Evening star., 1935-02-02
Accused PIotters Hailed Be.
fore Kingfish for
GriIIing.
BOURGEOIS EX0NERATED
BY VICTIM OF SHOT
Head of Square Dealers Charges
Lie to Witness Who Says
He Is yellow"
By the Associated Press.

by tuC hocUClhJCO ElCoo
BATON ROUGE, La, February a.
Foemen who have been accused by
Huey Long of planning his assassina-
ton we're haled today before him and
his court inquiry into the plot"
Cold steel was the antidote which
awaited any outbreak of the fever Of
hatred surging through the Baton
Rouge area Bayonets ruled the capi-
tai as the dictator -Senator-"Lawyer
Long" for the moment-quizzed wit
nesses in an attempt to show that
prominent officials and citizens sought
to rub him out"
Statements by anti-Long leaders
and mass meeting resolutions handed
the lie last night to testimony heard
yesterday, when the character Of the
dictator's foes was assailed.
Accused by Bourgeois.
Ernest j. Bourgeois, who as presi-
dent Of the Square Deal Association is
leading organized opposition to Long,
charged that Toby Leblanc, one of the
Senator's witnesses, gave testimony
which was carefully coached and ut
terly untrue" in an attempt to put
Bourgeois ION the spot with the
Square Deal"
The statement said the witness had
a glib, loose and lying tongue"
Leblanc had called Bourgeois "yel-
low" in testimony. said he believed
the Square Dealer shot George Alessi,
lone casualty of last Saturdays air
port conflict, and AIDED that he started
to shoot Bourgeois when the latter
fed the field in the face of an attack
by the National Guard.
Long named a district attorney,
four sheriffs and others as leaders in
the plot" to asSaSsinate him.
Some of these oficials, and possibly
Bourgeois, were ordered to the stand
to undergo the quizzing of Long as
prosecuting counsel.
Following his release after being
arrested and subpoenaed by State
police as a witness at Longs hearing,
Bourgeois issued a statement saying
he escaped when the militia proved
too strong for him and his followers
because there was too much work in
the Square Deal to be done"
He fiatly denied the assertion that
he was one of the citizens who acci-
dentally fired the shots which wound
ed Alessi, one of the anti-Long as
sembly.
Absolves Bourgeois.
Shown a picture Of Bourgeois at
hospital, AlesSi said the leader did
not shoot him, but that he was shot
by two men who hid behind a tree
and fired at him. The victim said he
thought his assailants were Longs
Cossacks" Estate police).
Long in his hearing yesterday tried
to pin responsibility for the shooting
of Alessi on Bourgeois. and alleged
tina. the Standard Oil Co., which he
has accused of trying to have him
killed. was represented at the air
port gathering.
Nine men testified they went to the
airport, some armed, and said that
they were employed by the Standard
OIL Co.
Fred O'Rourke, a Square Dealer
whom Long has called the chief
agent of the Standard OIL Co" and
accused as a murder conspiracy"
participant, declined to answer ques-
tions, standing on his constitutional
rights.
Other testimany related to seizure
by armed anti-Long citizens Of the
East Baton Rouge court house
January Is.
Long presented for the record a
telegram he said was sent by George
B. Campbell, Hammond, La, news
paper publisher. to Col. Robert Nc
Cormick. publisher of the Chicago
Tribune. predicting the dictator's as
sassination on his return yesterday
from Washington.
Campbell was ordered subpoenaed.
With throngs of legislators gather
ing in the capital, reports continued
(Cortinued an PAGE Column ~