The Washington herald., 1909-01-17


or your necktie in a tentative, significant
sort OF a way, and one OF them should
raise his hand and rest the palm for an
instant on the side Of his face. there Is
still the chance that there might be an
accident: he may not be night rider
after all
But persevere. and casually mention
something about a dead horse" and
then If he Is really q night rider he viii
take up the hint and say something about
a dead horse himself The next step is
10 say Silent Brigade" You return Isl
lent Brigade Next he says, Il see you
have been there The 1T and proper re-
ply is, Yes. I have been there on my
bended knees" Now each of you Is sure
that the .other is night rider and may
borrow chewing tobacco OF each other
and discuss Tennessee politics in perfect
confidence.
New members are sworn in at midnight.
actually on their -bended knees. with q
very solemn sort Of oath. and the pen
atty for giving away any Of the signs
and secrets and passwords IS death in
the particularly unpleasant form OF a
broken neck. There are some variations
in the oath administered but the favorite
one seems 10 be the following:
l. - in tire presence Of Almighty
God and these witnesses take upon myself these
solemn ties and OhgatiOns that vii neser reveal
any Of the secrets signs OF passwords Of this order.
aCccTng 70 the rules and regulations q this order.
furthermore promise and swear that vii never
reveal. earse to be revealed. b woTd act, any
q the transactions q this order. IN the lodge room
examination ] ind them or him Justly and legally
entitled % the sane and not then unless believe
the Business and welfare of the order VIII be bsue-
flied by such information given.
furthermore promise and swear that ! VII obey
al orders OF suEm0nses coming from ny lodge.
either DAY night unless prevented by sickness q
self or my family
I furthermore promise and swear that I VIII not
this order OF hide under c0FeT q this OTdcr q
do anything 30 personal enesny for personal Ee-
Eenge.
To al Of this most solemnly swear. placing ny
self under not less pCnaliy than may Be put ON me
By order of this lodge.
The penalty exaeted IS a broken neck,
as before mentioned There IS a shorter
oath. which I ike better from an artistic
point OF view. because Il sounds so much
more concise and earnest It winds up;
Ard Il bet-zy this order in any way shah have
10 submit 70 a peralty which may be PIT on ne.
which Is death. To al q this do s0ig-nnly ITJn-
iss ard swear. 50 help ne God
There are probably about ten or twelve
thousand night riders in the country all
told. Some say that the recent operations
in the cotton States are traceable 10 men
who have merely taken the cue from the
Kentucky tobacco country: others that
they have been organized by travelling
organizers. The phrase night rider IL
self first came into use some eight or nine
years ago. al the time OF the tOll-gate
troubles IN Kentucky
The people who are doing the devilmeni
IN the tobacco districts are Of a very diff
ferent class from those who operated
around Reelf0ot Lake. The percentage
OF toughs and pIuguglies in the tobacco
district-fellows who would seize upon
the most trivial excuse TO make trouble
is much smaller than around the lake.
The Reeif0ot gang OF gangs, since
there were two Of them operating there
under separate leaders, have only been in
existence since last April. Thvy were
composed. for the most part, Of fellows
Of little OF no education. country tOughs
and weakIings. and they probably got to
gether in imitation OF the bands In TIE
tobacco country
DasfardIy Murder of Rufus Hunter
Were I 10 attempt anything Ike a de
tailed story Of this lawlessness, usine
only half Of the information IN my reach
I would be compelled TO write a COED
sized book Two OF three incidents vii
show the state OF Montgomery County
and the brief story OF one atrOcious mur-
der. the perpetrators Of which have never
been brought 20 justice. yiH indicate tht
paralysis which has fallen upon the arm
Of the law.
The murder was that OF Rufus Hunter
which took place on the night Of Satur-
day. June s Hunter lived in the Four
teenth magisterial district Of Montgom-
err County, about fourteen miles east o'
Clarksvilie He was an ex-magistrate
and a deacon IN the church. and haC
Joined the planters association at the be-
ginning, although be did not approve Of
any but peaceful methods and was out
spoken against night riding"
Hunter had an aunt In the neighbor
hood. q Mrs Eliza Nicholson. who wal
not in The association She was in pooi
circumstances and a widow. but had Sc
out nine acres OF tobacco, with the heII
OF a ne'er-do-weI son
The night riders made three trips {,
her place First. they pulled up her to
bacco: next. they burned her tobacc,
barn. and the third time they burned hel
stable. with two mules in II, both animal:
being destroyed->
This left the old woman destitute ant
on the verge OF starvation. Hunter wa!
not well of in the way Of worldly goods
himself: he had seven children and a wifi
discharged from the insane asylum. Blu
he did all he could for hts aunt, ant
hustled around among some OF the neigh
bors who were friendly to her and tool
Up a collection 10 help in keeping he
alive
Then the next Sunday night in church
he brought the matter up before tht
neighborhood. He said that he had beer
warned not to befriend any one who wa.
under sthe ban Of the night riders. bu
that ne could not bring himself 10 believ,
that they would go so far as to take III!
life for his activity in behalf Of his aunt
He said that he approved ~ q peacefu
tobacco organization. but that the nigh
riders were going too far. They were no
harming the tobacco trust, but the com
munlties in which they lived. In short
he made the occasion 10 state publiclI
his disapproval Of arson, murder. ant
outrage on the part Of the night riders
which Is not a safe thing 10 do in tn,
isolated districts OF Montgomery Coun
". and may even lead TO trouble on TIT
streets OF Ciarksville.
Hunter Slain.
The next Saturday night Hunter wa
called 10 his door by a band of armet
and masked men and shot through thf
abdomen The night riders then proceed
Cd to riddle the front Of the house Wit
their firearms The wife and childrel
were in the back part Of the house ant
none Of them was hit Hunter lived unit
20 o'clock the next afternoon. in horribl
I agony. and It was in agony that he died
But he was IN no doubt as to why he hal
/ been shot He said before he died that q
the first volley was fred his murderer
called out: There. damn you, that
what you get for talking too much abou