The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-10-30
NIGHT RIDER CONFESSED
PART IN MURDER
TED BURTON IMPIICATED
MANY PROMINENT MEN.
Denies That He Was Present When
Captain Rankin Was Murdered
But Admits Having Hand
in Planning Outrage.

llpl"nVlllc. Tcm.. Oct. 2I.--"Tcd"
Burton. the Srlf-confcSScd night rid
er. told remarkable story today Of
night rider drprcdations near Reel
Foot Lake. c"nfeSsing to the part h"
played in the outra"cS which reached
Il elimination in the putting to death
Of Captain Quintin Rankin. an atlor-
ncy OF Trenton, Tenn. on the banks
or Keel Foot Lake week ago, and
lmplicatin" men prominent in this
part Of the State
or the persons who he charged had
part in the killing Of Captain Ran
kin more than half arc now in custo
dy at Camp Memo. the military post
near Samburg. The confession was
made at the Tiptonvillc Jail to Sheriff
Halns, Judge Harris, and owners of
large tract Of land in the Reel
Foot Lake region who has suffered
much at the hands of the riders, and
Mayor Cleveland DoncIson, of Tip
tonvillc.
The confession was made freely
and voluntarily and apparently with
out qualm Of conscience he glibly
A,unfoldcd his story.
s, While Burton denies that he was
3present when Captain Rankin was
&2ut to death, he admits that it was
5Shrough him at the investigation that
the band congrcgatcd and took the
attorney while he was staying at The
hotel at Walnut log.
Accordin" to Burton's confession
Tom and Garrct Johnson. under ar
rest, and VIM. Watson, under bond
in connection with anothcr raid. were
the leaders Of the band
Burton declares that the first part
he played as "a member of the night
rider band was when he aided in the
burning of a fish wharf at Sampburg.
Several weeks later he was one of
several that crossed the county line
from the Reel Foot Lake "cgion into
the adjoining county Of Lake. and
whipped Justice Of tn, Peace Winn.
an aged man.
Coming to the killing of Captain
Rankin, Burton declared hat on the
night before tthc lynching he went to
Walnut Log and there net JAS. +.
Carpenter, an attorney tf Union
City, at whose solicitation Rankin
and Judge r. Z. Taylor, associated
in the West Tennessee company, own
ers Of the land on which the lake is
situated. came to the lake. II was
stated that The visit of the two atior-
ncyS was to discuss a timber deal
with Carpenter. After this convcrsa-
tlnn Burton says he communicated
with night rider leaders and told Of
the intended visit of the representa-
tivcs of the land company.
On the following night he saw the
two attorneys at supper at the Wal
nut Log, but he declared he left Wal
nut Log early in the night and went
out on the lake to fish. He says that
he was fishing when he heard the
shots which ended the life Of Captain
Rankin, but he did not return to the
shore for sometime
In his confession Burton gives the
names of no fewer than 10 alleged
members Of The night riders.
Carpenter IS under arrest, and as
a result also more Of those whom
Burton implicated, but as to their
identity, Sheriff Hines would not say.
fearing that to do 80 would cause adj
ditlonal violence and provoke an ont
break on the part Of their friends
Posses will start from Camp Memo at
once to gather in those not now under
guard. All of the suspects under ar
rest have cmphatically denied cor
nection with night rider orgariza-
tions.
Burton was arrested at Samburg
on Tuesday, The day the first troop,
arrived from Nashville lie was i'm
mcdiatclv brought to jail. While en-
route, Burton admitted TO the dcpu.
ties that he was 4 member Of the
night rider band, but when asked the
following day to repeat his confess
sion he denied that he had confessed
or that he knew anything Of the kill
ing Of Captain Rankin. After a few
days in Jail, however, his mood chang
/ ed, and it was at his request that
Haines and others to whom he con-
s Afessed went to the Jail today.
"A Burton will not be permitted bond.
ut it is probable that he will be re-
A.Hvo1 70 Nocby;l1o 70, 20 l.,o,>;,x.