The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1909-01-14

k"ssk " "
On the principal street OF Union
City he overheard a &C nversation be-
tween Carpenter and Seld Waddell,
secretary Of the land company. in
which the final arrangements for the
trip TO Walnutlog we're completed.
Cloar was a member OF the night
riders and when he reached the lake
district watch was set on the hotel
at the log.
Roy Ransom and It'd Burton, two
other Of the defendants who we're
founi guilty Of murder in the first
degree, we're detailed for this. They
say Capt. Rankin and Col. Taylor
reach the hotel and hurried away TO
notify the other members Of the
gang.
The news vas spread throughout
the lake. district by Frank Fehringer,
a Hickman jail bird. who later turn
ed states evidence api proved TO be
the states star witness. and Fred
Pinion. who also was convicted in
the frs, degree.
II was known that Capt. Rankin
and Col. Taylor we're to 20 to Wal
nutlog from Hickman. as by using
that route they only had to drive II
miles instead OF twenty-five, had
they gone from Union City. Garrett
Johnson Identified by no less than
half dozen state Witnesses as the
leader Of the night riders. found II
convenient 10 come to Hickman on
October 10 and knew the victims
had arrived and gone to the log.
The word was spread over the
countryside. In the early night fall
the clans from the upper and lower
end OF the lake gathered at the
Long Bridge. In the dead Of night.
under the leadership OF Garrett
Johnson, they rode to Walnutlog. to
even up old scores with Rankin.
They found their victims in bed.
II was after midnight and both Capt.
Rankin and Col Taylor we're avak-
ened by p. c. Ward. proprietor OF
the hotel, who had been ordered by
the night riders to point out the
room occupied by the land company's
representatives.
Taylor and Rankin we're unarmed
and offered no resistance &c the
night riders. II would have been
useless, for the masked men bore
shotsguns and revolvers which they
later used with deadly effect. Prob
ably the exact number in that band
will never be known. Fehringer
says there we're thirty-hve. Col.
Taylor says between forty and fifty.
while Hirschell Hogg and Wad
Morris, the states other two main
Witnesses. who we're in the gang,
says between twenty-five and thirty.
The unresisting men were march
ed a mile iron the hotel. and taken
TO one OF the darkest spots in the
lake valley--a spot on the banks OF
Bayou Be Chen, even now said to
be watched over nightly by the
wrath Of the murdered man.
After a consultation asking some
concession from him and being re-
fused, a rope was thrown around
Capt. Rankin's neck. pulled through
the forks OF an ash tree, and he was
asked IL he wanted time TO pray. He
realized his end had come, and he
told his captors he mad already at
tended TO that.
Col. Taylor, his aged companion.
offered his life for that of Capt.
Rankin, but il was not accepted.
He was allowed to escape.
Capt. Rankin was dragged from
his feet. He cried out that they
we're checking him. A haunting
laugh rose out Of the stiffness as he
checked and strangled. and then
came volley Of shots. fred into
his svaying body.
The night riders dropped the rope
and the body fell crashing to the
grassy earth beneath the tree.
They rushed to him and looked upon
their deadly work to make sure that
II had been we'll done.
Col. Taylor had been left a few
feet away. guarded by half-dozen
masked men. They too fired their
guns at the swaying body.