The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-07-17
ONE FOUND
GUILTY RUFF
HUNTER CASE
MARCELLUS RINEHART
GETS LIFE AND OTHERS
ACQUITTED.
JURY RECOMMENDS MERCY
OF THE COURT.

GAINESVILLE, Tenn, July II. (Spe-
eial. )-Marcellus Rinehart was found
guilty of murder in the first degree
by jury in the circuit court here
this morning for the murder of Ruef
Hunter, whose death a man named
Adkins was alleged to have instigat-
ed. The verdict also found mitigat-
ing circumstances and recommended
the mercy of the court. This means
life sentence.
The same jury acquitted James
Davis and Will and Jesse Nicholson.
charged with conspiracy. Rlnehart is
accused of killing AL Fielder also.
The fate of Marcellus Rinehart.
James Davis and win and Jesse
Nicholson was placed in the hands
of the jury last evening. Judge
Tyler delivered a strong charge to
the jury for the enforcement of the
law and punishment of persons gull
ty OF the murder of Rufe Hunter.
He said II band of lawless men
should go at night to the home of a
peaceful citizen and wilfully shoot
him in cold blood and without provo
cation, the killing, IL death followed,
would be murder in the first degree.
And no matter who was the actual
prepetrator of the crime, all would
be equally guilty, provided they as
sented to the act at the time or
agreed to conceal the crime.
Continuing, he said:
On the night of June 6, 1908,
Rufus Cunter, one of our best citi-
zens, was called to his door at mid
night and shot down without provo
cation by a number of persons to
him and his family unknown. Many
shots were fired into the house
where he lived with his wife and
children. Then. with a remark from
the road that he had been talking
too much about the night riders, the
band departed as secretly as they
had come. AS they left someone
called jim speaking presumably to
one of his comrades. Hunters wife
was in the room with him, and not
far away when he was MORALLY
wounded. His children, nearly all
girls. slept in the room above him.
and soon gathered about the bed of
their dying father. His eldest daugh-
ter, when all was quiet, ran out and
rang the farm bell in the night to
alarm the neighbors.
Hunter was a good man. sup
posed to be without enemies. He
was man devoutly religious and by
nature of kindly disposition. Who
the man were that thus murdered
him in the bosom of his family and
what their motive was a mystery to
him during the few remaining hours
of life that we're left him. Yet he
was surely murdered in the most
cowardly way and without proyoca-
to his house at midnight and awoke
him from his sleep. These four de-
PENDANTS stand here now charged
with the grave crime. l ask you to
give the evidence for and against
them the most serious considera-
tion."
No Reward TO Witnesses.
He said witnesses in the case had
been promised no reward; that not
one of them would ever receive a
cent except their legitimate fees as
witnesses. That this case had no
connection with the Dark Tobacco
Growers association and farmers in
this community were being ruined
by such lawlessness. That there was
not a line In the record to show any
association of farmers in this coun-
ty, secret or open, had ever counten-
anced such a crime. That there -
small band of men in one corner of
the county that is about to bring us
"all in disrepute."
Their misdeeds cannot be charged
to the country. and cannot be
charged to the town, but unless they
are checked it will be a standing re-
Election UPON US all. Every man on
the jury, aud myself and the whole
county, is held responsible for their
frequent and fragrant crimes. This
condition of AFFAIRS must end. This
open defiance of the law must be
stamped out, and stamped out by the
juries of the county, no matter
where the jurors hail from. speak
to you plainly because the time has
come to speak plainly. The thing to
do is to teach them all that it is
serious thing to defy the law as they
have been doing"