The Washington times., 1908-12-22
Officials Hear of Bold Plan
and Handcuff the
Accused.
EXTRA GUARDS
ARE PROVIDED
Court Reopens With Witness Who
Tells of Burning Of
Fish Docks.

Handcuffed and under guard Of depu-
ty sheriffs and eight soldiers, the
eight alleged night riders, indicted on
the charge Of numbering Capt. Quen-
tin Rankin at Reel Foot Lake, were
brought into the circuit court room
at $50 o'clock this morning
The Handwriting of the accused and
the addition Of the soldiers TO the
number OF guards was due 70 the re
CENT of information by the authori-
ties hat two OF the prisoners had
been overheard making plans 10 es-
cape by breaking away from the dep
uty saeriTs while going TO or return
inE from the court house The names
OF the two prisoners have not been
made public.
Dash fO- Liberty.
II is thought that the plan formed
bv the men was 10 make dash, and
reaching horses, which IT is supposed
were 20 have been Lett not far from
the court house by friends, succeed In
crossing the Kentucky line.
John shaw, aged nifty years, and
engaged in general merchandise Ousi-
ness at Samburg, on Reel Foot Lake,
was the first witness called today
He described the location Of the
hsE. cocks at SembUrg and the burn
ing bv night riders OF J. Z. BuIulch
a cos hsh docks on April II last.
shaw said that on the nlshI OF lLte
destruction of the docks ne was FISt
- Nv twenty-five or thirty men, All
~ yvhCu were disguised and carried
guns. and who forced him 70 ia!
Tvro-R allon Jug with oll and 90 10 lhe
DOCKS. where under oEogLs' rs -4i1'l
the former being 4 partner aho ~ ~
latter a son OF J. g Bur'iich, tllS
DrincipaI prOpri etOT OF the cocks. TO
1g5i.S Pisasant and Burdick came to the
door OF tleir house with feNOlEeTs anu
w re- srlere' TO leave the lake- ne
a, re-ta.e1 told how tFC oil was poured
- is and if 1tted, The docks
T. ths -rTr,,sa togetk er with mucn hsn-
81 - FeliEF T The night riders also
C-.,rIed rO be ~ SoIaH dwelling houses
owned by BuroicH x To- 'u' lli1ii--
Concluded not 10 90 so
Returned Later
They however returned five days later.
after giving the occupants notice TO
leave. and applied the torch 20 these
dwellings. shaw was warned to leave
tho lake because he was connected with
tho West Tennessee Land Company and
told that If lie did not do 50 he would
b, killed
In September last, while en- route from
I his home 10 Union City TO go before the
grand iury IN response to a summons
nom that body, ne vas waylaid by
night riders and told THAI ne would
either be hanged or whipped, and he
could take his choice He replied that
! he would rather be whipped, and while
( held by two men he was given about
| twenty blows The night riders told
/ him that he must return home and not
testify before the grand jury 4 masked
man then asked him, can you run2
! Well" the witness was asked by At
ltorney General Caldwell, did you run2'
and the answer came promptly. You
ought 20 have seen me
Gave Names of Riders.
) Martin Leonard and Mrs. Martin
/ Leonard testified in regard to the burn
iur Of the fish docks and gave the
! names Of some OF the night riders pres
/ eut Al that time. but these did nOt in
clIde any Of the defendants Fred
/ Eurdick was the next witness lie gave
/ testimony as 10 the destruction Of the
4 docks and identified Sam Apple1Ehite
ol.e Of the defendants. as having been
! present on that occasion
! Counsel for the defense objected to
much Of the testimony given BY Wit
neyses today OH the ground that Il was
Incompetent and irrelevant because il
/ referred 10 an ofTense separate and dis
/ tinct from the murder Of Captain Ran
kin. Judge Jones OveTruled these OBJ
iecticns and allowed the evidence tC
go to the jury.
| Rob FdwardS, twenty-three years OF
9gn. next took the witness stand. He
testified that he was present at a meet
ing of night riders and was given 9
mask and told TO get gun. He was
afterward ordered 10 go on raid, bu
he with one or two others, refused
and. laying down their masks. weni
| home.
ber of men who attended the meet
ing. among them being Arthur ClOar
one OF the defendants.
! Robert Green testified that he wa:
notified one day to meet the night rider:
i'm field at night. He went to the plac,
indicated and. then saw Arthur Cloar
| a. defendant, and others. The Obiect
Of the meeting was not made known
| to those in attendance beyond IN,
| statement that il was for the purpos'
of giving orders to two men. Witnes.
! was given a mask and after remaining
half an hour talking together the partl
dispersed after being told that none bur
those who were Merry were wanteC
in the organization
| The next witness was White John
son. He said that on the day Captain
Rankin was killed he saw It'd Burton
and hoy Ransom, two of the defend
ants 1t a store, where he also saw
Captain Rankin and Colonel Taylor
| That night he heard three shots, afte
being awakened by his wife, who ha,
| heard other shots.
He was later called upon by Mr
, ! Ward to accompany him TO the seen
OF the tragedy, where he saw Captain
| Rankin's body. He did not see arv O
the night riders, but heard them a
| they passed his house on their wa,
| home.
/ The grand jury. met again today an
| examined several witnesses. The name
Of many men not yet under crrest Eav
ing been given by witnesses as parti
cipants in the murder of Captain Ran
kin and in raids where men and wome
were whipped, large number of IN
dictments and arrests are expecte
zSthin the nsxt day or two.