The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-06-04

/
victed men, tears trickled down thei
agonized faces. Long after court ad
| iourned the prisoners were with thell
wives, embracing them and the children
with fervor that touched the heart o.
every one who witnessed the pathetic
scene
Jackson, Tenn, May 21.-The fate
of the six Nightriders who are under
sentence to hang for the murder OF
Capt. Quentin Rankin is now in the
hands of the Supreme Court. Their
case was ably presented by Hon, Rice
A. Pierce to-day.
"A court room overwhelmingly con-
gested heard the conclusion of Attor-
ney-General Chas T. Gates prosecut-
ing address to the court, and listened to
the defense of counsel. The case has
attracted almost spectacular interest
here and the result will be awaited with
more than usual anxiety.
The six men under sentence to be
hanged, and their two accomplices sem
fenced to twenty years imprisonment,
faced the crowded court room and smiled
as the argument proceeded.
Five faded, worried women waited at
the Threshold with wan babies to know
what they might expect. These men
who are to pay the penalty in event the
course of the law is allowed to pursue
its regular way do not seem to realize
their dangerous predicament They are
Of the earth earthly They know that
the waters of Reelfoot yield finny sus-
tenance, and they believe that they have
rights to this catch and to protect their
interests, and that they have been justi-
fed, according to their lax moral, in
doing So Beyond this they do not
feel that they have violated any law.
They heard Gen. Gates to-day with
smiles, once they even laughed when
he riddled their defense.
The women seemed to feel differently.
Somehow they reflected that intuitive-
ness of sex, and troubled looks told how
they were bothered about the whole
thing, and how they feared for those
loved ones bound and handcuffed in
the box before them.
CROWD FROM UNION CITY.
The morning train from Union City
was crowded. 1t was generally under
stood that the case would be brought to
a close during the afternoon. The pre-
liminary argument had whetted their
interest. By O'Clock it was impos-
sible to gain admittance into even the
upper hallway The five judges had
difficulty in gaining admittance and
way had to be cleared for them.
Special officers guarded all the door
ways, and these were locked. The order
of yesterday was renewed, and no one
was allowed in the room until some one
had left it. In this way quiet was pre-
served and the speakers were permitted
to continue their argument without in
terruption.
The families and friends of the con-
victed men had come from the lake re-
gion. They came in the best they had.
They formed an array about the box in
which the eight men were seated, and
they chung about this, even after court
had adjourned.
The entrance and exit of the defend
ants were marked with unusual excite
ment The front porch of the South
ern Hotel across from the courthouse
was crowded with spectators. Two lines
formed across and through this double
row of the morbidly curious and the de-
PENDANTS marched from jail to the court
room and back again. They were greet
ed by their friends, and even joked with
them on their way. The officers exer-
cised every IorecaI1tion tn r1revant anv