New-York tribune., 1908-12-25
UNION CITY RAID PLOT
INirht Riders SAID TO Haze Planned
to "Get" Enemies.
nr n.i.z.rn % N. Trtsus.I

r-nfo- CIV Tenn Dec 1A--The feature OF the
Night Riders trial to-day was the revealing
scf plot e attack Union CITY and sssasslns'e
snose who were prominent IN the movement against
khe Night Riders
This plan brought cut N the testimony OF
Thomas H Closr. who said he was induced 20
ko.u the Night Riders By Arthur Cloar. one OF the
hr-es.-. defendants early IN October. They are
So related although the names are the sans.
iCsoar said that friend OF one Of the men on
k-fal he'd approached him and told him that X ne
i,ex4fSe6 he would be killed before he left the
stand he was missing for an hour or two laSt
-,vl,- sn5 The state feared he had been abducted
or Killed An armed party found him a. his home
.n Clarion however. He has been IN Union CITY
since the Defendants were arrested. end simply
went home for q visit
At recess today Judge Jones noticed a number
of small tsoys in the courtroom and ordered that
They retire This action followed an incident last
night a number Of small boys had procured black
masks and were playing Night Riders. They have
reen constant attendants az the trial and the
-court did not consider the effect good on the
.youthful minds.
On the day Of Captain Rsnldn's murder Cloar
ses.ihed that ne went 70 Reelfoot Lake for fish
snd met Bob Huffman and Bud" Morris, two
Of the defendants. Huffman told him they had
wanted him Join in order TO get information as
% how Union City was guarded as they planned
70 visit that place and attend to- Judge Jones.
lAttorney General Caldwell. the father Of Caldwell
g man eighty years cid, Judge Wadden and
Number Of other prominent who were urging
zhe determination OF the Night Rider band.
The witness told that the Night Riders were
irotag get Rankin and Taylor that night and
he was urged ride with them He told them he
kasd no gun, that his child I'll. and that he
could nct GO Prior to this hour rs had burned
ahis mask and told his wife he would never go
with the riders again. He not present when
Rankin zvas killed He talked with Arthur Cloar,
Eshe defendant q few days after the killing The
eatter tod the witness all the details Of the nur-
der. and said that he (Arthur Cioar) was present
.xSe1 Il was committed A severe cToss-exaJ1li-
nation failed vary any detail OF the story.
William Roberts. q Reelfoot man. testified that
he was solicited by Arthur Cloar to Join the Night
Riders. He refused, whereupon Coar told him
khe riders proposed 10 get" Judge Harris, whip
htra and cut of MS head. And when get him,
eaid Cloar. "you viii have GO. whether you
fv-snt not
, The Night Riders were never able to get Harris
who was one OF the owners Of the West Tennessee
lsnd Company. because he was guarded at all
shines Els home al Tiptonvfle is veritabie fort
-he grounds and approaches TO ii are electrically
rnined, end It could stand q siege Of weeks 40
sournrnent taken until Monday
Nashville Tenn Dec. 24-On indictment from
zhe Court Of Humphrey County. six men were
brought 70 this city and In jail to-day. charged
with .'xhitecapping and kIkuxing"
Fourteen more men were arrested yesterday N
Humphrey County charged with the same offences
and are held n Jail waverly. Little IS known OF
she ALLEGED crimes of the men Il has been known
hcr some tine that q band Of operating
TrEr trouble lesding VI 20 the arrest Of the men
IVES when 4 farmer living up the river from We
Arerlv was whipped because he sold his smsn crop
Of peanuts for & smaller sum than II was thought
os SHOULD have demanded. Since then ssTeral oc-
currences Of E similar nature have taken place