The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-12-15
NIGHT
RIDERS
F FL(NjK To
TRIAL

Union City Tenn. Dec 15.-Clad In
rough aomespun, and always with the
Inevitable long barreled rife or big
pistol in view, the denizens of the
Reefoot district are assembled in
this quaint little town today for the
night rider trials.
They are the friends and relatives
Of the men heH under military guard
awaiting trial for the murder Of Cap
/ tain Quentin Rankin. Silently and
singly they wanie- through the
streets or stand for hours outside
the barracks. Some times they ap-
proach the sentries, taking careful in.
yentory OF the glistenug oayonets
an,l husiDesslike rifles.
They feel keenly this trouble. and
believe that they are being perse
cuted Ola Tom Johnson. VINO the
state says, was the first leader OF
the band. but 8ho was deposed be.
cause his immense stature ami NUT
iatel haaa maize him easy to identl-
~, expresses The belief OF all when
he says:
IT'S like this heaa, stranger. God
lie put them ell hills up theah. An
He put some OF us pooah folks that
He dim't have -oom for rOwheah
else up thean too. An then He saw
that We couldn't make q livip' farm
in SO He ordered an earthquake am
the earthquake left .Dg hole Next
lle filed Ne hole With watah an
put FISH IN 4 Then He knsw we
could MAKE. livin' between farmin'
an fishin
"Bu along comes these rich men
WHO lolt nave 10 make no Twin an
trey tell us that we must no. fish in
the lake any NOAH cause they owns
the lake an the hs1 God put ihcah
foh Us. IT JUS naturally amt right,
stranger It amt no Justice.
This presents the night riders
yiew aud there ara many who sympa-
thize With them. But the primary oh
is-t wac 70 gotten anl the organiza
tion beg;n To be used To vent the
personal spiies of membe,s AMI to
regulate toe most private ana inti-4
nlate affairs az everybody for miles
around
r'or Instance. MERCHANTS whose to-
tai xales dld not exceed 81 a day
were hotil2el t1at they must sell
goods az casi plus ten rer cent. Ten
ants OF farms were ordered TO pay
no money rem but TO insist on work
ing the gronnA on shar g. Growers
Of gain or tODacoJ We're ordered TO
plant only 50 many acres OF soil
hanilordR Nere' notified not to lease
tleir property for cash rents.
woman who had left her drunk
en husband was ordered to return to
him. When she refused, she was TAX
en- tc the woods, stripped. lied to a
tree ari lashed until her back ANA
shoulders were one big lacerated
wound Other women. fond of pretty
clothing. were told 10 cease wearing
t. AMI In every case a refusal to
comply instantly always brought
4 visit from the feagsome masked
crew, a rapid ride to the lonesome
forest anl an aHful whipping on bar
e. flesh.
E'or nearly two years these black
masked terro-s OF the wilderness
rode nightly For nearly two years
no man, not a member. ever retired
to .est without a silent prayer that
ne and his family mighI be spared the
terrers OF a midnight visitation.
Then the riders extepsei their OPP
ercticas. They began to Welt the larg.
or towns--Troy. Dyersburg, Union
City This was followed by the muir
der of Captain Rankin. Finally TIE
people became enraged, the governor
interfereI. an in frenzy the officials
OF the law said; =
We will stamp out tnis osganiza-
tion legally il We can. by mobs ii we
cannot, or We. win be stamped out Dy
IT,"
And so came the grani jury. judge
Jones ANA Attorney General Caldwell
Quickly, too, came the def of the
night riders: Dismiss tho g-and
jury or we viii send jury, jufge an
prosecutor 10 Join Captain Rankin"
The answer was the raid Of tSe
military, l25 indictments for capital
ohenses and rhe trials which openeI
yesterday.
The issue IS clearly irawn. Tae-e
Is no misunderstanding Both sides
are face 10 face, ready for the strrg-
gie. nelthe- asking or granting quar-
ter. II is a finish fight between or
ganizel lawlessness ana the forces
Of order.