The Washington herald., 1909-01-10

. settled. Harris died. JUG e Harris. his
son. OF TiptonviIie. succeeded to his
fathers interests Judge is not a title.
but IS Mr.. Harris given name.
Judge Harris IS one OF the most strik-
ing figures in the lake district; indeed,
he is 20 my mind the most interesting
person In all that country. His life has
been threatened not once. but dozens of
times. aud yet when the news OF Capt.
Rankin's death came TO him he was
among the first 10 take the field in the
work Of rounding up the outlaws.
He lives at TiptonviIle, in Lake COun-
ty. in house that has any feudal ba-
ron's castle that ever was quite beaten
as a defensive stronghold. for the ground
round about il is planted with mines. and
by merely touching 6 button as he sits
within Judge Harris could hurl an army
70 destruction. They may ger Judge
Harris. but there viii be something do
ing in the meantime.
The Harris claims. acquired by sue
oessive purchases in 1866, covered the
bottom Of the lake and about - per cent
of the land along its shores.
II October. 1907. the West Tennessee
Land and Improvement Company was
formed Besides Judge Harris. those in
terested were J. z. Deason, Capt Quen-
tin Rankin. Robert 4. Taylor, all lawyers
living at Trenton, in Gibson County:
Seid Waddell. a lawyer, Of Union City;
Walter Pleasant. Of Union City. a fish
erman. and John Shaw, Of Samburg. a
fisherman All the lawyers in this corpO-
ration had az one tine or another rep
resented the fishermen IN the courts IN
their fight against the Har-ises. father
and son They discovered that there
were certain tracts % land along the
lake which lay IN the shape OF small
wedges between the various tracts owned
by Harris. They acquired these tracts
and formed a partnership with Harris,
the organization being known as the
West Tennessee Land and Improvement
company.
This deal is variously represented in
the lake country. Rankin. Taylor. Dea-
son. WaddeIl, Pleasant. Shaw. and Bur
dick twh0 was never a member OF the
West Tennessee Land Company claimed
that Il was a compromise for the purpose
Of settling the difficulties between Harris
and the fishermen
Some Of the fishermen. bat not all OF
them. claim that Il was q desertion al
their interests on the part OF the lawyers
concerned OF these lawyers. Capt Ran
kin is murdered. Col. Taylor's murder
was attempted, Wad6ell and Deason
have both been recipients OF numerous
threatening letters and warnings from
Night Riders.
The right % FISH for profit in the lake
Is leased from the land company by two
principal concerns one Of these Is the
ReelfOOt Fish Company. consisting q,
Burdick. Shaw. and Pleasant. operating
at Samburg. The other Is 2. C. Ward,
who runs the hotel al Walnut Log from
which Rankin was taken 10 his death.
BUrdiCk was never a member OF the
West Tennessee Land Company ShaR
and Pleasant soon disposed Of their in.
terests and withdrew from IT,
Activity of Night Riders.
Some fishermen. as has been stated
/ accepted The formation OF the West Ten.
|nessee Land Company as a kind OF com.
( promise; others conceived that Rankin
Taylor. Pleasant. Shaw. Deason. wad-
dell. and Burdlck were traitors It was
presumably, those who regarded these
men as traitors who began TO FISH FOR
profit in the lake without the consent Of
the land company. seeking 10 establish
la business similar 70 that conducted by
Ward at Walnut Log and BUrdick
/ Shaw. and Pleasant al Samburg withou,
paying a royalty 10 the company.
Judge John 5 Cooper. OF Trenton
chancellor Of the Ninth Chancery Dfvis-
ion OF Tennessee. on February Il. 1865
granted an Injunction restraining these
fishermen from fishing for profit in the
lake. March 4. 1913 the defendant:
moved 70 dissolve the injunction The
chancellor overruled the motion. His life
has been threatened since.
Then. in April. Night Rider oUtrages
began
At the April term OF court the injunc-
ton case was continued until the October
term OF court
At the October term Judge Cooper
issued a decree which confirmed the title
Of the West Tennessee Land Company
TO the exclusive ownership and control
Of the lake and made the Injunction per
petUal- This decree was the first Judicial
decision ever rendered explicitly stating
the exclusive ownership and control Of
the lake by any one.
This decree was handed down on Oc-
tOber 4, 1893 On the night Of October
70 Capt. Rankin was murdered
The first Night Rider activity mani
weeks after the refusal OF Judge Cooper
20 dissolve the injunction restraining the
fishermen who desired 10 compete with
Ward and with Burdick They took the
form Of anonymous letters threatening
the lives Of Col Taylor Capt. Rankin
Mr.. DeasOn, Mr. WaddeH. Mr.. Walter
Pleasant, M John Shaw. Judge Cooper
Mr.. Burdick. and Mr.. Judge Harris. one
received later by Mr.. BuTdick is typical
Of the whole lot OF them. Il reads as
follows
once Of Justice-By Order Post: You close u
that fish buis. never % Be opened again under zen
atty q death. Hell. and the Grave. II you thin.
this is . Joke. Try it a few days longer and see
Yours for who shall live the Longest
NIGHT RIDER.
Being in Hell. VOC nay raise your eyes if yOy
don't OBEY.
stu Mr.. Burdiek did not close his bust
ness, and still there are q number OF
fishermen on the lake who sell theil
catches to him and who have been doing
so without intermissiOn since the trou-
bles began Shortly after the receipt Of
the letter band Of masked men attacked
the property Of the ReelfOot Fish Com.
pany, Burdick's company. at Samburg
They burned the property. docks, out
, buildings, and all, except two residences
belonging to the company. In which en-
plOyes lived They gave notice TO thest
occupants that unless they moved out
J their houses also would be burned The
docks and fishing paraphernalia. valued
at about $500. were burned on the night
| of April Il The Night Riders carried out
! their threats and burned the houses five
nights later
The Night Riders announced az their
formation that from that time on theJ
Intended % regulate the affairs Of tht
whole country round about the lake.
They formulated what they called Z
Constitution and bylaws" The chic
declarations IN the constitution were
In effect as follows.
/ No nan II the jurisdiction Of the Night Rider
s,a be siornd 70 ON rra than 90 sc-s. of l.rs