The San Francisco call., 1908-12-23
WOMAN INFEAR
|. RELATES NIGHT
R|D[ROUTRAGFS
Witness Tells of Reign of Ter.
ror in Tennessee and Asks
Protection
Twenty=seven Members of the
Band Are Identified
During Trial
Judge Gives Details of Whip
ping by Men Wearing Masks
and Mother Hubbards

ON1ON I'll l., cDH., Dec. ZZ.-W nen
Mrs Anna Jackson, one of the states
witnesses, this afternoon in the night
riders trial, was excused from the
stand she turned to Judge Jones and
said: Il will not leave the courtroom
without armed protection 1 know these
men,
Mrs. Jackson told a vivid story of
several visits of the riders, corroborat-
ing Fred Fehringer's testimony in many
details, as did other witnesses. and
of the band She was followed on the
stand by her daughter, Miss Dora Jack
son, Is years old, who corroborated her
mother.
The last witness of the day was Will
Russell, another alleged night rider,
sell came to Union City, after the
Ranken killing, and made a confession
He was trembling with fear and could
hardly raise his voice above whisper.
WITNESS FEARS DEATH
Russell is under constant guard, but
believes that he will be killed in spite
Of these precautions. Russell's story
was practically the same as that told
by Fehringer, and corroborated it in
every essential detail.
When court opened the prisoners
were brought in handcuffed in pairs,
with detail of two soldiers for each
pair. The soldiers with rifles halted at
the courtroom door and other soldiers
armed with revolvers met the prisoners
at the threshold and escorted them to
the bar
WHIPPED BY RIDERS
Judge Shaw was the first witness of
the day. He was the proprietor of a
store near Reelfoot lake. The riders
forced him to give them oil to pour on
the fish docks when they were burned
and later whipped him when he tried
to go before the grand jury.
Shaw said the night riders wore
mother hubbards and black masks and
tried to disguise themselves by talking
in false tones. When Shaw was sum
moned before the grand Jury he tried
to slip into town at night. The riders
caught him and threatened to kill him.
Finally they gave him his choice of
switching or hanging. He told them he
was not anxious to endure either, but
II he had to make a choice he would
prefer the whipping. He got it.
Martin Leonard, another farmer near
Reelfcot lake, was visited by the rid
ers and given five days to move under
penalty of being hanged Asked if he
moved, he casually observed that he
was still alive. but his home was
burned
WOMAN RELATES
Mrs. Jackson testified that the riders
went to her home, forced her to dress
and accompany them to her fathers,
with her husband and daughter. They
ordered her to kill dogs she owned and
burned her fathers house. She identi-
fed Garrett Johnson as the leader.
The riders came back two nights
later, forced her to go to her fathers
half clad and said there had been some
talking done. They whipped her father
and then her sister. She heard her sis
ter's appeal for help and began to
scream, whereupon they threatened to
whip her. Again she recognized Gar
rett Johnson and several others
THREATENED WITH LASH
A third time they called to force her
to get rid of her sisters little child be-
cause the latter had quarreled with an
other neighbors child. They told Mrs
Jackson that if they had to come again
they would whip her. A fourth time
they came TO whip her father because
he testified before the grand Jury. On
the last visit Garrett johnson asked
Mrs. Jackson If she had talked. She
replied: mo, Mr. Johnson, / have not
IF you were a man." Johnson retort-
ed I'D blow your brains out. We will
hang you If you talk"
The purpose of the state is to show
the reign of terror in the Reelfoot dis
trict inaugurated by the riders and to
prove that the murder of Captain Ran
kin was only an instance of a gigantic
conspiracy.