The Washington bee., 1909-04-19
THE NIGHT RIDERS
AIDED KENTUCKY
Original Organization Did Away
with Toll Gates and Brought
About Good Roads.
COMPANIES DsSOBEYED THE LAW
Grimes Committed Now Are By
Gangs Hiding Behind Name of Old
Association Which Caused the
Adjustment of the Turnpike Com
panies.

Panies.
Louisville. Ky.-Thsre has not
been, It IL said. q crime Of mob vio-
lsnce committed in this State, in
Tennessee, or, in fact. in any Of the
Southern States sr In any OF the
Middle Western States in the past
several years. with the exception OF
the occasional lynehing Of q negro
ky 3 mob, that has net been should
cred On the Night Riders.
The Night Riders were an organ
4sA BODY back in 1900, when the
state Legislature passed law do
Ing Nway with private ownership or
pkESs roads. For months the turn
ySks corporations refused to obey
The state laws. Thsy appealed 70
the State Supreme Court, then to
shs Court Of Appeals, and lastly to
he Unitsd states Supreme Court,
and on each appeal they would get
. stay. Which made ii possible for
GAsm 10 continue running their toll
estes aad charging two cents mile
fer every hsree or vehicle that passed
0~SF thsiT property
Because ~ the laws delay the
sSaditasn Of the roads became Ina
passIbsa. TIE swners Of the turH-
pixies ws1Ia not sxpsHd enc esat
for improvements ss lOEg as there
vas gusstiOn Sf thsir losing their
srSzs<Sx b. = aHAI court aecisisn.
but tkey aid net cease to Mulct tFSV-
sIIsEN. All this whfss they refused
- accept the fair ITtcs sffsred by
the State fer thsiT POa&s.
1t was then that the Night Riders
Sara ergaRiEsd TIE organization
SPREAD from Shelby County to every
part sf the State. aad enc night in
the late fall heA rode from their
homes GAd began burning toll gates.
TAsTa Is 10 record sf q toll gate
keeper being Injured uAlsss he shST-
81 resistance. Thea he was TAKEN
frOu tAs house, and II he continued
ta BE asa4nt he was sogged. In
nins4y-zlne cases cut sf = hundred
the tole gate keeper vas glad to give
up ais tob and let the gate burn.
Night Riders undoubtedly brought
the turnpike corporations 20 terms.
There wRs aot toll gate left gtSnA-
ing is the State OF Kentucky by the
following spring. Had the taxPa,y-
sFa and farmers been conteBted to
allow the law to take its never snd-
ing course the chances are that toll
h. IN
yellers on the State roads to-day,
and that the roads would have been
worse now than they were when the
Night Riders became organized.
The Kentucky roads now are
among the best IN the United States.
There are not millions Of dollars Of
watered stock on which to pay int
crest, and the State tax has lmproy-
ed them and even made II possible
for almost all OF them to be sprfn-
kIed with oil during the summer
season, thus laying the dust.
The success of the Night Riders
in the war against toll gates led to
an organisation of a similar char
seter when the fight was waged
against the American Tobacco Com
PanY. But out Of this last organiEa-
ton there grew a body Of violent
men, who live on excitement and
thrive on lawIessness. Then sprang
up, too. lawless bodies of men In
many OF the Southern and Middle
Western States, who chose TO call
themselves Night Riders, though the
probabilities are that SO per cent. Of
the men didn't own so much aB g
horse TO ride.
II Isst Of the original body Of
Night Riders could be had the
chances are that the names Of many
men who figured in the operations
Of the old Ku-KlHx gang would be
found, and II this list we're sifted
down Il would show that many prop
erty-oWners and men Of prominence
had resorted to violence because Of
their belief that action was their
only safeguard against ruin, and
that a defiance Of Law had 10 be met
BY q like defiance