Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-10-29
TRAGEDY
Two Lawyers Assaulted and
One Murdered BY Mob
"A VERY DEPLORABIE AFFAIR
prominent Tennessee Attorneys Gall,
ed From Their Rooms In . Union
City Tenn, Hotel by a Band Of
Masked Men and Carried to tho
Banks Of Lake, Where One Is
Strung Up and His Body Riddled.

~F ~~eA A4AS oSAy SbA0olCus
Union City, Tenn, Specialized.
H. H. Taylor, aged 60 years, and Capt.
Qmnten Rankin, both prominent at
torneys of Trenton, Tenn, were TAX
en- from Ward s Hotel at Walnut Log
Tenn, fifteen miles from here Tues
day night By masked "night-riders"
and L was murdered. Capt. Rankip's
body was found Tuesday morning
riddled with bullets and hanging
from n tree one mile from the hotel.
Tiptonville, Tenn, Spccial.-Un-
harmed, save numerous scratches re-
celved III thirty-hour trip through
unfamiliar woods and the fatigue in
cident to the trip without food and
the mental strain, Col. Il. Zachary
Taylor reached here after miracu
lous escape from the night riders at
Keel Foot Lake, who murdered his
partner, Captain Quinten Rankin.
His own story of his experiences
was told by him as follows: "Mon.
day night last Captain Rankin and
L went to Reel Foot Lake in re-
sponse to letter from Mr. Carpen-
ter of Onion City. who wanted to
lease some timber lands On our ar.
rival at the lake we went to the log
house, or WSrd Hotel, and early af-
ter supper retired. Some time dur
ing the night we were aroused by
some one knocking at our door, and
on opening the door n mob of mask
ed men was found standing in tho
hall. We were ordered TO dress. and
rs the leader of the mob said he
wanted to talk to us, we put on our
clothes and accompanied the men TO
the back Of the lake some distance
from the hotel.
'The leader of the mob talked
with us telling us VIC were associat-
ing too much with Judge Harris and
were taking entirely too much inter-
est in the lake. He said that .he
course o. Harris and the West Ten
ncsscc Land Company in prohibiting
Tree fishing was causing the starva,
ton of women and children, and that
something had TO be done
never dreamed that the mob in
tended us any harm, but just then the
mob threw a rope around Captain
Rankin's neck and swung him to a
limb. lie protested and said: Gen
tiemen, do not kill me- and the reply
of the mob was a volley of 50 shots.
"This was the first evidence of any
intention TO harm us and when the
firing began / jumped into bayou,
and made for a sunken log. Behind
this | hid and the mob fred several
hundred shots into the log. They
evidently believed I was dead, for +
heard one Of them say: "He's dead
and let him CO. and with that he
rode away.
Il remained in the water until af.
ter the mob was out Of hearing end
went to an island in the lake where I
remained all day Tuesday. At night
| started ont and walked all night.
coming up TO a huse at O'Clock
Wednesday morning"
Governor Directs Search.
Union City, Tenn. Special.-Gov,
ernor Patterson. who arrived hero
Wednesday night, began early Thurs,
day to direct operations toward ap-
prehension Of those concerned In the
murder OF Captain Rankin at Reel
Foot Lake. One hundred and fifty
mliitiamen, under command Of Col,
w. {. Tatom. arrived and were dis,
trlbuted throughout the district.
Posses started from this city to
search for Coionol Taylor.
Governor Patterson gave ont the
following statement before IL was
learned that Colonel Taylor had not
been killed:
~ have offered the largest reward
the law will permit for the arrest and
conviction OF the essassins and have
ordered out troops. I have believed
that tie military should be the last
reaort OF State governed by law but
the time has now come when it Is rly
duty as Governor TO use all the DOW
Ell at my command to restore order
IN the region where these assassina-
lons have occurred and TO assist The
courts in the apprehension and pun
lshment of the perpetrators. 1t must
be taken by all as purpose deliber
ately formed and | hope no man or
body of men anywhere in the State
will fell to understand it, We have
had enough of lawless acts, OF
thcfts, intimidation and other meth
DDS Of terrorizing citizens and com
munitics. These should be stopped
and must be stopped, or the conse-
quenccs viii have to be accepted.
Fer the present / have left the cam
palgn for the GovcInorship, believ-
ing the upholding of law and order
in our State is Of more Importance
than political discussion"
Wr!t Of Error Granted Thaw.
Philndelnhin. Sneeial A writ 81