book, payroll and checks would settle the question.
 The time book showed Burnett working, and according to the .otals, 1t showed that he had earned S55.3S during the half month period. The amount earned in that time, &C., cording to the payroll. was $62.40. MT. Riordan could not explain the discrepancy. Examination of the check issued to Burnett showed that it was for s62.50, corresponding with the payroll.
 There appears to be an erasure opposite Burnetts name on the pay roll and MT. Riordan's attention was directed to 1t by the examining at torney. He was asked if it did not so appear to him.
 Tt appears that 1t is, was the reply.
 There are no ensures alongside