The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1908-11-13
Goyernors OF Several States VIII
Act in Concert 70 Destroy Dis.
reputable Organization
CONFESSION LEADS TO ARREST.
Many o. Those Connected with the
Dastardly Murder OF Capt. Raa-
kin Are New in Custody.

The rom measures taken by Gov
rrnor Patterson la dealing WITH the
Shocking outrage of the Tennessee
Night Riders. when Capt. Quentin H.
Rankin was lyDchci ard his friend ana
c~nirpanion. Judge Zachary Taylor, nar-
rowiy escaped a similar fate. are bear
ing fruit. Numerous arrests of aaem-
bers oil the Night Riders have been
made by the militia. which the Cover
nor sent into the northwestern part or
the State. and one of the law-treaking
gang. Ted Burton. has made a confess
sion duplicating over " score o. b
criminals. The majority Of these arc
now under arrest at Camp Memo. az
Samhcrg. ani all of them eventually
will te forced 10 face the responsibility
for their saockingly oold-blooaed and
cruel crime. 1
According Ia the story told by Bur-
ton. the ~rinSleaders OF the Night Rid
ers, who hanged Capt. Rankin near
Walnut Lodge on the shores Of Reel
foot Lake. were Tom and Carrot john
son and win Watson. the two former
of whom are under arrest and h Lat
ter of whom is now at large under Q
5000 bond for another crime. Burton
asserts that he was N o actually pres
ent at the lynching. but that he helped
TO arrange the preliminaries. He Is
plicates James f. Carpenter. a lawyer.
whom be charges with having deeeyed
Rankin and Taylor To Walnut Lodge
under the prefense Of buying some land
bordering on geelfoot Lake. dispute
over the fishing privileges Of which
led to the tragedy. Carpenter Is now
under arrest.
Burton met Carpenter at Walnut
Lodge by arrangement. and says he
saw Rankin and Taylor at h supper
table the night they were taken from
their beds i'm rhe hotel and conveyed.
hound on horseback. TO Bayou Deshea.
to be murdered. After making sure
that Rankin and Taylor were at Wal
nut Lodge he conveyed the Information
TO the leaders of the Night Riders. and
while leaving the latter to deal with
the victims he went out on the lake
TO fish. He was fishing fully a mile
from shore when Rankin was killed
and heard the reports of the shots that
were fired into his body.
The confession Of Burton and the
arrest OF many of the Night Riders
implicated in the tragedy have placed
fhG uyfhpvjtfp< I'm 81 CtynrO rnrs$.n-1 ~
dealing with the lawlessness OF the
Night Riders. Five companies OF State
militia are now In the affected district
and more win be DISPATCHED to the
scene should the situation warrant 1t.
IT is the purpose of Governor Patterson
to stamp out the ~lawlessness which has
existed in the vicinity Of Reekoot Lake
for a long time.
Lon8-stancing Lawlessress
The fishing privileges connected with
this lake lie at the root Of the whole
trouble 1t has been the contention OF
those living a the lake-squatterp
and ofhers-that 1t was their right to
ply their calling as fishermen In itD
waters without molestation, while the
owner Of the land on the shores of the
lake took an opposite view.
Originally there were many owners
OF the lands bordering on the lake. buk
the Western Tennessee Land Corunany.
OF which Capt. Rankin and Judge Tav-
Tor were the organizers. purchased thu.
rights OF many OF those. and in the
courts he company was upheld. to
Eetber with the embargo II had placed
on the fishing privileges on the lake.
Then followed Night Rider warninrn
threatening death to those who opposeA
the wishes OF the members Of the hand.
1t was on the first visit In many months
to the lake region that Capt. Rankin
was killed.
Now the Night Riders are to h.
fought TO a finish and the whole d,.-
reputable orga nization eytermjnatad-
The war against the Night Rider. n.
to be extended I o ether States wher>
TINS species Of lawiessncss exists Th>.
Governors Of several States-Goyernora
Noel Of Mississippi. Pindall Of Arl.n.
As' ana Wilson OF Kentucky-haye
approved a suggestion IT Governor PAT.
terson that a conference Of the execu-
yves OF these States he held and plans
devised whereby they can act In eo,,eer<
IN an Effort TO destroy Night RIaar -
s~anizations. The Governors OF other
Sfates-Indiana. Georgia. Alar,ma-
49,
"nere hight riding Is sr,rlnging IN. WIN
probably Join In the nove-nept