The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-21

WATQS dOISl aI WaInuL LObg --A
 fifteen miles from here. at IF o'clock
 last night by masked night riders. Captain Rankin's body was found
 this morning riddied with bullets ana
 hanging from tree one mile from
 the hotel. Efforts to locate the body
 of Colonel Taylor have been futile, and 1t is reported that he was also killed. Sheriff Eastwood of Obion County
 and posse of armed men left Union City this morning for the scene of the
 murder. These men are determined
 and if they meet any of the night
 riders, 1t Is expected that pitched
 battle will be fought Sheriff Haynes of Lake County, is also on his way
 to the scene with posse from Tip
 tonyille.
 The trouble which resulted in the
 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 Reelfoot Lake, short distance from Walnut Log. Night riders disturb
 ances over the same matter occurred about year ago. Ever since then Colonel Taylor and Captain Rankin 1 have been in constant receipt of threat
 ening letters to which they paid but little heed. First news of the murder
 last night was received at 5 o'clock this morning.
 Firat Information.
 Mfr. Ward, manager of the Ward Ho- tel at Walnut. Log, teIephoned Sid
 WaddelI. a stockholder in the West Tennessee Land Company. stating that
 about twerty-five masked night riders came to his house at i2 o'clock last night According to this report the night riders lined up outside the hotel, l pulled out their reYolvers and called | Colonel Taylor and Captain Rankin.
 The two men did not suspect trouble and came down Immediately. As the
 attorneys passed into the front yard
 of the ho4sl, tire night riders covered them with their revolvers- Before l Captain Rankin and Colonel Taylor had an. opportunity to retreat, they
 were surrounded and seszed. They were put on horses behind night rid
 CTS and carefully guarded. The night riders then quickly took up the march from the hotel, turning down the road
 toward Reeifoot Lake, Guests at the hotel in few minutes lost the sound of the hoof beats and nothing more | was learned of the fate of the Captain and Colonel Taylor until this morning.
 Proceeding to the edge of Reelfoot
 Lake, the night riders pulled out
 rope with which they had provided
 themselves and placed the moose about
 Captain Rankin's neck. Examination
 of the scene of the murder failed to reveal evidence of any struggle Cap
 tain Rankin was strung up rum
 limb on the hank of the lake, for the
 fishing privileges for which he had
 contended with night riders. The
 masked men then stepped back and
 opened fire on the swinging body, rid
 ding it with bullets.
 Colonel Taylor was evidently alive
 at this tinfe and witnessed the killing
 of his law partner.
 Leaving the corpse of Captain Ran
 kin hanging on the bank of Reelfoot
 Lake the night riders took Colonel
 Taylor to another poinS. Search near
 Captain Rankins body has failed to
 reveal a trace of Colonel Taylor. No
 sign of a hat or clothing can be dis covered. Various reports are out con- earning Colonel Taylor's fate. While
 if Is generally believed that Colonel Taylor was murdered, as he had no opportunIty whatever to break from the hands of such determined oahd oY men. the theory has been advanced that nerhaps Colonel Taylor was spared hv the night riders in order that the demands of the masked men might be granted. AL. ..t,h,,a+. of the banks of Reelfoot Lake and Colonel Taylor and Captain Rankin | ortgInated several years ago when the | two latter men incorporated and or eanized the West Tennessee Land Com Ssnv They bought Reelfoot Lake from | non-resident property owners and im-
 n sdiately made regulations of their own concerning fishing privileges In the
 vafers of the lake. The lake separates Cbion and Lake Counties in the ex- treme northwestern corner of Tennes-
 see.
 Numbers of the residents in that
 neiRhborhood have made their living
 for some i e by fishing in the lake and they became indignant when what l they claimed as their rights" were dis turhed. They r de demands on the land company. These were followed by threats. Colonel Taylor desired the
 protection in some form of the State. and he secured the passage in the Leg
 islature of an act regulating fishing on
 Reelfoot Lake. This act made 1t
 misdemeanor to fish In the lake with l out first paying a heavy penalty or | fee. This only served to more thor | oughly arouse the fishermen.
 | Fearing trouble, Captain Rankin and 1 Colonel Taylor have remained away | from the vicinity of the lake for some time. Recently, however. they heard l that the feeHng against them had some
 what subsided. There were some la-
 gal papers at Walnut Log. which need | cd attention, and the attorneys went | there yesterday to see about them.
 Their presence was soon made known
 to all the fishermen, and band of men
 was quickly formed It Is not known
 whether the men were from Obion | County or from Lake County. TLey lost no time. but proceeded to the hotel af- | ter the guests had retired for the night,
 and quickly accomplished their pur- poses.
 No Trace of Taylor.
 No positive information has come | direct from the searchers for Colonel | Taylor or his body, hut several indi- | vIduals who were not members of the
 searching party or of the posse who | are securing the neighborhood, have
 come to Union City this afternoon. At