The Washington herald., 1909-01-10
"MENACE OF THE MASK IN TENNESSEE

whipping OF Mrs. Joseph Johnson, who
lives in Oblon County not far from the
lake. Mrs. Johnson had sued her hus-
band for a divorce The Night RIDERS
took JohnsOns side Of the case. and
whipped his wife one night in order TO
compel her 10 live with him. They also
whipped her father because ne had taken
her side Of the case against her husband
Squire George H. VIM. an aged and
weIl-to-dO citizen Of Lake County and a
justice Of the peace, was whipped we'll
nigh 20 death IN the early part Of the
summer. Winn's offense was denunci-
alton OF the formation Of Night Rider
bands and his criticism OF that part Of
the constitution" which forbade the en-
ployment Of negroes. He had said that
he thought niger was heap better
than a Night RHer any day
John Shaw was whipped and with
thorns. soon after the burning Of the
docks belonging 10 the ReelfOOt Fish
Company az Samburg. The whipping
was 10 intimidate him so that he would
not tell what he knew 70 the grand jury
And there are other victims, with some
of whom I have talked. who are at
loss 10 give any very logical reason for
their punishment. The case Of II 3.
Young. better known as Con" Young.
is a fair sample. Young ran a kind Ct
/ hotel, a sportsmen's resort. on Starve
Island. an eyOt Of some fifty acres near
the middle OF the lake. Young was taken
from his house on the night Of September
q. given ten licks with a rope, and or
dered to abandon his business and leave
the lake on pain OF death.
By the middle OF the summer they
were whipping white people with thorns
and beating women By October they
were ready FOR murder.
Inside the military camp At Samburg !
canvassed the situation with some fish
ermen and farmers. not under arrest,
and even then with the troops about
them they dared say but little.
1T amt healthy TO say what you think
about those fellows. one OF them told
me. These things are significant of the
state OF terror in which the country dis
tricts were kept. and many fishermen and
farmers Joined the bands rather than De
whipped or killed. They were bullied
into IT, and the country was bullled into
silence.
From Hickman. Ky. north Of the lake.
! through Dyer County on the south, and
from Union City on the east 70 the Ms
sippi River on the west-say a stretch OF
I
miles sqUare-it has been a veritable
reign Of terror for eight months.
Immediately after the death OF Capt.
Rankin FIVE companies Of the Tennessee
state troops. under the command OF Col.
". c. Tatom. Of Nashville. we're hurried
| into the Reelfoot district The sheriffs
OF Obi0n Lake. and Dyer counties formed
strong posses and assisted them. and
/ Judge Joseph f. Jones, Of the Fourteenth
1 Tennessee circuit convened the grand
| jury in special session. Malcolm r.
/ Patterson. at the time engaged in a am
paign for reelection. Cancelled al his
/ speaking engagements and went 10 take
I personal charge Of the situation He Of
/ fered a reward Of $1,000 the largest the
( law allowed. for the capture OF the muir
/ derers. Martial law was not declared.
/ but il was put into effect and IN a week
a hundred prisoners were in camp estab-
lished at Ssmburg
The trials viii b. watched with unusual
/ interest. and there viii De p great deal
/ Of disappointment II some legal hsngings
/ do not follow.
The Freedom Of the Lake.
/ J find the sympathy with the fishermen
pretty general throughout the lake coun-
/ try as regards the old question OF the
| drainage Of the lake and its susceptible
( ity 10 exclusive ownership. The senti-
ment IS that il should be a free lake: but.
( Of course. nowhere IS there any palliation
/ OF the Night Riding oHenses The peo-
I pie with whom have talked are always
/ careful 20 make 81 clear that while the
/ Night Riding began with the use OF the
I lake grievance as its preteXL the "reEu-
I latOrs'' would have made use OF some
/ other pretext had there been no lake
there
The people in this section are not ex-
actly Ike the familiar type OF Southern
mOun1aineer. the moUntaineer blood has
I been practically Unmixed for generations
4 The Reelfoot district, while Isolated, Is
/ more accessible than the mountain fast
! nesses. There has been some mixture
with different elements since the region
} was first settled. though not much
II the fishermen who tested 81 the
/ courts the validity Of the right OF the
/ Tennessee land Company to exclusive
/ control had kept the case going in the
! courts chey might have won il. they had
la fighting chance. The various titles 20
! the dozens and dozens Of claims now all
| combined IN the Tennessee Land Com
pary present miXed-up mess, where
/ exact legal justice lies I DO not OF
! course. know The present owners. Har-
/ RS and the other members Of the land
/ company. have paid money for the land;
/ that is quite clear. But there have been
/ numerous transfers Of some OF the tracts.
/ before the formation Of the land COM
pany. and even before their purchase by
/ the late James c. Harris Il IS claimed
/ BY many Of the fishermen and farmers
/ that some Of these transfers were trans
/ fers OF land. by means OF Quit-claim
/ deeds. not really belonging 10 the men
I who transferred t. but the property Of
I the settlers who held Il by right Of occu-
/ patton. However that may be, the Chan
{ Gerry Court has decided that the owner
ship rests with the West Tennessee Land
/ Company, and the place for further fight