Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-10-28
COZ. TAYIoR EsoApEs RIpERs.
Aged Lawyer Eludes Captors and
Avoids Fate Of Companion.

Union City, Tenn, Oct. 22.-Col.
r. q. Taylor, the aged Trenton law
yer, who was taken from the hotel
at Walnut Lo5 at the same time Capt.
Rankin was ;lynched on Monday
night, has turnedSup near Upton
Vile, Tenn, having escaped from
the night riders an hour after Capt.
Rankin was hanged. The masked
men got into dispute among them
selves as TO what to do with Taylor,
some favoring killing him, while 9TH
ers wanted to hold him so as to
force q concession to demnads Tor
free fishing on Reel Foot Lake.
While tire riders disputed, Taylor
jumped between his guards and de-
spite his years, dashed to the edge OF
the bayou leading from the lake and
plunged in, swimming across. &
He was fired upon many times by
the night riders, but escaped in the
darkness. He was lost in the woods,
and when daylight came was afraid
to go back to Walnut Log, but was
found near Tiptonville this morning.
The militia ordered out by Governor
Patterson, has arrived, and under the
direction Of the Governor is being dis
tributed throughout the disturbed
territory.
SOls IdylOFS STORY.
Col, Taylor's own, story of his ex-.
periences was told by him to-day as
follows
Monday night last Capt. Rankin
and l Went to Reel Foot Lake iii
response to letter from Mr.. Car
penter, Of Union City, who wanted
to lease some timber lands, On our
arrival at the lake we went to the
Log House or Ward Hotel, and early
after supper retired. Some time dur
Ing the night We were aroused by
some on knocking at our door and
on opening the door mob of masked
men was found standing in the hal.
We were ordered to dress, and as the
leader Of the mob said he wanted to
| talk to us, we put on our clothes and
| accompanied the men to the back Of
the lake some distance from the
fctel.
The leader Of the mob talk,:1
with us. telling us we were associat-
ing toe much with Judge Harris and
were taking entirely too much inter-
est in the lake. He said that the
course o. Harris and the West Ton
nessee Land Company in prohibiting
free fishing was causing the starva-
| tion Of women and children, anC that
something had to be done.
81 never dreamed that the mob in
tended us any harm, but just then
them threw rope around Capt.
Rankin's neck and swung him to a
limb. He protested and said: Gen
| tlemen, do not kill me- and the re-
ply of the mob was volley of shots.
''This was the first evidence Of any
intention to harm us, and when the
| firing began l jumped into a bayou,
| and made for sunken log. Behind
| this l hid and the mob fired several
hundred shots into the log. They
evidently believed | was dead, for /
heard one of them say: He's dead
and let him CO. and with that he
rode away. .... ..s
81 remained in the water until af-
ter the mob was out of hearing, and
went to an island in the lake, where
| | remained all day Tuesday. At
night ] started out and walked all
night, coming up to house at 8
O'Clock this morning"
| Reward Offered.
Governor Patterson has offered
reward Of $4,000 for the arrest of
the person or persons guilty of the
murder of Capt. Rankin. The Cover
nor has been informed that not only
was Capt. Rankin murdered, but also
q surveyor, who was with the law
yers, Is missing and may have met
similar fate.
n .I-k