The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-11
MOB RULE IN KENTUCKY.
VIOLENCE IN NEW FIELDS By THE
1OLL-GATE RAIDERS.

From ChoppinE Down Toll Gates They Have
Got 10 Interfering with Farmers and
Threatening Niiiers-Arson with an Attempt
at Murder-stronEcst In the Bryan Counties.
LOUISVILLE, April 10.-Tho t~oll.gato raiders.
who have committed so many acts of lawless-
ness since last November. arc constantly extend.
ing their field OF operations and tho task OF ap.
pretending them and checking their deprcda-
tions has become 30 formidable as to seem
to require extraordinary measures. From
merely chopping down toll gates they
bavo taken to tho use OF dynamite and
tho torch: have burned several houses and
wounded q number OF men, and have now
begun another sort OF crusade against property.
In Garrard county they vethroatoned to hang
u Judge II he attempts TO have them arrested;
they have notified n number of rich farmers
that they must grow no tobacco this year, and
millers have been warned not to charge more
than 81 a hundred pounds for flour. Tobacco,
they say. has been overproduced, so that prices
are too low, and the millers have taken advan-
tage OF the high price of wheat to put up -four.
80 that the poor man must eat only corn bread.
How much further they may go no one can tell.
Garrard county, in which they have been OPP
Grating most of late, is the homo of Gov. Brad
Icy. 1t lies on the edge Of tho bluegrass region
and the mountains Of eastern Kentucky. and is
a rich community. The raiders did not mako
their appearance there until about two months
ago, but they have been very bold In their OPP
e%rations. Indignant that the home Of tho Gov
ernor should DO thus disgraced, leading citizens
got together and offered a reward of 90, 900 for
the arrest and conviction of tho outlaws. but to
no OBJECT Nobody has attempted to earn tho
money. and the raiders have grown so bold that
the roads In that section are being abandoned.
One Of the worst of the outragcs was commit
ted at the litfle fnyrp NJ CnrptahvilIa Tn a. tho
house of the gate keeper was fred. and when he
ran out no was shot and severely wounded. His
name is Gal Atkinson. He was put In charge of
tho gate by tho owners because he Is n man of
nerve and is so popular In the neighborhood that
1t was not believed that tho raiders would have
the hardihood to attack him..
when l went to the toll gate" he said, 1T
had heard a great deal about tho raiders In
Washington county. but I thought I could pro-
tect myself. I know several men that l sus-
pected of completely In the movement, and 1
took pains to tell them ! meant to collect tolls
at all hazards. When they came the first time
to my gate 1t was about 8 o'clock in tho morn
ing. They called me out OF my bed. using my
given name and asked me for my axe. / told
them 1t was at the woodpile. One man
wont into tho back yard and got 1t, showing
that he was familiar with the promises.
I tried to dissuade them and stood on the porch
60 OF IN, and at last i did ' SO. | was aa.' uns srDSti
Tasy aSen o6fE{ss DO, dS~ 5,r the pole and The The next e5t
up the pole again. We had a man in tho raiders
camp. and no kept me informed as to their
doinEs. l rode many miles at night and walked
across the country a great deal 10 find out about
their movements. i got a good line on them and
believed they could not make a raid without my
finding out about IL beforehand.
They kept quiet for several weeks, and at
last the man who was Watching with me was
| loaded with DuckahOt. had begun tn think the
raiders would let me alone, when early on Mon
day morning my wife woke me up and told me
ran out on the porch. l saw several men hiding
in my kitchen. which is in an clubhouse. They
me. l was struck and fell. and as Ibid so my gun
ers' shots struck me in the back OF my shoulder.
one In my left side and arm. and one in my right
h Minute before %as I Ps coSld ii set up. a Is that i mG time meth ihe
raiders had disappeared; The house was burn.
Ing briskly. but The neighbors came in and we
had 10 go to bed and my wife had fallen over in
a dead faint. While the shooting was going on
them under the bed. but they would crawl out
as fast as she put them there. l could hear
Wore than TWO oh hundred Tp shot, Nos. 3 and 4.
struck me. One entered just under my right
suffer sreatly ali the hest tim n SSi but it was sn a mercy SsS; I
wasn't killed; believe the men intended TO
, murder me because t9oy though. ! knew who
nouncing their methods.
THE mob hitched their horses a quarter OF q
built a sort OF bresstworks fioose lumber that
was lying there. Then they got two bundles OF
lighted them and threw them on the house
at a point opposite the kitchen, window and in
BIKE. Our Our t II Dry is s' TIA, N they eg'e expected "sI0i mc '4 to
rush out to pm, out the fire. when they could see
me PLAINLY. and shoot me down while / could not
The tollgate which Atkinson kept is on tho
turnpike between Harrodsburg and Cornish
Vile, The owners applied to County Judge
them, but after thinking i. over the directors
Torhune, who is an old soldier. owns ninety
eight shares Of stock. worth $50 y share. but
9 h9 sq ,Ss P pisF nf b %GH!d k fnthGF f Hs and 's'f his sp fe thSn
directors have been notified that they will be
dynamIiei II they do no, stop taking i9l!: Di,
he fears will DO destroyed.
Many OF the raiders nre known. but no one can
dicted they would hardly he convicted, rs there
reason the offers OF rewards conditioned on con,
viction do no good. In the opinion of eX. Con.
f s6e rafds can s1fbs 81 sIoppsS Is th for o thy E EaX II wnif to
pass n special law holding the counties. re-
sponsible' for damages 10 the turnpikes,
fence nonn:bafiisbRle so far as the consiitaTtion viii
nitSsi n as many a "i memb ePso claim that to the then dis.
orders are temporary In their nature. Mr..
Breckenridge. though. does not think the raids
can be stopped In any other way.
1t Is said the movement began with the new elc-
region with the Introduction OF tobacco raising u
few years ago. The raids began in Washington
county. and have spread over many counties,
notably those In which the free silver sentiment
is strongest. As yet The poorer parts OF the State
have not been troubled. Jack Chinn. the notOri-
Gus silverite, IL Is said, has taken tho field tn
persuade the rnidcrs to stop before The. fecling
against them gets too high. Io snys he believes
he knows many OF the gangs in Mercer county,
and will try to make them obey the law.
MINISTERS VISIT 4 PRISON.