The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-12-10

tween SheriG's Possee and Raidcers.
Hopkinsville, KY, December T.
Five hundred might riders" masked
and heavily arc,ed marched into
Hopkilsville early today and destroy
ed property valued at o,.,
while citizens, in terror of their lives,
feared even to open their windows.
The police, f:e department, telephone
and telegraph offices, and even the
railroad stations. were in pOssessloa
of a wild mot shooting right anu
left, flames from burning buildings!
meanwhile, lighting up the city and
the surrounding country until it SEEM
ed that the whole town was abla:el
Windows in the front of business
houses and banks were shot out and
and the entire front of one newspaper
which had been especially aevere IN
it's condemnations of the raids of the
might riders and which was owned
by the mayor of the city, was de-
IHOliShed.
Only two men were Injured, one OF
them being LINDSAY Mitchell, tobac
co buyer. who was severely beaten
with switches and clubs and the other,
brakeman who was shot in the
back While trying to move his traic
from the path of the flames.
The raid of the might riders,
caught the city unawares, as for some
time the depredations resulting from
| the tobacco war had been of a minor
nature and it was generally thought
that in the dark district" at least the
worst was over.
The property destroyed was as fol
lows:
W. H. Tandy, Independent tobacco
warehouse building, owned by J. H
Latham.
| B. M. Woodbridge, association ware
house.
Tandy and Fairleigh, buyers ware
house.
In addition the entire glass from
of the Hopkinsville Kentuckian, May
or Meacham's paper was destroyed
while windows ia the front of tn
Commercial Banking and Saving
company, the First National, tn
Planters Trust company, and tn
Bank of Hopkinsville, were puncture
with bullet holes.
A number of other business house
and residences bear the marks of bul
lets and it is considered remarkabl
/, that no one was killed. The insuranc
lis believed to be about 100000.
AS soon as the might riders" lef
town a posse of about fifteen, heade
, by Major Bassett of the local militis
and Deputy Sheriff Cravens entere
: buggies and followed the trail. A
soon as the posse could get nea
enough they opened fire on the f1eein
mob and the pursued returned th
shots. 1t is believed none Of tt
= might riders" was hit.
1 The members of the posse escape
injury They were soon outdistance
Il the maruders past Gracey, the Office
returned home,
: News was later received from q
e parts of the town indicating Il
= spread of the raid of the ''riders."
: There was hardly a house in Il
bushes section of the city which d
not suffer.
+ Just why no damage was done
= the might riders" to the 1mper1
/ Snuff company warehouses is
: known. They probably contain
l. more stock than any other house.
- - At the intercession Of the cit1ze
e who were being guarded on str'
ly corner. the invaders, during the rs
so allowed the fire department to- lea
their building to save property
jacent to the burning buildings. Il
it not been that no wind was blow1
a and that the fremen and cltlz'
pit worked so we'll the entire city MI;
ne have been destroyed.
fe The girls in the telephone on
er were forced by Is men to leave IL
Fir switchboards until the mob was re-
re to depart from town
mt
ch Arrived i'm Leaking Condition