Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-08
NIGHT RIDERS GUILTY
Six in First Degree and Two
in Second Degree.
JURY Is OUT SIX HOURS
Mitigating Circumstances Found in
Extenuation.
ONE JURYMAN HAS MEASLES
Brought Into Court on Mattress.
Prosecution Defies Friends of
Prisoners to Take His Life.
NE JURYMAN HAS MEASLES

UNION CITY, Tenn, january 81 lie
jury In the case of the eight night riders
charged with the murder of Capt. Quentin
Rankin last night returned a verdict OF
guilty of murder in the first degree. with
mitigating circumstances. as to Garrett
Johnson, Fred Pinion, Arthur Cloar, Sam
Applewhite, Roy Ransom and Ted Bur
ton, and verdict Of murder in the sec
ond degree as to Bob Huffman and Bud
Morris, fixing the punishment of the latter
at twenty years in the penitentiary.
Attorneys for defense moved for a new
trial Saturday morning was set to hear
arguments.
The lighter verdict against both Huff
man and Bud Morris came as a surprise.
One of them was said to have been the
man who fired the first shot into Capt.
Rankin's body.
No Trouble Attempted.
But few country people were present
when the jury filed in, but the court
room was filled. Many soldiers from the
barracks were on hand to prevent trou-
BILE. None was attempted. however. and
there is at present no anticipation of
trouble.
Gen. Caldwell said last night the state
would continue the prosecution of the
other cases as long as jurors could be
secured. but that hereafter only one man
would be arraigned at time
A dramatic scene occurred during the
closing argument by Prosecuting Attor-
ney Caldwell, whose life had been threat
ened time and again. He turned toward
the night riders and, shaking his finger,
said:
You have sworn to kill me. but / defy
you and all your clan. You can do no
more than take my life. and l would
gladly lay it down if by the sacrifice my
county and state could be rid of terrorism
and outrageS of night rider mob law.
AS he described the details of the mid
night murder in the depths of the forest
| on the banks of the lake the dead man s
widow sobbed convulsively in her sister S
arms, her low means broken now and
then by the laughter of d baby, the child
of Bob Huffman. one of the defendants,
which sat playing upon its mothers lap
within few feet of Mrs. Rankin.
Brave Juror Has Measles.
The jury retired at o'clock At 3
O'Clock. under instruction of the court,
it suspended consideration of the case
until O'Clock in order to allow a doctor
to attend Juror Rosson who is ill with
measles.
This juror. who was brought into court
on a mattress has displayed remarkable
fortitude.. He has been in high fever
to give up. His temperature went up to
1O5 Wednesday night and he was unable
to sit up yesterday. He was made COM
Portable on a cot. The attorneys short
ened their arguments for his benefit
While the outcome of the trial is sat
isfactory. it is surprising to many that
a mitigating circumstance was found, as
announced by the jury, for SO brutal a
murder. The only conclusion is that the
jurors considered the efforts of the West
Tennessee Lana Company to make Reel
foot lake private property, thus barring
it to fishermen who have enjoyed free
use of the lake since 1T was formed by
the earthquake Of 1872
Ninety-five per cent of the best people
here are opposed to private ownership
of the lake
Obion County Peaceful.
For the first time in six months Union
City and Obion county breathe freely.
The prompt conviction of the eight men
on trial for night riding and murder has
had reassuring effect upon the public.
More open denunciatiOn of the men and
the crime is heard on the streets than
ever before. The men of the lake dis
trict who were in court when the verdict
came in left town quietly Immediately
after the jury was dismissed.
Juror RoSSon was reported better to-
day, but will not be well enough to leave
his room in the courthouse for several
days. The trials of the other indicted
men will not take place until May.