Milford chronicle., 1908-10-23
LAWYER SLAIN
BY NIGHT RIDERS
Capt. Rankin Hanged and Shot
By Masked Men,
PARTNER NAY ALSO Be DEAD

and Carried Away BY Night Riders
Captain Rankin's Body Found Hang
Ing From Tree at Edge Of Lake
Col. Tsylor's BOdy Not Found, But
Believed He Was AlsO KIlIsd-Treu
bic over Fishing Privileges In Lake
Union City. Tenn, Oct. 11.-Colonel
R. 2. Taylor and Captain Quinten
Rankin, prominent attorneys OF Tren.
ton. were taken from Wards hotel at
Walnut Log, fifteen miles from here,
by masked night riders and muir
dered
Captain Rankin's body was found
riddled with bullets and hanging from
= tree one mile from the hotel
Efforts TO md the body Of Colonel
Taylor have been futile thus far. but it
Is believed that he was also killed.
Sheriff Eastwood and a posse left
Union City for the scene Of the muir
der. If they meet any of the night
riders II is expected that a pitched
battle will be fought. Sheriff Haynes
Of Lake county. is also on his way to
the scene with q posse from Upton
Vile.
The trouble that resulted in tn
death Of Captain Rankin and the prob
able murder Of Colonel Taylor was
caused by the passage Of an act by The
legislature regulating fishing in Re-
Foot lake, a short distance from WaI
nut Log
Mr.. Ward, manager OF the hotel a
Walnut Log. telephoned Sid Wadde!l
= stockholder OF the West Tennessee
Land company. that about twenty-five
masked night riders came to his hotel
Al midnight. They lined up outside the
hotel pulled out their reyolvers and
called Taylor and Rankin. The men
did not suspect trouble and came down
Immediately.
As the attorneys passed into tho
front yard CT the hotel the night rid
ers covered them with their reVolvers. |
and before they could retreat the
were seized put on horses and place.
under guard
The night riders then took up their
march from the hotel, turning down
the road toward Reel Foot lake. The |
guests at the hotel in a few minutes
lost the sound of hoof beats and moth
ing more was learned of the fate OF
Captain Rankin and Colonel Taylor un-
til morning.
Going to the edge Of Reel Foot Lake.
the bandits put a rope about Captai
Rankin's neck and strung him up fror
a limb on the bank of the lake. for the
fishing privileges of which he had con
tended. The masked men stepped bach
and opened fire on the swinging body
it with bullets.
They took Colonel Taylor to som
other spot Search has failed to re
veal a trace of him.
The trouble between inhabitants o.
he banks of Reel Foot lake and Co
0nel Taylor and Captain Rankin orig
mated several years ago. when the twC
after men organized the West Ten
iessee Land company. bought Reel
Foot lake from nonresident propert!
'wners and made regulations OF thei
'wn concerning fishing privileges.
Colonel Taylor also secured the pas &
age in the legislature of an act mab-
ng il a misdemeanor to fish in the
axe without paying a heavy fee.
A man named Powell. who hauls fsl
rom Walnut Log to Hickman, is sale
o have been forced to accompany the
mob. Powell says that after kill
ng Rankin a vote was taken regarding r
be disposition to be made of Taylor I
luring the dispute Taylor made a
ash, jumped into the bayou and start y
d to swim across. A number of shots A.
Tere fred at him. In the confusion n
Dwell slipped away and brought back in
be story of the escape or attempted .
lcApe of Taylor.
Searchers found the trees on the
dge of the bayou clipped by bullets VI
nd there we're deep footprints in thc
Iud along the shore. On the other side
the bayou there was a single foot
rint and some think this may be the N
ack of Colonel Taylor.
Governor Patterson arrived at Hum
1ldt and held a consultation with
tizens of Trenton, who came dowr S'
meet him. Governor Patterson an GI
,unced that he had offered a $1,000 LS
ward and would visit the scene in 90
srson. sp'