Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-01-12

militia or the state unueT the peEsOAAdt
direction of Gov. r. NJ. Patterson, to aid
the civil authorities in the ferreting out
and the taking into custody of those
who were charged with the commission
of the crime, the so-called might rider
clan of Reelfoot lake.
The operations of the night rider band
began with the burning of fish docks ex-
tending to the infiicting of corporal pun
,ishment on those whom the leaders in
the counsels deemed guilty Of actions in
lopposition to the wishes of the clan, find
ing a climax in the lynching Of Captain
Rankin Rankin and an associate stock
holder Of the West Tennessee Land COM
pany, Col. r. z. Taylor, an aged man
and one Of the most prominent men of
the northwestern section of Tennessee,
| had come to the lake region to conclude
deal as to the sale of some timber
lands, the property of the company.
Murder of Capt. Rankin
| The night riders, composed largely Of
the fisher folk of Reelfoot lake, which
is owned by the land company, were es-
pecially aggrieved against the land com
pany because of the refusal to allow the
fishermen to ply their vocations at will
| in the waters of the lake. This they
charged largely to Captain Rankin and
Colonel Taylor. According to the evil
dence during the trial, when it was learn
ed that the two were to spend the night
| in the lake region the band was told
to meet at a designated point and, to-
ward midnight, they donned their fan
tastic garbs OF long cloaks and masks
and marched to the Walnut Log hotel,
where the men had quartered.
| Forcing them to hastily don their
clothes, it is related, they marched them
to a secluded spot among the wooded
recesses OF. the lake. Here a short parley
ensued, and not reaching a satisfactory
termination to the riders, the rope by
which Rankin was led from the hotel
\ was thrown through a forked limb of a
tree and the man drawn into the air. A
volley of shots followed, and within a
| few seconds Rankin was dead. In the
meantime, Taylor had pleaded for the
release of Rankin and his. substitution.
When he saw. the men were determined
to kill both he made a dash for liberty,
swimming the bayou on the banks Of
which the lynching occurred. and though
several volleys from a score OF rifles fol-
lowed him., he succeeded in escaping,
reaching q place of safety after 36 hours
spent in the marshes. SIS Tso7n
Troops Hunt Down Night Riders
Two days later Governor Patterson and
( two companies OF state troops arrived and
| the work of hunting down the perpetra-
/ tors began. Arrests BY the wholesale
/ were made, and the county was placed
under military rule a military post was
established at Reelfoot lake and those
who were arrested were held practically
incomnnunicado. ''-
| Several of those arrested confessed, and
gradually those who were deemed not
| guilty were weeded out and allowed to
! return to their homes. The ten men held
most responsible for the raids of the
band were taken to Nashville for safer
keeping, and in the 1ah there two OF
them died. The other eight sought release
under writs OF habeas corpus, and were
ordered set at liberty on the charges on
which they were held, other than thatsef
the killing of Captain Rankin. = tss
! When they were returned to Union City
to be released, however, indictments
charging murder had been returned, and
they were Immediately reaFested. ~
Trial Lasted One Month SO
Their trials began month ago. and
| the court was under the protection Of the
/ military. During the sessions armed SOL
diers were constantly on guard. and dur
ing the night the men were under the care
/ of the military as were others held to
await trial. During the trials several OF
the alleged members of the band told OF
| the working OF the clan and of the raids,
| describing the murder of Captain RAN
1 kin, showing It to have been most brutal.
| These Will be granted pardoH. sft}~ q
4 The defendants were Represented by
Rice AZ Pierce and other prominent ate
| torneys, who exerted every legal effort in
the aid of their clients, and as a defense
sought to establish alibis. The case of the
state was cared for BY Attorney General
| Caldwell and other attorneys.
4 f-1,oe ,raca,,f fatsr, re not,rf q fba eArnud
/ special term called to consider the night
rider cases. The first term was called in-
mediately with the arrival of the troops,
and its legality, because OF a failure to
| announce the fact of its converting in
advance, was questioned.
This was remedied at the present term,
the trials being deferred until the present
term began. The other alleged members
of the band were more than score IN
number, and are held in the county jail
here awaiting trial on charges of murder,
violation of the ku-kIux act and other
crimes, resulting from the raids of the
band. Their trial, It is probable. win fol-
low Immediately. -z,.
SIX WILL BE HANGED;
TWO GO TO THE PEN
UNION CITY. Tenn, Jan. S-Death 10
SIX convicted night riders, twenty years
| imprisonment TOT Two anu an StIpnhliC
denial for a new trial is the mandate Of
Judge Jones in a sentence handed down
! here shortly after noon today.
Friday, February 49, 1909. is the date
set for the execution. ~
| Sentenced to death: Garrett Johnson,
Samuel Applewhite, It'd Burton, Roy
Ransom, Arthur Cloar, Fred Pinion.
Twenty years imprisonment: Bud Nor
ris, Bob Huffman. A2sr
The court said it was firmly of the opin-
ion that all evidence introduced at the
trial was competent. Judge Jones con-
| tinued: f4 'FH&t
81 said some time ago to. the grand
| jury that It was a sad, sad day when
these men left their quiet homes; that
their wives had not taken them around
the neck and pleaded with them for God
Almighty's sake to stop and not band
themselves together for such unholy acts;
that the evidence IN this case is bristlfng
with perjury. and the jury has returned
into this court a verdict against Bud Nor
ris and Bob Huffman of murder in the
second degree and which must stand.
1.-THE jury has also returned a verdict in
the first degree against six of these de-
| fendants and in view Of the manner in
which the life of Quintin Rankin was
taken can see no mitigating circum-