The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-12-25
'CENSORS PRESS
AT UNION CITY
COURT TO WITHHOLD EVIDENCE
IN TRIAL or The ALLEGED
NIGHT RIDERS.
GOOD PROGRESS MADE FIRST DAY
Main Facts Of The Murder of Capt.
Rankin Proven BY The
State.

UNION CITY, Tenn. Dec. 1S.-At
the end of the first days testimony in
the trial Of the eight men charged
with the night rider outrages at Reel
foot Lake the State had made consid-
cradle progress. 1t had introduced
testimony covering the details Of the
murder of Capt. Quentin Rankin and
also had succeeded in presenting evil
dence supporting an identification of
two of the prisoners as members OF
the masked band which killed Capt.
Rankin.
That a strict censorship Of the press
will be maintained during the trials
was indicated when court opened this
morning After cautioning the jury to
confine their reading to novels and
good books, Judge Joseph E. Jones
said:
Before we commence the taking OF
testimony l want to make request
of the men who represent the news
papers here. AS you know, there are
over 100 indictments yet to be tried.
A juror who has heard from either a
witness or from one who has heard
from a witness what purports to be
an account of what happened is in
competent as a juror. The Supreme
Court has held that newspaper re-
port of testimony comes within the
forbidden field. Hence, if the newspa-
pers report this testimony at this trial
it will make it impossible to secure
jury in the cases to come, and thus
justice will be defeated
This is a very serious phase Of the
trial The court will first make this
request in very polite and informal
way, trusting that the good sense and
patriotism of those who own the pa
pers will lead them to comply with 1t.
OF course, If it be disregarded, then
the court will be compelled, very re-
luctantly, to take such steps as may
be necessary and legal to protect the
interest of the Commonwealth.
1T has been suggested that the rul-
ing apply only to papers which circu-
late in this county and that papers at
a distance be exempted. I do not
believe this would be fair, hence no
exemption will be made"
The little courtroom was packed to
suffocation, even the aisles being
crowded, while an eager throng, I'M
able to obtain admission, stood all day
upon the stairway leading to the
court room and filled the corridors.
The crowd is made up almost entirely
If town people, few If any Of the Reel
DOT inhabitants appearing on the ,
scene, to the evident delight and re-
ief of the court officials.
The prisoners, unkempt, scowling
md silent, pay little attention to the
proceedings, Only once today did
hey betray any emotion. One wit F
less, who had been sworn into the +
and against his will, testified that d
he only part of the oath he remem- "
ered was that provided that they fl
would kill him if he revealed any 7
hing. At this, a sardonic grin spread RI
yer the features of more than one wv
f the eight prisoners. n
Ed Powell, husband of the only wo- T
IAN witness yet to be called, was an j
Important factor in the States behalf
Dwell was dragged from his bed the CT
light of the Rankin murder and forced ca
} accompany the band to the Walnut &C
og Hotel, from which Rankin and til
aylor were taken. Powell identified a
rank Fehringer as the man who pl
Dened Rankin's valise and took out dt
nd read a letter. He identified Gar W
T.