The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-10-28
MANNING S. c. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER %, 1908
PLAN TO BUY VOTES A FOUL TRAGEDY
Band of Mask Men lynch Two
Prominent Men.
CAUSE OF THE CRIME

Was Law Passed by the Legisls
ture In Reference tc Fishing In
Certain Lake Near Where the Tw
Men Were Killed by the Ru,
! fans.
| Col. r. Q. Taylor. aged 60 years
and Captain Quinten Rankin, bot
prominent attorneys Of Trenton
Tenn, were taken from Wards Eote
at Walnut Log, Tenn, Monday nigh
by masked night riders and murder
ed. Captain Rankan's body wa
found Tuesday morning r!ddled viii
bullets and hanging from a tree on
mile from the hotel.
Efforts to locate the body of Col
onel Taylor have been futile thu
far, but 1t is believed that he was ais.
killed. The trouble which result
ed in the death Of Captain Rankil
and the probable murder Of Colone
Taylor was caused by the passagt
Of an Act By the Legislature regulat
ing fishing IN Reel Foot Lake, shor
distance from Walnut Log.
A night rider disturbance over
the same matter occurred over ;
year ago. Ever since then Colone
Taylor and Captain Rankin haV'
been in constant receipt Of threaten
ing letters, to which they paid uttI.
heed. Mr.. Ward, the manager o.
the Ward House, at Walnut Log
telepholed Sid Wadell, a stockhold
or In the West Tennessee Land Com.
pany, stating that about 25 masked
night riders came to his hotel al
midnight last night.
According to this report the night
riders lined up outside the hotel
pulled out their rerolvers and called
Colonel Taylor and Captain Rankin
The two men did not suspect troub-
ie and came down Immediately. a.
the attorneys passed into the from:
yard Of the hotel the night riders
covered them with revolvers. Before
Captain Rankin and Colonel Taylor
had an opportunity to retire they
were surrounded and seized.
They were put on horses behind
night riders and carefully guarded
The night riders then quietly took
up their march from the hotel, turn.
ing down the road toward Reel Foot
Lake. Proceeding to the edge o;
Reel Foot Lake the night riders pull
ed out a rope and placed the moose
about Captain Rankin's neck.
Captain Rankin was strung ur
from limb on the bank of the lake
for the fishing privileges Of which
he had contended with the night rid
ers. The masked men then stepped
back and opened fire on the swing
ing body. ridd1ing it with bullets
Leaving the corpse of Captain Ran,
sin hanging on the bank Of Reel
Lake. the night riders took Colonel
Taylor to another spot. Search near
Captain Rankin's body has failed
TO reveal trace Of the murderers.
The trouble between inha 5itants
on the banks Of Reel Foot Lake and
Colonel Taylor and Captain Rankin
organized several years ago, The.
the two latter men organized the
West Tennessee Land Company
bought Reel Foot Lake from non
resident property owners and made
regulations of their own concernine
fishing privileges.
Colonel Taylor also secured tn:
passage in the Legislature Of an Act
making it misdemeanor to fish il
the lake without paying q heavy fee
Fearing trouble Captain Rankin ant
Colonel Taylor had remained ava,
from the vicinity Of the lake fol
some time. Recently, however. they
| heard that the feeling against theE
had somewhat subsidized. The at
torneys went to Walnut Log Moada,
to see about some legal papers.
A man named Powell is said t
have been forced to accompany tn
members. Powell had been stc2ptns
at the hotel, and when the rider
called every one out and compellet
them to line up, Powell, Colone
| Taylor, Captain Rankin and the sur
veycr, whose name is unknown, AZ
said to have been taken away.
! Powell states. it is said. that afte
Killing Rankin vote was take
regarding the dispuosition to mad
| of Taylor. During the dispute Tag
| Tor made dash and jumped into th
bayou. startiag to swim across il
A number of shots were fred at hiu
[ and In the confusion Powell slippe
away and brought back the story c
the escape OF attempted escape G
Taylor.
+. Z. Taylor vas the father Of tn
Vanderbilt foot ball star. Eiillsma
Taylor. who was married to Mis-
Katherine Taylor, the daughter {
: Senator Robert l.. Taylor, last fai
Captain Rankin was a prominer
lawyer of Trenton He vas capta1
Of military company IN the Spanisl
: American war and served in tt
Cuban campaign.
: Governor Patterson offered =
:. ward Of $4,000 for the arrest
I the person 0, persons guilty Of II
murder Of Judge Taylor and Captal
{ Rankin at Reel Foot Lake. Co
ernor Patterson vas at Covingtc
i when news Of the murder was r
0 ceived and INN ediateiy cancelled d
}, engagements to speak there Tue