The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-09-18
BENNETT KILLED
WHILE PLAYING
NIGHT RIDER
Unique Excuse Given by Wit
ness For Wearing Mask
and Scarf.
Did No Harm Except Cut Tele'
phone Wires.
HE DESCRIBES THE "TRIP

GAINESVILLE. Tenn, Sept IS
Oscar Albright. Charles Hogan, Elsie
Albright and Dave Chambliss. who
testified they were with Earl and
Vaughn Bennett on the night Bennett
was shot playing night riders" were
arrested charge with night riding.
Clarksyille. Tenn. Sept lS.-Tes-
tmony was introduced In the Gard
ner-Hunt murder trial. by men who
were with Vaughn aud Ear Bennett
on the night of the shooting. When
court convened John Sadler. aged %
years. was placed on the stand. lie
lives In the Fifth district and was
with Vaughn and Earl Bennett the
night they were shot. Oscag Albright
and Charles Hogan were also I'm the
crowd. there being seven In all. Wit
ness met four boys AT Ben Smiths
shop. over half mile from Ben
nett's. and they went TO BENEFITS
factory. where Vaughn and Earl were
at work He had a partial agreement
with Vaughn. They remained at The
factory a short While. when they went
towards Port Royal.
Member Of Party.
In reply TO state counsel. witness
said: I'VE caught three horses and
rode away The stable was between
the factory and house. Vaughn Ben
nett lent me his shotgun and the
other boys other guns. think
Vaughn had a revolver. They had
masks. most Of them at least was
masked. We went TO Port Royal.
but engaged In no trouble nj that
place. We heard OF trouble at weich's
house. but did not 40 there. Other
men were there. and they heard the
shooting They went 10 the top OF
the hill. where they saw men holding
horses. They did not stay there long,
and came back a different road from
which they went. eft the boys al
the crossroads and handed the reins
10 Vaughn. had no mask on at the
time
Saw Three Men.
As the boys started saw three
men In a STOPPING position. and In n
few seconds the firing began. | went
on home. There was no shooting
from the men IN the road. aud no
other shooting except Dy the men IN
the field. handed Earl the shotgun
II had been loaded but he unloaded
II after they left Port Royal. as IL
was suggested that 10 prevent an ac-
cldent Il would be best.
II and some OF the others had
handksrchiefs tied over the left eye
and a handkerchief pinned on the
right shoulder. We took them on
near Woodson's. ! am not sure about
Vaughn. did not go nearer Crouch's
home than where the shooting oc-
cured was fifteen or twenty feet
from the men who did the shooting,
aud did not know them nor see them
any more. came down the Trough
Spring road and saw no buggies.
: con cross-examinatlon. witness
said he got on OF the horse on the
north side OF the road and walked
across Il and gave the bride rein 20
Vaughn Bennett. He heard no whistle
Did not tell any body about the shoot
ing because he did not want to.
Never tod anybody until court be-
gan. Witness went 10 the barn where
Bennett had been carried after the
shooting about II o'clock the follow
ing morning. but did not say any
thing about being out the night be-
fore"
Witness did not know which one
Of the party cut the telephone wires.
but thought Albright did The wire
led TO Morrison's house.
Ort on n Lark.
Witness testified that Vaughn Ben
nett said: eve are going TO have
some fun and dress like night riders.
We met the men who had been az
Port Royal at the top OF the hin and
were tod 10 stop" Witness said
there was no shooting on the way
from Port ROYAL. There were six
horses and mules In the crowd. Two
men were riding one horse. Witness
said that twelve or fifteen shots were
fred at the place OF the shooting.
Witness admitted cutting the wires
at Squire Achey's. saying he cut them
for fun. He said the guns were car
ried TO have some shooting and
more fun and help us play night rid
ers." Witness knew 1t was unlawful
10 go masked and whip a man. but
denied having had anything to do
with the whipping OF Jones Stacey
and the burning of Langford &
thresher.
The question relative TO burning
barns and scraping plant beds in the
eastern part of the county was OBJ
jeeted to and sustained. On re-examl-