The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-01-08
NOTED TRIAL
COMES TO END
Story Of Reelfoot Lake
Tragedy.
.s -
Eight saen Punishes fer Murder o.
Captain Ranixin s.a I'VE Dses
In ysii--s.ssles b.
Teaaessee.

=
there was ended In the lower court
here one OF the most vigorously con-
tested and notable criminal trials
ever heard In this State, the outcome
OF q reign OF iawiessness. the culmi-.
mating act of which being that Of which
men were found guilty. calling forth
| the mastering Of the militia Of the
State. under the personal direction OF
Governor NJ. r.. Patterson. TO the aid
| OF the civil authorities In the ferret
| ing out and the taking into custody
| OF those who were charged with the
commission Of the crime. the so-called
Might Rider Clan Of Reelfoot Lake
The operations OF the night rider
band began with the burning OF fsh
docks. extending to the inficting OF
corporal punishment on those whom
| the leaders, in their counsels, deemed
| guilty of actions In opposition to the
wishes Of the clan, finding q climax
In the iynching Of Captain Quentin
| Rankin.
Captain Rankin and an associate
stockhoider of the West Tennessee
Land Company, Col. r. z. Taylor, an
aged man and one Of the most promi-
! nent men OF the northwestern section
| Of Tennessee, had come to the lake re-
gion to conclude a deal as to the sale
| of some timber lands. the property OF
| the company.
n
The night riders, composed largely
| of the fisher folk Of Reeifoot. Lake,
which is owned by the land company.
were especially aggrieved against the
land company because OF the refusal
TO allow the fishermen to ply their
| vocation at will in the waters OF the
| lake. This they charged largely 20
Captain Rankin and Colonel Taylor.
| According to the evidence during the
/ trial. when II was learned that the two
were to spend the night in the lake
| region the band was told to meet at
| designated point, and toward mfdnfght
| they donned their fantastic gRrbs OF
ionS cloaks ana masks and marched to
| the Walnut Log Hotel, where Captain
| Rankin and Colonel Taylor had quar-
| ters. Forcing them to- hastily don
/! their clothes, II Ia related that they
marched tipim to q secluded spot among
the wooded recesses of the lake. Here
q short parlsy ensued. and not reae en-
ling e. satisfactory teFninhtf0n 90 the
/ riders. the rope by which Rankin was
led from the hotel was thrown over
| 4 forked' limb Of a tree and the man
| drawn into the air.. A voliey OF snots
/ followed and within . few seconds
l Rankin was dead. a. - -.
In the meantime Taylor had pleaded
| for the release of Rankin and his sub
! stitution. When he saw the men were
| determined to kill both, he>niade dash
| for liberty swimming the bayou on
| the banks % which the lynching oe-'
Cured, and though several voiieys from
a score of rifles followed him. he sue
| ceeded in escaping. reaching n place
1 of safety after sixty-Six hours spent
| in the marshes.
Two days later Governor Patterson
and two companies Of State troops ar
rived and the work of hunting Gown
the perpetrators began Arrests by
the Wholesale were made and the
county was placed under military rule.
A military post was established at
Reelfoot Lake, and those who were
present were held practically incom-
municado. Several of those arrested
confessed and gradually those who
were deemed not guilty were weeded
out and allowed to return to their
| b ONES.
| Two Defendants Dead.
| The ten mer held most responsible
| for the raids of the band were taken
to Nashville for safekeeping and in
the jails there two of them died. The
other eight sought release, under writs
| of habeas corpus, and were ordered
set at liberty on the charges on which
they were held other than that OF the
killing of Captain Rankin. et
When they were returned to Union
City to be released. however, tndict-
ments charging murder had been re-
| turned and they were immdiatiy re-
| arrested.
Their trials began a month ago and
the court was under the protection Of
the military During the sessions
armed soldiers were constantly on
guard and during the night the men
were under the care of the military, as
were others held to await trial.
During the trials several of the al
legged members of the band told of the
working of the clan and of the raids,
describing the murder of Captain RAN
kin, showing 1t to have been most
brutal. These will be granted pardon.
- The defendants were represented by
| Rice A. Pierce and othr prominent at
torneys who exerted every legal EFFORT
in the aid of their clients, and as a
defense sought to establish aIibis.
The case of the state was cared for by
Attorney General Caldwell and other
attorneys.
The present term of court Is the Sec
ond special term called to consider
| the niRht-rider cases. The first term
| was called Immediately upon the ar
| rival of the troops. and its legality,
because of a failure to announce the
fact of its converting in advance. was
| questioned.
| The other alleged members OF the
hand were more than a score In num-
her. and are held in the county jail
here. awaiting trial on charges of
murder, violation of the Ku-Klux act
ana other crimes resulting from the
raids of the band. Their trial, 1t is
probably, will follow Immediately.