Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1908-10-30
Terrible Vengeance Wreaked Upon
Two Tennessee Attorneys by
Murderous Mob.
Trouble of Long Standing Over Fish,
ermen's Rights Terminates in
One Man Being Hanged, the
Other Having Narrow Es-
cape.

Taylor, aged 60 years, and Captain
Quintin Rankin, prominent attorneys
Of Trenton, Tenn, were taken from
Wards hotel at Walnut Log, Tenn,
fifteen miles from here, at midnight
Wednesday night by masked might
riders" Captain Rankin being
hanged to tree and his body rid
died with bullets Colonel Taylor
had a miraculous escape from the
vengeance of the mob.
Captain Rankin's body was found
the next morning, riddled with bull
lets and hanging from tree one mile
from the hotel
Judge Taylor's escape is due to
1aring dash for liberty while the
night riders were disputing among
themselves the best way to kill him.
During the heat of the discussion.
ut moment when the guards atten-
ton was diverted, Judge Taylor broke
tor freedom. Dashing few yards to
the bank of small inlet of Reed
Foot lake, he plunged in, fusillade
or bullets following the fugitive
whose figure was dimly discernible,
Swimming, the aged attorney pushed
forward.
Shots and bullets fell on all sides,
but none struck him Near the bank
opposite the firing night riders, Judge
Taylor threw up his hands and pitched
forward heavily over log and lay
inert Shots were fired into the log
by the night riders, but not one pen
etrated far enough to injure him. He
remained hiding behind the log until
morning, when he wandered into the
forest, and finally reached Upton.
vile, thirty-two hours after the trag,
edy which ended Captain Hankin's
life
Mr.: Ward. the manager of the
Ward hotel at Walnut Log, tele-
phoned details of the tragedy. He
said that twenty-five masked might.
| tiders" came to his hotel at midnight.
They lined up outside the hotel, pull
ed out their revolvers and called to
Colonel Taylor and Captain Rankin.
The two men did not suspect trouble
end came down Immediately. AS the
attorneys passed into the front yard
the riders covered them with their re-
volvers and before Rankin and Tay-
Tor had an opportunity to retire they
were surrounded and seized. They
were put on horses behind ''nightrid-
ers" and carefully guarded. The
"nightriders' then quietly took up
their march from the hotel, turning
down the road toward Reel Foot
Lake. Guests at the hotel in a few
minutes lost the sound of hoof beats
and nothing more was heard of the
fate of the two men until the next
morning
The trouble between inhabitants on
the banks of the Reel Foot lake and
| Colonel Taylor and Captain Rankin
originated several years ago, when
the two latter men incorporated and
organized the West Tennessee Land
company. They bought Reef Foot
lake from nonresident owners and
Immediately made regulations OF
their own concerning fishing priv.
leges. The lake separates Obion and
Lake counties. in the extreme north.
west corner of Tennessee. Great
numbers of the residents In that
neighborhood have made their living
for some time by fishing in the lake
and TREY became Indignant when
what they claimed as their rights
were disturbed They made demands
of the land company and followed
these with letters threatening Taylor
and Ranki4. Colonel Taylor desired
protection, in some form. of the state
and he secured the passage in the leg
islature of an act regulating fishing
| in Reel Foot lake This act made II
misdemeanor to fish in the lake
| without paying a heavy fee.