The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-15
NIGHT RIlRR' TRIALS
ReeliOOt Lake Troubles to Be
Heard in Court
Grand Jury Has t25 Indictment for
Capital Offences Against Masked
Raiders of Tennessee.

uOOlS, Win otoh6AiAib 49, ''-' N''' ''N''
SLOUGH hats, but always with long
barrelled rifle or big pistol in plain
view the denizens of the Reel Foot
lake region are assembling in this
little town for the "nightrider' trials.
They are friends and relatives Of the
men who are held under military
guard at the barracks They ignore
the townspeople or look at them with
scowls. When they meet one am
other nod or a whispered word is
all that passes.
Silently and singly they wander
through the streets or stand for hours
outside the barracks gazing curiously
up at the windows Of the room in
which their friends are held incom-
munlcado Sometimes they approach
the trim young sentries on guard, TAX
ing careful inventory Of the glistening
bayonets and rifles. They feel keen
" this trouble, these rough but simple
men of the Tennessee backwoods'
They believe that thy are prosecuted
and that the entire world is against
them.
Old Tom Johnson, who, the state
says, was the first leader Of the band
but was deposed because his immense
stature and immense hand made him
easily identified, expresses the BELIEF
of most of them when he says
IT'S like this heah stranger God
he put them red hills up theah. An
he put some Of us poah folks that he
didn't have no room fob nowheah else
M theah. too. An then he saw that
we couldn't make a Twin farmin' so
he ordered an earthquake an the
earthquake left a big hole. Next ne
filed the hole with watah an put fish
init. Then ne knew we could make
Twin between farmin' and hshin'.
But along comes these rich men who
don't have to make no lyin' an they
tell us all that we must not fish In the
lake any mo- cause they OWNS the
lake an the fish God put theah foh
u.s. 1t jus naturally amt RICH, srans
err it amt no Justice
This is the night riders original
view. but the primary object of the
band was forgotten by many officers
say. and the organization began to
use its persuasion to vent the personal
spite Of members and to regulate pri'
waite affairs Of many persons for miles
around
For instance merchants whose total
sales did not exceed 81 a day We're
ordered to sell goods at cost plus 10
per cent. profits; tenants Of farms
were ordered to pay no money.cash
rent. but to insist on working the
ground on shares; growers of grain
or tobacco were ordered to plant only
so many acres of soil; landlords were
directed not to lease their property
for cash rents.
A woman who had left her drunken
husband was ordered 10 return TO him,
and when she refused she was taken
to the woods, stripped. tied TO tree
and dashed with cato-nineiails.
Other women. fond of pretty clothing
were told TO cease wearing DO Re
fusal To comply instantly was followed
by a visit of the black.masked band,
a swift and violent seizure of the re-
calcitrant q rapid ride TO the depths
/ of the forest and am awful whipping
on barred flesh.
For nearly TWO years these terrors
of the wilderness rode nightly For
two years no man not member ever
retired 10 rest without breathing "a
silent prayer that he and his family
be spared the terrors OF midnight
visitation
Then the riders extended their
operations They began to visit the
larger towns. such as Troy Dyers.
burg and Union City. This extension
was followed by the murder OF Capt
Quentin Rankin. Finally the people
became enraged, the Governor inter
fered and In frenzy many persons
said:
I'VE will stamp out this organlba
ton legally or by mobs. or we VIII
be stamped out by IT,
And so came a special grand jury
instructed by Judge Jones and com
mandcd by AttyGcn. Caldwell
Quickly. too. came the defy of the
night riders:
DISMISS the grand jury, stop the
Investigation. or We will send jury
Judge and prosecutor to Join Capt
Rankin"
The answer was the numerous ar
+ res,s OF alleged might riders by the
militia. 1876 indictments for capital
offences and the trials on these In
dictments.