The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1907-12-11
NIGHT RIDERS RAID
At HOpkinsville Early Sat-
urday Morning.
MUCH PROPERTY DESTROYED
Whip One Tobacco Buyer and
Shot Brakeman on
Freight Train.

Hopkinsville, KY, Dec. 7.-Three
hundred night riders, each carrying
a torch in one hand and a gun in
the other, rode into Hopkinsville at
1870 o'clock this morning, dynamit-
ed and burned three tobacco fac
tories, shot and fatally wounded an
l.. and n. brakeman, whipped a
tobacco buyer almost to death,
smashed and demolished windows of
business houses and banks and fired
at number of citizens.
In the red glare of three burning
tobacco warehouses, with the police
officers and members of the fire de-
partment held prisoners by the mob,
with the telephone and telegraph
Offices securely guarded and threats
of death hanging over the operators
If they dared give an alarm, with
the city completely cut off from
communication not only with the
outside world, but between citizen
and citizen as well, anarchy and vio-
lence held high carnival for the
space of an hour.
WontenneSs and brutality reign
ed. People were attacked in their
persons and property withuot re-
gard to whether they had given
cause for offense.
1t was the elimination of the
threats hat have hung for months
over the tobacco buyers, the trust
and the independent buyers who
dared to disregard the demands of
the night riders.
In the excitement and the hurry
| possibly because the night riders
became frightened before they COM
| pleted- their work-the two houses
that are known as trust property
those of the Imperial Tobacco COM
pany and the American Snuff COM
pany, escaped injury. One of the
three warehouses that were destroy
ed was an assortment house. This
was the building known as the
Woodbridge warehouse.
1t was not the intention of The
riders to destroy this building, but
1t caught fire from one of the 9TH
ers and when the firemen were re-
leased from captivity, the flames
had gained such Roadway that moth
ing could be done 10 save it. The
loss will reach, if it does not ex-
coed, in fact, 100000
Mayor Meacham and County Judge
Breathitt, who is soon 10 be Attorney
General, sent kilograms and telephoned
to Gov. Beckham this afternoon asking
for troops. In reply the Governor or
dered Company D., Kentucky State
Guards, under Maj. E. B. Bassett, of
the Second battalion, on duty for an in
definite period and at the disposal of
Sheriff David Smith.
The masked men came from all
directions, but assembled before en-
tering the city.
lloI lHCg CdplulCu lhC ~
lice force and then took charge of
the fire department. So quickly
was the move made that resistance
was useless, the mob being heavily
armed.
To give emphasis the mob shot
out the station windows and then
every switch light in the yard.
They proceeded to the l.. and n.
depot, where they repeated the per-
Torrance.
The office of the Cumberland Tel
ephone and Telegraph company was
then visited, the night manager and
the young woman operators were
driven into the streets and kept in
the chilly air by the masked guard.
About fifty or sixty came from
Trigg county and smaller squads
from other directions.
A small squad went to each tel
ephone office and attempted to cut
the cables, but could not reach
them.
Miss Maud Brown, of the Home
Telephone company, turned in fire
alarm, but the firemen replied that
they were surrounded and could moi
respond. She also called the police
headquarters, but the police were
having troubles of their own. Two
officers on duty were fired upon
through the door and escaped with
thirty or more firing at them.
While this was going on down
town another squad had attacked
the Reggie tobacco factory of Tandy
& Fairleigh, and after driving the
one Waterman away, dynamited the