The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1908-11-19
NIGHT RIDERS
BREAK DOWN
THO PRISONERS CONFESS TO THE REEL
FOOT LAKE TRA6EDY---HAVE BEEN
RESTLESS ALL THE WHILE.

held in the military barracks
here broke down today. This
afternoon the paved the way to
make a full and voluntary con
fession at a conference with at
torney general Caldwell, and as
soon as the other state attorneys
return from Nashville they will
be given chance to tell all they
know of the various crimes of
the night riders and particularly
the eliminating atrocity-t the
murder of Captain Quentin Ran
kin at Walnutlog.
For three or four days past
the restlessness of these two
men, whose names are at pres
ent withheld for obvious reasons,
has been a matter of comment
among the soldiers on duty at
the barracks. Hour after hour
they would walk the floor of the
dormitory and at night would
toss restlessly in their beds, long
after the prisoners were asleep
Their food has at times been left
on the table untasted, and they
plainly showed that they were
becoming desperate under the
confinement.
They undoubtedly realize that
as each day passed over the
grand jury investigation. the
state was weaving about them a
net of almost unbreakable evil
dence and that they would be un-
able to combat or refute it. Their
determination to make a clean
breast to the state attorneys did
not come as any great surprise.
1t has been expected for the past
day or two, and General Cald-
well was prepared this afternoon
when he received an urgent mes
sage to come to the barracks and
confer with these two men.
The grand jury was at once
adjourned and for three hours
General Caldwell was in private
consultation. He expressed him
self tonight as bsing we'll satis-
fed with his afternoon work.
General Caldwell said tonight
that he proposed to have the two
prisoners before a counsel of his
associates at the earliest moment
and had every assurance that the
result of the conference would be
Of great Importance and benefit
to the states strongly welded
chain of evidence against the
murderers of Capt. Rankin
Another important step which
will be taken upon the return of
the state counsel from Fashville
on Thursday, as Judge Matthews
is expected to render an opinion
on habeas corpus cases tomorrow.
will be the classification of the
forty-eight prisoners who are
now held in the barracks. 1t is
the intention of the state to di-
vide these men into three classes.
The first class will comprise
those who have been deeply inn
plicated by the evidence present
ed to the grand jury and who
will be denied the right of bail
and held until given a trial by
jury in the circuit court of this
county.
The second class embraces
those prisoners whose guilt
is not so positively fixed by the
evidence. There are now sew
eral men held in the lot of forty
eight prisoners, who will come
under this heed, and their friends
will soon be allowed the privilege
of making bond for them.
The third class will be dis
charged outright as they are now
simply held until the state Sc
cures a classification of its evil
dence. They are witnesses pure
and simple, and General Cald-
we'll said tonight that they would
have been released days ago if
the state had been given full op-
portunity to conduct itsexamina-
tions without interference.