Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1907-12-10

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brakeman who shot in the back while trying
to move his trai from the path of the flames.
The raid of the ''night rders'' caught the city
unawares as f0 some time the deprcdations re-
sulting from the tobacco war had been Of minor
nature and it was generally thought in the Ozark
District, " at least the worst was over.
The property destroyed was as follows:
w. H. Tapty, independent tobacco warehouse
building, owned by j. H. Latham.
B. NJ. Wollo rigc association warehouse.
Tandy & Fairleigh, buyers warehouse.
In addition, the entire glass front of the Hop
kinsville Kentuckiap, Mayor Meachams paper
was destroyed, while windows in the front of the
front of the Commercial Banking and Savings
Company, the First National, the Planters Trust
Company, and the Bank of Hopkinsville were
punctured with bullet holes.
A number Of other business houses and resi-
dences bear the marks of bullets, and it is consd
cred remarkable that no one was killed. The III
surance is believed to be abont $4,000
AS soon as the ''nght riders left town a
posse of about fifteen, headed by Major Bassett of
the local militia, and Deputy Sheriff Cravens en-
tered buggies and followed the trail AS soon as
the posse could get near enough they opened fire
on the fleeing mob and the pursued returned the
shots. 1t is believed none of the ''night riders'
werehit.
The members of the posse escaped injury.
They were soon outdstanced by the mounted men
and after chasing the marauders past Gracey, the
officers returned home
News was later received from all parts of the
town Indicating the spread of the raid of the Grid
ers.u There was hardly house in the business
section of the city which did not suffer.
Just why the damage was done by the ''night
riders'' to the Imperial or the American Snuff Com
pany warehouses is not known. They probably
contained more stock than any other house
At the intercesson of the citizens who were
being guarded on a street corner. the invaders
during the raid allowed the fire department to
leave their building to save property adjacent to
the burning buildings. Had it not been that no
wind was blowing and that the fremen and citi-
zens worked so WELL the entire city might have
been destroyed.
The girls in the telephone Office were forced
by fifteen men to leave their switchboards until
the mob was ready to depart from town.
The disgraceful event cannot be charged to
the south or the north OF any section. 1t occurr-
ed very near the center of the United States
Up in Kentucky there exists today an organi
cation to which more men belong than census
takor could possibly learn.
We refer to the might riders" a secret Or
ganzation to which belongs only tobacco growers.
The "night riders came into existence some years
ago, it's object being to defeat the tobacco trust.
hoe, f,1Iu Fv1
but it's methods can hardly be approved
To carry its ends it resorts to any MEANS save
murder. Whipping men whose views'differ from
the organizations code is not uncommon, and
pundering and burning of warehouses owned by
independents" is a weekly occurrence.
Last week the latest outbreak of the might
riders" occurred at HopkinSville where fire was
stuck to several warehouses owned by men who
were not members of the ''night riders" This
daring body rode into this little town, took posses
sion, and ordered the police and fire departments
to do its bidding. When the organization had
completed it's outrages it departed, leaving thous
ands of dollars worth of property in ashes. And
this is only an instance.
A few months ago, a young bookkeeper in
one of the night riders" tobacco warehouses limo
Gently gave out to tobacco trust man little un
important information regarding the stock on hand
in his warehouse. The next night the boy was
carried to the public square of his town, unmcrci
fully whipped and made to leave the state. That's
the way the tobacco growers run the state of Ken
lucky. We see little of the doings of the might
riders" in the public prints, for, like some of our
papers believed in Klu Klux days, ''silcncc is
golden
We like pretty horses and admire the lovely