New-York tribune., 1908-10-21
THINK FOUR LYNCHED
NIGHT RIDERS BLAMED.
Prominent Tennessee attorney s
Rodu Found-Others Missing.
rBy Telegraph to The Tribune.


Neronhis Oct 2O-Forty masked and neaVliS
armed Night Riders kidnapped captain Qu
ton Rankin and his law partner 1uue ~ -
TAYLOR, from Wards Hotel, In the niue Tow -
Walnut Log. the shores OF ReeHoot Ian
gather with a surveyor and a local plahteI a.
ing as guide last night and itSs believed ~ hcheu
the four Captain Rankin's body was l"u,i1
near the village this morning hanging Ir'ii III
limb of tree that extended over 'ne i
The body was literally filed WIN Ouiie''
buckshot. ,o,,s
Sherif's posses prosecuting Flsoiu
ssarcb for the other three, who. especially 1uue0
Taylor. IT is hoped may be held for ransom:
man named Powell who hauls hsh from
Walnut Log to Hickman, says ne was ioio
accompany the mob. Powell had been stdSihe
at the hotel and when the riders caileu e'
one out and compelled them to line up POWER
was taken with the four men picKeo ou''
the others were permitted to return TO their
beds. =
Powell saws that after killing Rankin vote
u,as taken regarding the disposition Whicn was
to be made of Taylor During the debate LAY
lor made dash, jumped into the bayou anu
started to swim across A number OF shotS were
fired at him In the confusion Powell shppeu
away, and brought back story OF the escape'
or attempted escape. of Taylor
Searchers found the trees on the edge OF the
BAYOU clipped by bullets. and there were deep
footprints in the mud along the shore. On the
other side Of the bayou there was single foot
nrint and some think this may be the track OF
Taylor.
Taylor and Rankin noted all over Tennessee
not only lawyers but for political prominence
had engineered the purchase OF all the land
bordering Reelfoot Lake, a sheet or wafer
many miles in extent, that ever since its for
nation by the New Madrid Bend earthquake Of
1912 has been known far and wide for its IN
exhaustible supply OF game fish and DUCKS
The lawyers also obtained from recent legls-
lative session a blanket charter barring all per
sons from fishing or hunting on the lake. Ihls
aroused Bitter hatred among the o"eAeIs
around the lake whose Scanty incomes were al
most entirely derived from their sales OF hsh
and game apd from their pay as guides to for
eign sportsmen. who have come from Europe
and as far away Canada
Fearing trouble Captain Rankin and Col"he'
Taylor had remained away from the vicinity
of the lake for sOme time. Recently. however
they heard that the feeling against them had
somewhat subsided. There were some lesd'
papers at Walnut Log which needed attention.
and the attorneys went there yesterday 10 sec
about them.
Mr. Taylor was the father OF the Vanderbilt
football star" Hillsman Taylor, who mar
ried Miss Katherine Taylor. the daughter )t
Senator Robert L. Taylor, last fall. Captain
Rankin, who was prominent lawyer at Iren-
ton, was captain OF military company in the
Spanish-Amercan War and served in the Cuban
campaig1.
Governor Patterson OF Tennessee has posted a
reward of $4,000, and more will be offered by
the families for the arrest and conviction OF the
lynchers. Heavily armed posses have been hur
ried to the lake.
Nashville Tenn, Oct. 20.-One hundred militia
men. under command OF Col W. c. Tatom. left
Nashville tonight for Reelfoot Lake. The orders
calling them out did not state whether they were
to do guard duty at the courthouse pending the
grand jury investigation or whether they are TO go