The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-07-02
NIGHT RIDER CASES
Reversed BY COURT
Supreme Trihas Holds that
Jury Was Not Selected as
Provided by Law.

the eight Night Riders, six Of whom
were under the death sentence charged
with the murder of Capt. Quentin
Rankin, at Walnut Log on Reelfoot
Lake, October 10 last, we're reversed by
the Supreme Court to-day, and were re-
manded for new trials.
The six men who were under death
sentence are Garrett Johnson, alleged
leader of the Night Riders organization
in Obion County. Arthur Cloar, Fred
Pinion, Sam Applewhite, lid Burton
and Roy Ransom. The other two, Bud
Morris and Bob Huffman, we're con-
victed of murder in the second degree.
When the eight cases were called in
the Supreme Court this morning the
court was crowded to the point Of con-
gestion. Friends and sympathizers OF
the accused were there by the score, and
the excitement was intense. The
prisoners bore an air of confidence as
they were brought into the court room
heavily guarded. They greeted their
friends and shook hands with their at
torney, Hon. Rice A. Pierce.
The opinion in the case was delivered
by Special Justice Henry A. Craft, of
Memphis, appointed in the place OF JUS
tice M. M. Neil. The reading of the
opinion required more than an hour,
and in that time the tense stiffness was
only broken by the sound OF Justice
Crafts voice.
In reversing the cases he assigned two
principal reasons. The first was that
the grand jury which found the indict-
ment against the alleged Night Riders
was not selected in proper manner.
The grand jury was selected out of a
panel named by Judge J. E. Jones, the
trial Judge, whereas the law provides
the panel must be chosen by at least
three members of the County Court.
The second error on which the reversal
was based was that the State did not al
low the defendants sufficient number
! of challenges. The eight were tried on
a joint Indictment, and the trial court
upheld the States contention that the
eight defendants were only entitled to
the legal number Of challenges, twenty
four, which would apply if one man was
on trial.
When Special Judge Craft concluded
bis opinion, a storm of applause broke
out in the courtroom, but was quickly
stilled by Marshal Deeming and his
deputies. The prisoners will be taken
back to Union City and an effort will
be made to secure their release on bail,
pending a second trial of their cases.
LESS THAN YEAR AFTER CRIME.
The deision comes within less than a
year dlbtI tLC NlIhiC Ntio COiiihiAV1NN'
On the night Of October 10, 1908, Capt.
Quentin Rankin and Col. r. q. Taylor
were taken from the hotel at Walnut
Log on the bank Of Reelfoot Lake by
the Night Riders. The former was
hung and then shot to death and the
latter escaped by almost miracle.
The crime itself and the subsequent
events of she campaign against the
Night Riders of Obion County by the
State troops, the sensational trial which
resulted in six OF the defendants re-
ceiving the death sentence, and the
other two twenty years in the penn
tertiary, form chapter in the criminal
history Of the State never before equaled.
1t attracted attention throughout the
entire country, and its details are well
remembered.
BASIS OF TROUBLES.
The crime for which these men were