Evening star., 1908-12-21
GUARDED BY SOLDIERS
Niqht Rider Witness Describes
Tennessee Crimes.
TELLS SECRETS IN COURT
Gives Names of Members and Man
ner of Meeting.
MEN FORCED TO JOIN RAIDS
Often Whipped Men and Women on
Captains Orders Without
Knowing Why.

UNION CITY, Tenn. December 2l-Sur-
rounded by a detail Of six fully armed
soldiers, Frank Fehringer. member Of the
night riders, who has turned states evil
dence, was brought into court today to
testify against his former associates.
At the courtroom door two soldiers
armed with rifles. halted. Four other
soldiers. armed only with revolvers, took
Fehringer in charge. Four armed deputy
sheriffs cleared a way through the crowd
in the aisles.
Fehringer was led to the stand. and
the soldiers sat down inside the railing
facing the throng. Deputies, armed heav-
lily took positions in various parts of the
room. 4.
1t was tense moment. The witness. q
diminutive man, seemed composed, but
pale. He crossed his legs and tossed his
broad-brimmed hat on the toe OF his
boot
Many in the crowd surged up closer. A
stern order from the judge forced them
back into their seats. Fehringer spoke In
a clear, distinct voice, audible all over the
room.
Fehringer said he was one of the first
members of the band. He went on the
first ride of the band and visited Marslis
store when there was a feud between the
riders of Upton county and those OF
Obion county. They feared a raid of Tip
ton county men.
Tells of Rider Oath.
The oath he took was:
II solemnly swear that I wish To ioii
the Society of Night Riders. and thai
I will never write. tell, or talk about
ANYTHING that happened upon the rides
or in conference
This is the shorter oath. A larger ant
more blood-curdling one was administered
to Others 1t will be recited by another
witness.
Fehringer knew all the defendants ant
had accompanied them ON many rae!
prior to the killing of Capt. Rankin. Th'
night riders garb consisted of lent
black coats. black masks trimmed II
white and some had false beards attached
to the bottom. On one occasion Depu'!
Sheriff Mays. since resigned, and wh.
was one of the riders, came to Meelih;
unmasked. At this meeting Garret
johnson was chosen chief. and other cap
tains were named for different locahtie
and authorized to order raids WneneFe
the riders of certain locality thouSh
something needed regulating.
Sometimes members failed TO appear TO
rides, and on those occasions the rlder
went after the missing men and forcet
them to go on the raids.
On one ride. while the members of the
band were In a victims house, r1del
named Pierson had a fit and his com
panions had to remove his mask to re-
vive him.
Obeyed Captains Orders.
Often the riders whipped men and wo
men without knowing why. except tha
the captain ordered it. Once, when tht
grand jury was in session and severa
men who had been whipped had beer
summoned, Garrett johnson sent out g
general order to hang one of the mer
who testified. They caught wftnes:
named John Shaw on his way to cour
near Sleepy Hollow. whipped him savage
ly and sent him home. He did not testi
fy.
Several prospective witnesses we're SINH
larly treated. but few of them will tel
Of il even now, SO great is their terror.
'.Old Man" Bogus (no other name
known) testified as to the burning of fish
docks by the riders. The outlaws met &
few nights later and got into a row a:
to whether to hang Bogus or only whiI
the riders called.
The riders went to the home of Johr
Thurman one night to tell Thurman:
daughter. Mrs Joe Johnson, to withdraw
her suit for divorce. They whipped Thur
man because he would not urge hi.
daughter to live with her husband again