The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-21
N { W NAM ES ARE ADDED ID. NOES ROSTER
States Probe of Masked Band DepredationS in Louisiana Parish Moves Forward
 at Unexpected Speed.
 Witnesses Positive
By Assoclatedpress A

forts of the state of Louisiana, through an open hearing here, to fix responsibility for the Kidnapping August "A of Watt Daniel and T. F. Richards. whose mutilated bod ies were discovered December 22 in l the waters of Lake LaFourche, 25 1 miles from Bastrop, moved forward today with unexpected rapidity. i Three mere names were added to i he alleged roster of the masked band which made captives of Dan iel and Richards and the Ford truck m which they were were whisked away was identified.
 Smith Stevenson and Oliver Skip with, the latter the youngest son of Capt. J. K. Skipwith, admitted leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Morehouse pariSh, and third man identified only as Blacksmith Smith, were declared by the wit nesses today to have been members of the Kidnapping band, and the state put in evidence telegram from the state bureau of motor ve- hicles at Baton Rouge giving the lname of the man registered as the owner of the truck.
 slxIpwith Mentioned
 l The naf1fo of Ca nfafn [t<inWith also was connected with the stirring events of the evening when one wit ness testified that he saw the Klan l leader at the fork of the Monroe | Collinston highway in conversation with hooded man. The captors and l taeir pr soners were last seen at Col ilinston.
 I H. B. Blankenship of Bastrop was the witness whose Identification of young Skipwith, Stevenson and the truck created one of the greatest sensations since the hearing got un- der way. Blankenship testified that l in the late afternoon the hooded band in several automobiles and with Daniel, Richards and three other prisoners, all blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs, went by his home. The caravan, he | said passed within 15 feet of him. l The prisoners were aboard the truck. He did not see the license numbers | of the truck or cars but having been i for some time familiar with cars or l the kind he observed the truck closely in order that he might re- cognize 1t if he saw 1t again Asked | if he searched for 1t later. he replied that he had, and that because or the various distinguishing marks, he had
 
 Louisiana license tag number 746of. Tt was at this juncture that Attor- ney General Coco introduced in evil 1 dence the telegram from Baton Rouge declaring that car 74657 was registered in the name of Smltn
 Recognized Men
 j Rlankenship was asked then if he had recognized any of the hooded men. e,.,.
 with and Smith Stevenson.
 l The witness explained that he had 1 Identified Skipwith by the manner III which he was attired and added that he was on the running board or one of the cars "close to me- stevenson, | he said was driving the machine. Tt was his car and from his appear ance. I am sure 1t was him."
 Stevenson was on the stand early tbis week and testified that he was in Bastrop the night Of August @f' adding that he had been deputized as a marshal during the day to assist III nreservfng order at the barbecue anu 1 basebau games. He testified that ne ovned a Ford truck; that 1t had been E,,sed during the day to haul water to l inc baseball park. but that 1t was d. his home that night. He said II It was used during the night lt Was without his knowledge ana without 1 his permission. ,,,,..,.,,.,o ] cn,itb was named as member or the kidnapers by Mrs. B. D. Carlisle. | After Mrs. Carlisle had told of lden- ,ifvinp T Jeff Burnett, former More hoyse deputy sheriff, as having been tha masked man who liberated her horse from a tangle Of several teie- nhone wires at the scene of the hoiu- ,,n sha told of having seen strange ,,,nr,an several days later. While In her company she was approacheu pS man whom she said she was m l formed by her companion was "Rlacksmith" Smith.
 l offered Bribe
 | Smith. she said, asked her II she had recognized him at the scene oi the boldup on August z4.
 .I told him I had" the witness testified. "He then offered me sl.oo' refused 1t and he, gave 1t to my babv. He told me not to tell on hlm and | said l would not
 Cantain Shipwith's name was l hrought out in the testimony of Harry prophitt of Monroe. Prophitt his wife and several women had at landed the celebration at Bastrop that day and were driving through the country on the way to Monroe When their automobile reached the fork of the Collinston- Monroe road Prophitt said, he was forced to re- duce speed because another car was rarl<ed half way across the road. In running around the standing car he testified that he saw Captain Skip i with in consultation with block l hs oded man. He at first thought the | hooded man was negro. but on reaching Monroe where he learned of the kidnapping he said he became con vinced that the man wore mask. 1 Captain Skipwith, he added, was not
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