The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-03
Tobacco Warehouses and a
Number of Other Buildings.
Dynamited and Burned by Body
Of Night Riders.
THREE MEN WOUNDED.
One Hundred Armed and Mask.
ed Raiders.
SwOOp Down on the Town of
Hopkinsville, Ky.

Russellville, KY, Jan. S-Night rid
ers' 100 strong, swooped down on Rus
sellVille, Logan county, early this
morning and after overpowering the
three policemen and providing against
the giving OF an alarm, dynamited and
burned the two independent tobacco
concerns in the city and several other
establishments and rode away out on
the Hopkinsville and C1arksville pike.
three men were wounded and the tel
ephone girls and police We're held prss-
oners for nearly three hours The fol-
lowing buildings were destroyed:
FRANK u. Work, tobacco warehouse,
building and contents; loss $4,000
American SNUFF company, factory ard
contents; loss $4,000
Roberts & Brown planning mill, loss
$4,000.
"A Alfred Underwood. grocery, loss ST.
King & Proctor, stable
Joshua Knowles, cottage
The wounded persons are:
DR.. Charles M. Roberts, of Evans
vile, Ind.
j. r. Mclean, Russellville
]. H. Mosely, RussellviIIe.
captain w. B. Bruce, the chief of
police, as soon as he heard the noises,
hastened to the fire. where he attempt
ed to sound the alarm but was over
powered by four of the masked night
riders. Two merchants, J. r. Mclean,
proprietor of grocery store, and J.
Henry Mosley, proprietor of dry goods
store, did not hurry into their homes
as fast as the night riders desired and
were shot. The most seriously injured
was DR.. Roberts, who was guest at
the Forest House. He was wounded
about the head and face by charge
of buckshot fired as the night riders
were leaving town. He heard the con-
fusion, and thinking that the riders
had departed ran out to see what had
happened. He came face to face with a
group of the departing mob and as he
started to run was shot.
1t was said that the mob came to
Russellville from the direction of Cave
Springs, near where the members are
said to have had their rendezvous. The
mob seemed to be well organized with
a head and lleutenants. All the men
were mounted and wore white capes,
false boards and masks. Except for the
shots at those who appeared on the
streets there was little shooting, the
chief business of the mob seeming to
be the destruction of the two tobacco
houses.
This is the third raid which has been
made in western Kentucky and comes
in the face of the announcement by
the governor that disorder must cease
At this time a court is in progress at
Hopkinsville, Investigating a similar
raid which was made on that city sew
era1 weeks ago. Troops are now on
guard in Hopkinsville.
The night riders are attempting to
influence or intimidate certain tobacco
growers into holding their crops for
higher prices. The situation is partic-
ularly acute at this time as many of
the growers have two years crop on
hand. Warehouse men have been noti-
fed from time to time to refrain from
buying any tobacco and many of them
who defied the notice have had their
houses destroyed by fire. Nearly all
the tobacco growers are members or
the Tobacco Growers Protective associ-
ation but this organization discoun-
tenances such acts as have been credit
ed to the night riders.