The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-04-02
Gove,mor; 35, Licked World
Until He Crossed the Women
BnNL4 EcrricG

!
age of IA ard licked it, rising from
a bare-footed country boy to the
| governorship of Louisiana after
! battles classic in the history Of d
state with more than two centuries
of battle history.
Then he aroused the ire of the
women. He hanged the first white
woman ever hanged in Louisiana,
despite strong protests and pleas
for clemency.
At his orders state militia, raid
. ing road houses in gambling War
stripped women. searched them and
took money off their persons With
out receipt Now he faces charges
Of impeachment on nineteen counts.
The women. backed by a consider
able number of men, are out to lick
him.
That, briefly, is the amazing story
OF Huey P. Long, LouiSianaS 3d.
year-old Governor and central fig
IRE in political hurricane the like
of which has not been seen in
Louisiana since reconstruction days.
n
CHARGES ranging all the way
" from misuse OF state funds to
bribery, carrying concealed weapons,
intimidation Of the courts and the
legislature and a plot to asSassinate
Jared Y. Sanders Jr., a legislator
who had opposed him, stand pre-
ferred against Governor Long. The
last charge is based OH an affidavit
by Harry (Battling) Bozeman, the
Governors former personal body
guard.
He is also publicly accused of
attending wild parties in New Or
leans gay French quarter and Of
dancing, cocktail glass in hand, With
fair but scantily clad entertainer.
He is also charged. in his less
than a year III Office, with having
received more money. spent more
money, borrowed more money and
owing more money than any Cover
nor of Louisiana since the close of
the Civil war.
He replies with the charges that
the fight against him is being Sc
cretly directed by the railroads, the
oil companies and other big corpor-
ations whom he has consistently
opposed.
And it Is not disputed that he has
fought the corporations, with taxes
and otherwise, tooth and toenail.
dorm on a. tiny farm III the red
Eeclay piney hills of north Louisi-
ana, Long sought battle from boy
hood.
His parents we're poor and he had
to go to work when most boys we're
in grammar school.
He became a typesetter on a, coun-
try paper. He peddled books. He
organized a medicine show. COM
plete with naptha torch and banjo
player. and Travelled the northern
parishes.
He peddled flour from house TO
house and later organized cake bak-
ing contests for flour mill.
And then he married the Shreve-
port girl who won his cake-baking
contest.
He worked a year, saved his
money and then went to New Or
leans to study law at Tulane. He
complied the four-year course in
one year. Graduated, he vent back
to the little town Of WINFIELD With
his diploma,-and 80 cents in his
pocket.
EOR the next year he lived on $25
d a month, but gradually his law
practice grew He decided to enter
politics and came busting out of
the bush" as Louisiana politicians
put it. as a candidate for the state
public service commission.
He made a personal horSe-and-
buggy canvas of his remote district,
his wife riding with him and talk
ing cooking recipes and babies to
the farmers wives while he talked
politics with the men.
Long was elected and later he
became chairman Of the commits
sion. Right then he started his
battles with the big oil companies
and other corporations.
II
IN 1924 he ran for Governor and
L and was defeated by the New.
Orleans city vote. though he beat
both his opponents in the country.
He ran again III 1928 In another
three-man race and was elected by
a plurality of 10000.
Louisiana Cheered him until fin
ally the time came for the hanging
OF Mrs. Ada Bonner LeBouef and
Dr.. Thomas Dreher in the states
famous murder case. Sentiment was
divided. A delegation from a mass
meeting of women voters sought 10
plead for them, Governor Long re-
fused to hear the plea.
In advance of the state pardon
announced: I'm going to hang that
boards consideration of the case he
woman and that man, no matter
what the pardon board recon-
mends."