The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-14
Night Rider Gases Will Come to Trial At Union City
 on Monday
LAW AND LAWLESSNESS
 WILL FIGHT ID FINISH
Homespun-cIad Denizens of ReeIfoot Lake District Flock Into Union City to Attend Trials of
 Indicted Friends.

Union City, Tenn, December 13-Clad in rough homespun, with ragged trousers tackled deep into cowskin boots, innocent of polish, with struggling beard and huge slouch hats, but always with the inevit- able long -bar1eled rife or big pistol in plain view, the denizens of the Reelfoot district are assembling in this quaint little town today for the opening scene of the night rider trials They are the friends and relatives of the men who are held under military. guard over at the bar racks. They ignore the townspeople or glance at them with scrowls. When they meet one another, a silent nod or a whis- rered word is all that passes between tbem. Silently and singly they wander through the streets or stand for hours outside the barracks, gazing curiously up at the windows of the room above in which their friends are held incommuni- cendo. Sometimes they approach the trim young sentries on guard below, taking careful inventory of the glistenlng bayo- nets and business-like rifles.
 They feel Ixeenly this trouble, do these rough but simply grown-up children of the Tennessee hills. They believe that they are being persecuted, and that the ertire world is against them. Old Tom Johnson, who, the state says was the first leader of the hand, but who was deposed because his immense stature and mutt lated hand made him an easy victim of identification, expresses the belief of them all when he says
 Belief of People.
 Its like this heah, stranger. God. He put them rod hills up theah. An He put some ot us pooh folks that he didn't have lo room foh rowheah else up theah, too. An then He saw that we couldn't make a Twin farmin.' so He ordered an earth quake an the earthquake left a big hole. Next He filled the hole with water and put fish in it. Then He knew we could make a Twin between 'farmin' an fishin.' But along comes these rich men who don't have to make no Twin, an they tell us all that we must not fish in the lake any more cause they owns the lake an the fish God put there for us. It jus natural Iy aint right. stranger, it ain't no jus tice,.''
 This is the right riders view, and there are many who sympathize with them. But like all movements of this kind the pri- mary object was forgotten and the or ganization began to be used to vent the personal spiieg of members and to at tempt to regulate the most private and intimate affairs of everybody for 100 miles around.
 For instance merchants whose total sales did not exceed S2 day were notified that they must sell goods at cost plus 10 per cent Tenants of farms were ordered to pay no money rent, but to insist on working the ground on shares. Growers of grain and tobacco were ordered to plant only so many acres of soil. Landlords were notified not to lease their property for cash rents. A woman who had left her drunken husband was ordered to return to him. And when she refused she was taken to the woods, stripped, tied to tree and lashed with a cat 'o-nine-tails until her back and should CTS were one big lacerated wound. Other women. fond of pretty clothing, were told to cease wearing it. And in every case, refusal to comply in stantly was followed by a visit from the fearsome black masked crew, swift, silent hopeless struggle, 6 rapid ride to the depths of the lonesome
 
 barred flesh.
 Terrors of Wilderness.
 For nearly two years these black masked terrors of the wilderness rode nightly For nearly two years, no man, not a member, ever retired to rest without breathing a silent prayer that he and his dear ones be spared the horrors of a midnight visitation. For nearly two years no man not member met nighbor in the morning without the low voiced question: Who was whipped last night?"
 Then the riders extended their oper- ations They began to visit the larger towns-Troy, Dyersburk, Union City. This was followed by the murder of Captain Rankin. Finally the people became enraged the governor inter- ferred and in frenzy the officers of the law said: "We will stamp out this devlish organization. legally if we can, by mobs if we cannot, or we will be stamped out by it."
 And so came the grand jury, big, brave Judge Jones, equally brave but slender Attorney General Caldwell. Quickly too came the def Of the night riders: Dismiss the grand jury, stop the investigation, or we will send jury, judge and prosecutor to join Captain Rankin"
 The answer was the raid of the militia, 125 indictments for capital of lenses and the trials which open to- morrow.
 The issue is clearly drawn. There is no misunderstanding. Both sides are face to face, ready for the struggle, neither asking nor granting quarter. It is a finish fight between organized lawlessness and organized law
 
 Darwin Will Be Honored.
 Philadelphia December l3-Nearlv 1000