The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-25
WEAVING WEB ABOUT RIDERS Court Adjourns Until Monday. TALES OF REIGN OF TERROR Masked Men Dominated Reelfoot
 District. Arthur ciOar One of the Defendaats, Roasted That the Baad wouId @Gst" Captain Quentin
 

Union City, Tenn, Dec. 24.--Instead of resting with the testimony 1t had submitted the State decided this morn- ing to strengthen the case against the night riders" with little more evil denee.
 For this purpose 1t summoned Thom- as II. cioar, no relative of the defend ant. Arthur Cioar, as it's first witness. Cloar was Induced to join the night riders by Arthur Cloar early in Octo- Der. The witness was cool but care- ful for on last Sunday q friend Of one of the men on trial approached Cloar and told him if he testined he would be killed before he left the stand. He was missing for an hour or two last night and the state feared he had been found him at his home in Clayton, however He has been in Union City since the defendants were arrested and went home for a visit.
 On the day of Captain Rankin's mur- der. Cloar went to the Reelfoot Lake for fish and met Bob Huffman and Bui Morris. two of tho defendants. Hun. man told him they had wanted him to join in order to get information aa to how Union City was guarded as they wantsd 10 visit that place and attend to- Judge Jones and Attorney caId- well, the iatter's father, a man so years 6l4. Judge WaddeIl and q number of other prominent men who were urg- ing the extermination of the night rid- CT band.
 The witness was told that the riders were to "get" Rankin and Taylor that night and he was urged to ride with them. He told them he had no gun, that his child was III and thar he could not so. Pgior to this, however, he had burned his mask and told his wife that he would never so with the riders again. He was not present when Ran kin was killed
 He talked with Arthur cioar 8 few days after the Killing. Arthur Cloar is one of the defendants and he told Thomas Ctoar, the witness all the de-. taiis of the murder and said that he. Arthur Clear, was present whenA was committed.
 A severe cross examination failed to confuse the witness or make him vary from any detail of his story.
 During a recess Judge Jones noticed a number of small boys ia the court and asked that they retire. This acc ton followed an incident the court noted last night. "A number of small boys had purchased black masks and were vigorously playing night riders. They have been constant attendants at the trial and the court did not consider the effect good on the youthful minds,
 pr. D. M. White, while visiting near the lake the night of the Rankin mur- der. was approached by a masked rider who was armed with a revolver. The man demanded guns and got an auto makic pump gun belonging to hfs host, John Moore. The gun was returned the next day. The doctor did not rec oRnize the man as he spoke in q fai- gett0 tone.
 William Roberts q Reelfoot Lake man, was solicited by Arthur Cioar to join. He refused. whersupon Cloar told him the riders proposed to ''get'' Judge Harris, whip him and cut on his head. +and when we do," said Cioar. "you will have to go whether you want to or not" s The night riders were never able to get Harris. who was one of the owners Of the West Tennessee Land Company, because he was guarded at all times. Ills home at Tiptonville Is a Vsritabls fort. The grounds and approaches to 1t are electrically mined and it could stand a siege of weeks. Whether this was known to the night riders is not definitely known, but they never at tempted to raid Harris's home.
 Next the maps of tie Reelfoot Lake district were produced again and ex- plained by Deputy Sheriff Tom Noah.
 When Noah was excused the State asked a recess until after luncheon when 1t asked attachments for three witnesses Then the attorney stated that If the court adjourned at once, ths Common wealth would continue until Monday. The court then adjourned un- tiIaMonday.