Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-03
100 MASKED AND ARMED
Police 0verpowered and Three Citi-
zens Wounded.
SIX BUILDINGS DESTROYED
Raiders Were Well Organized, Dis
guised and Under Mill
tary Discipline.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ky. January 5. -
Night riders, 100 strong. swooped down on
Russelvile early this morning, and after
overpowering the three policemen and pro-
viding against giving of an alarm, dyna-
mited and burned the two independent
other establishments. and rode away out
the Hopkinsville and Clarksville turnpike
by the marauders, and the telephone
girl operators and police were he'd pris-
oners for nearly three hours.
The following buildings We're destroyed
Frank G. Works, tobacco warehouse;
loss on building and contents $4,000.
American Snuff Company. factory and
contents, loss, $4,000
Roberts G. Brown, planning mill; loss,
$4,000.
Alfred Underwood, grocery; loss, $1,000.
King & Proctor, stable.
Joshua Knowles, cottage.
The wounded are:
DR.. Charles NJ. Roberts, Evansville, Ind
j. r. Mclean, Russellville.
]. IL. Moseley, RussellvilIe.
Captured Chief Bruce.
Capt. w. r. Bruce, the chief of police.
as he heard the noises fastened to the
fire tower, where he attempted to sound
the alarm, but was overpowered by
four of the masked night riders.
Two merchants. ]. r. Mclean. gro
Ger. and ]. Henry Moseley, owner of a
dry goods store, did not hurry into
their homes as fast as the night riders
desired and were shot.
The most seriously injured was DR..
Roberts of Evansville, Ind, who was a
wounded about the face by a charge
of buckShot fired as the night riders
were leaving town.
DIR. Roberts heard the confusion and,
thinking that the raiders had departed.
ran out to see what had happened. He
came face to face with a group of the
departing mob, and as he started to
run was shot.
Came From Cave Springs.
1t was said that the mob came to
Russellville from the direction of Cave
Springs, near where the members are
said to have had their rendezvous. 1t
appeared we'll organized, with a COM
mander and lieutenants. All the men
were mounted and wore white capes,
false boards and masks. Except for
the firing at those who appeared on
the streets there was little shooting,
the chief business of the riders SEEM
ing to be the destruction of the two
tobacco houses.
This is the third raid by night riders
in western Kentucky and comes in the
face of the announcement by the gov
ernor that the disorder must cease. A
grand jury summoned at Hopkinsville is
investigating a similar raid made recently
in that city.
Object of the Riders.
The might riders are attempting to in
fuence or fntimidate certain tobacco grow
ers into holding their crops for higher
prices or not to sell to the American To-
bacco Company. The situation is par
ticularly acute, as many of the growers
have two years crops on hand. Ware
housemen have been notified from time
to time to refrain from buying any to-
bacco. The warehouses of many of them
who defied the notice have been destroyed
by fire. Nearly all the tobacco growers
are members of the Tobacco Growers
Protective Association, but this organiza-
ton discountenances such acts have
been credited to the might riders" claim
ing that it is the work of a lawlesS ele-
ment.