The National tribune., 1908-12-31
THE NIGHT-RrpER HORRORS.

THE NIGHT-HIDER HORRORS.
Much good is likely TO come out OF
the exposure of the night-rider hor-
rors in the universal and unsparing
condemnation which fills the whole
in the State of Tennessee. The
thing which has lately taken the
name of nightriding is an old in
stitution in the South, and was
used most effectively in dragging the
States into secession. Everywhere In
the South, outside of South Carolina
the great majority of the people were
disposed to be Unionists. but were
forced into secession by just such out
RACES as those which occurred In the
Reel Foot Lake country. After the war
the same class of men with the same line
of operations were known as the kiu
Klux Klan, and did immeasurable harm
to the South, retarding its development
for many years. To this cause alone
the South owes the loss of millions of
it's best citizens, who migratednto the
North and West rather than live in a
another a grudge against them might
be taken out by burning their barns
or haystacks or midnight prosecutions
of themselves, which would go unpun-
ished.
Within the last year or two Ken
lucky has suffered immensely from this
sort of vilIainy. While the ostensible
reason in Kentucky was to maintain the
price of tobacco. yet the baser and more
criminal in each community took ad-
vantage of this to revenge themselves
on those whom they disliked. Possibly
there was no other reason than that
their neighbors were more Industrious
and prevident than they and gained
somewhat more of this worlds goods.
The outrages struck at the very heart
of society and civilization, for every
farmer must have quantities of prop
erty exposed to the depredations of
criminals skullSing in darkness, and un-
less the law is vigorous hunting thsse
criminals down, there IS no security
whatever for any mans life or property.
The testimony of the witnesses in the
Reel Foot Lake case show depth of
criminality and barbarism that would
disgrace the most savage people in the
world. The whole proceeding was as
cowardly as 1t was brutal. Col. Taylor
and Capt. Rankin were both taken from
their beds in the middle of the night
by bands of masked men. Taylor sue
ceeded in making his escape, but Ran
kin was hanged and his body filed
with bullets by the villains firing into
it merely to crafty their ghoulish thirst
for murder.
The men who had been gathered
into this wicked band were mainly
those who, in the expressive words of
one of the witnesses. 'had their homes
vagabonds with no settled abode or
occupation and got living by any
method that presented itself, from
smuggling of liquor to still more Grim
inal acts. 1t seems that one of the men
used the band to whip his wife into
consenting to withdraw a suit for di-
vorce and live with him.
Inc Governor OF tennessee OBSERVES
the highest commentator for the en-
ergy and thoroness with which he is
representing public sentiment in bring
ing all of the rascals implicated in these
horrors to justice. Public opinion in
Tennessee is strongly aroused to pre-
vent occurrence of such things in that
State as have hurt Kentucky so terri
= xr,r
gets thru with its prosecutions we can
rest assured that Tennessee society
will be secure for the future from any
such blemish upon it. 1t marks also
the end of night-riding all over the
South, which will be a happy deliver
ance and allow that section to develop
as the North has. All that is needed
in the South is security for life and
property.