The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-12-21
TAYLOR TELLS OF
sRANkEN'S MURDER
AND HOW HE HIMSELF ESCAPED
BY LEAPlNc INTO SLOUGH
IN HAIL or BULLETS.
THREE OF RIDERS IDENTIFIED
A Confessed Night Rider Diseioses
g Some Secrets Of the Order
state Hopes to Identity All
cs the Defendants.

Union City Tenn. Dec. 21.-When
court adjourned Saturday afternoon
tn Monday the state had nearly com
pleted It's case against the eight al
legged Night Riders now on trial for
the murder of Capt Quentin Rankin
On Monday Il will put Frank Fehrin-
ger on the stand. He says he was
present when the murder was commit
ted and knows the name of every man
who was present. After that the state
will merely fill in with corroborative
testimony. The defense will depend
solely upon alibis and for that pur-
pose has summoned nearly hundred
citizens OF the Reelfoot lake district
10 testify as to the whereabouts of the
indicted men on the night of October
10.
sented thus far has Identified only
three of the eight al present the night
of the murder. Garrett Johnson, It'd
Burton and Boy Ransom. It depends
upon Fehringer to identify the others
Fehringer probably will be on the
stand all day Monday and he is ex-
pected to reveal the oath, signs. pass
words and the ritual OF the Riders.
Unusual precautions will be taken in
the court house while he is testifying
to make sure that there is no demon
stration against him. ~ s..s ..ll.4.
The first witness Saturday was Col.
r. 2. Taylor, who was the companion
OF Capt. Quentin Ranken on the night
Of the murder Of the latter. Col Tay-
lor is SO years old, a veteran OF the
Confederate army and wealthy. The
two we're awakened at the hotel on
the night of October 10 and taken to
the bank of the slough where Ranken
was hung and shot to death. Taylor
Jumped into the water and swan TO a
log. Bullets struck the log like hail
In storm, but gradually they ceased.
For two hours he lay in the water, and
when all sounds had ceased he swan
to the opposite side and took to the
woods, finally being found by friends
In an exhausted condition.
ID. Macwrey, who lives within ear
shot of It'd Burton. one OF the de-
PENDANTS, displayed poor memory
when called for the state. An impor.
tant witness was Charles II. Russell,
son of j. II. Russell. the first Juror
chosen. The elder Russell was ex-
cused because Of the relationship.
Charles Russell admitted that he was
a Night Rider and that he was in
duced TO join the band by Arthur
Cloar, one of the eight on trial Rus
sell was not at the Ranken murder.
He was approached by Cloar several
months before the killing, was given
a mask, and was told to come to GER
tain spot in the woods, armed, that
night. He did not want to join, but
they made him. Russell said he was
told that II he revealed anything upon
the Riders, death, hell and destruc-
tion" would be his portion. That
same night they went to "Old Man"
Fagin's house, took Fagin into the
woods and whipped him. He learned
next day from Cloar that the man
who swore him in was Fred Pinion,
one Of the eight now on trial. On an.
other night when another man was
whipped, Frank Fehringer, who has
turned states evidence. was captain.
There was a different captain almost
svery night.