The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-02-17
Night Operator of Telephone
Exchange Taken Prisoner
and Compelled to Accompany
Them.

| Night riders, who have terrorized
the section of the Black Patch imme-
ldiately east of the Cumberland river,
! viii not btouk reckless talking, likely
| to give away information concerning
| them or cast reflections on their mo-
tives. and early Sunday morning they
visited vengeance on seven negroes
and four white men, including the
police Judge at Eddyville. The vic
tins were horsewhipped until the
blood flowed. and left with a warning
to keep their mouths shut. The
names Of the four white victims are
Police Judge W c. Rucker, who is
co years old and delicate; Press Ere
lick. a garrulous hack driver, who
was unmercilessly beaten, after shots
had been fired through his room;
Cecil Woods, another who got It hard.
land Grace Robertson. Among the
seven negroes were John Hollowell,
Sherley steele, Henry Gordon and a
restaurant keeper called shorty"
More Scarfs.
The night riders numbered between
1900 and 400 men, and they are be
loved to be the fun streng h Of the
same band that visited Princeton and
lHopkinsvlle. They wore black masks
lover their eyes and write scarfs over
their right shoulders. and they were
under squad leaders, who knew what
they were about
Shortly after midnight a fusillade
from the guns II advance guards sta
toned at street crossings notified tn,
Inhabitants to stay "A. doors, and then
the main body marched in from the
north on the old state road, whore
they had hitched their horses under
guard short distance out.
They stopped at the residence Of
Sheriff 5. D. Cash and the town mar
shal. who live close together. and
warned them to stay at home. They
both obeyed.
While a dozen captured the night
Operator of the telephone exchange
the main body marched to the resi-
dence Of Police Judge w. c. Rucker
and demanded that he Join them. II.
was slow in doing so. and they fired
vo,leys through his house. fortunately
not wounding anyone. With Judge
Rucker they visited the other houses.
being well acquainted with
the town. and gathered up their
eleven victims. These they marched
down the principal street TO tho
steamboat landing. where they beat
their victims with whips.
After II was all over the night
riders got on their horses and gal
Hoped OF in the direction of Prince
ton. pursued by no one.
The Operators story.
During the whipping L. 5. Dickson,
night operator at the East Tennessee
exchange, was prisoner. and he
tells the following story:
"The night riders entered about
midnight and commenced shooting up
the town. "A 1920 O'Clock four of
them. masked and wearing white
scarfs over their shoulders. entered
my office and took me prisoner. At
the foot of the stairs on the street
we were joined by eight others. We
heard firing In the vicinity of Judge
Fuckers house and then at the
homes of the others. II seems they
took Judge Ruckcr first and he went
with them to gather mp the Others.
The main body Joined us on the
square and marched to the boat land,
ing of the Cumberland river. Sew
eral night riders We're ferried across
from the west bank of the river. They
whipped all the men with buggy
whips for talking. at 2:45 o'clock