The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1906-12-07
MIDNIGHT RAIDERS.
Destroy Two Tobacco FactO.
<rieS al Princeton.
Loss BetweenS75.000 Ind $780,
600 Excitement Runs
High.

Princeton. KY, was in the hands Of
a band of 300 masked men, who de-
stroysd the tobacco stemmeries of
Stegar & Dollar and John &. Orr, in
addnAon to several other buildings,
causing a loss of between SIS, 900
and 500, 900. The stemmeries which
were destroyed were closely identi-
fled with the tobacco trust.
The raiders took possession of the
water works. the telephone service,
the telegraph offices and even the
court house. to prevent any one
from tolling the bell, and disarmed
all the policemen and kept the fire.
men within their quarters. Over
200 shots were fired and the daring
citizen who stuck his head out of the
window quickly withdrew it to the
accompaniment of a whiz Of bullets
and a positive order to get back.
Some of the night raiders began
to slip into town early in the even
ing and posted themselves at diff
ferent points. where they were pre-
pared to act as guards. The main
bodtof men did not make their APP
pearance. however. until about 1890.
when from every road and bypath
they rode. walked and drove into
Princeton. There was no attempt
at concealment. for as the raiders
rushed through the streets they fired
their pistols in the air. and for a
time there was reign Of terror.
First they went to police head
quarters and succeeded in disarming
the policemen. Then a portion OF
the crowd proceeded to the tele-
phone exchange. where two girls
were on duty. These were ordered
to leave their desks, and upon their
compliance, they sent them home
under guard.
In the mean time a body Of men
had taken charge Of the telegraph
office, while another crowd was in
full possession of the water works.
Then the work of destruction was
begun by visiting the Orr factory.
In this there was 250.0OO pounds of
tobacco. and the building itself was
wakth about $4,000. The torch
was at once applied, and aided by
the use Of dynamite, the building
was soon a mass of ruins.
The next place visited was the
Stegar & Dollar stemmery. which
contained about 200, 900 pounds OF
tobacco, the stemmery, being valued
at $4,000. This shared the fate of
the Orr building and in order to
make the work of destruction more
certain. oil was poured on the sides
of the building.
Then, without further. to do, the
riders scattered as they had come
by every road and bypath and in
few minutes only the light of the
flames from the blazing buildings
remained to tell of their presence.
Meanwhile the fireman, who had
been powerless to act. owing to the
fact that the riders had control OF
the water works. rushed to the scene
as soon as the incendiaries left, anc
after a stubborn fight succeeded ir
suSddeing the flames. Not. howev
err, before several other building:
had been destroyed.
1t was impossible to discover the
identity of any of the men in the
raiding party. as their masks COM
pletely concealed their features.
The people of Princeton and the
surrounding county are indignant
over the outrage, and the officials
declare that every effort will be
made to run the perpetrators OF the
crime to earth.
This is the third time within the
past few month that factories have
been destroyed by might riders,
having been blown up recently, one
at Fredonia and one at Eddyville.
The mob left Princeton before 2
o'clock and proceeded in the direct
ion of Eddyville. When within abou
four miles of Eddyville they turned
off the Cadiz road and proceeded il
the direction of the place.
Somevf the tobacco men say tina
the work was not that of any mem
bers of the Tobacco Growers Asso
citation. They hint that the fire
were started by enemies of the AS
ISOLATION.
The daring act of the incendiarie'
Los oraated great excitement. When