The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-03-15
MILTON OLIVER /.
DETAILS STORY
OF Night Rider Raid on
HopkinsviIIe.
TELLS or PART He AND OTHERS
Played as Alleged Members
of the Gang-Drilled
for the Raid.
DEATH FOR OATH VIOLATION

Hopkinsvile, Ky, March SIN
the trial to-day of DR.. David A.
Amos, alleged night rider chieftain
charged with participation in the
Hopkinsville raid, numerous witness
es were introduced to prove the in
vasion of the city by a masked and
armed band, the burning of proper
ty, shooting into houses, wounding
of men, whipping of tobacco buyer
and capture of citizens police sta
ton, fire department and telephone
and telegraph offices.
Milton Oliver Testifies.
There was a buzz of suppressed
excitement when Milton Oliver was
summoned to the stand. On direct
examination he said he was so years
old, was now a resident of Illinois,
but with the exception of year or
two had lived all his life in Lyon
county. He had known DIR. David
A. Amos four or five years. He, Oh
iver, was a member of the night ri
der organization. He joined at
Nabb's schoolhouse. either in 1906
or 1907. in the winter time. DR..
Amos wns not present the night of
his initiation. The obligation was
administered by George Brown. The
first time he remembered seeing
Amos at meeting was inCedarGrove
schoolhouse and he was instruct
ing the bows how to transact bust
ness on different occasions" The
purpose of the organization was to
have everything their own way-for
instance, if a man would not join
the association, to wait on him and
see that he Joined. Amos told them
to "go after a man right; if he got
mad and died, it could not be
helped"
He had heard Amos tell of plans
to invade Hopkinsville, saying the
city had invited the night riders"
He told of the formation of two
squads for the raid. No. ! was com
posed of Wallonia Lodge and No. 2
of Nabbs schoolhouse and Cedar
Grove Lodges. No. / was instructed
TO capture the police station and No. !
. to burn the tobacco houses in Hop
kinsville. Oliver was member of
the first squad, but coming into town !
stumbled in the darkness and fell. |
losing his place and attached himself
10 No. 2. The two squads met at
WallOnia about dark the night of |
the raid and started to Hopkinsville, |
being REINFORCED on the way by sew
eral other squads. After meeting at |
Wallonia, he said. DR.. Amos, who |
was regarded ''as foremost man and /
leader" instructed the men as to de-
tails of the raid; he saw him no
more until horses were hitched out
side of Hopkinsville, where Amos
lined up the night riders and gave
them final instructions.
He told OF marching into the city
and the destruction Of John c. Lath-
ans warehouse. Chairs and boxes
were piled together, saturated with
coal oil and set on fire. Outside the
building the raiders, under instruc-
tions, discharged fire arms to intimi-
date the citizens. After the build
ing was set on fire, the squad march
ed to another warehouse and applied
the torch. Guy Dunning, one of the
defendants. was. he said, captain of
squad No. /. He had seen Dunning
prior to the raid at Wallonia. "B"
Malone, another defendant. was cap
tain of squad No. 2. he said. At
Wallonia, John Robinson. he said,
was detailed to set fire to the Lath-
am warehouse. He said Newton
Nichols and Irving Glass, also de-
PENDANTS, were in the squad at the
fires. Glass had ridden home with
him the morning after the raid. He
heard It reported among the night
riders that DR.. Amos had been shot
and that a DR.. Hayden had carried
him home. The defense objected to
the introduction of testimony by Oil
yer of what he claimed to have
heard, but the motion was overruled
by the court.
Later he heard some of the band
say: "Be careful and don't get hurt
for there is no doctor in the crowd"
He saw Guy Dunning again in the
gang which had been whipping Lind
say Mitchell, he said. He did not re-
member to have been present at any
night rider meeting with DR.. Amos
since the night of the raid, and had
not since then heard him converse
about the Hopkinsville invasion.
Cross-examined by Judge Bush,