The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-11-10
MASKED CITIZENS
VISIT TO GORDON
WAS ONLY A PRANK
GIRLS AND BOYS WE'RE SIMPLY
OUT FOR HALLOWEEN
FUN.
DECLARES CAPT. ]. h. MtROAtl
Gives the Names of the Party ana
Challenges Former Judges Right to
Assess a Fine Upon Any of Them
for Call at His Residence.

Inc Herald, Capt. j. N. MeIOucy, vi
Dark's Mill, and one of the best cit1-
zens of the county, explains the visit
of the alleged mob of masked people
to the residence of former County
Judge W. o. Gordon last week. In
this communication Capt Meroney
gives the names of the members Of
the party and says they were simply
out for a Halloween prank. His let
ter follows:
To the Editor of The Herald:
In your weekly issue of November
Bird is an account of a mob Of masked
people making night visit to the
home of Judge w. o. Gordon at
Dark's Mill.
This account as printed does the
people of Dark's Mill very great
Injustice and l ask you as an act or
common Justice to publish the facts
in regard to the affair, as follows: A
party of young folks Of Dark's Mill
decided to get up a Halloween party
and visit the neighbors' houses, dress
ed in old time, odd looking costumes,
each one trying to make the most odd
or tacky appearance in their dress.
Old hats, bonnets and garments were
resurrected from their hiding places
that mothers and grand mothers had
worn thirty to fifty years ago. Some
of them presenting quite contrast
to the skin tight, hobble skirt of to-
day. The party consisted of Mr.. Lu-
ther Sellars, a young merchant OF
Dark's Mill, and his wife; Berry Hud-
son, a young farmer and his wife;
Mrs. Coggins, the wife of our rail
road agent; three daughters of J. N.
Meroney, Misses Louise, Mary and
Nellie, and little ten year old son OF
J. N. Meroney, numbering nine per-
sons in all-two men, three women,
three girls and one little boy, these
composed the horrid mob that was re-
ported in your excellent paper as
frightening the judge, so that he only
escaped from them by fleeing from
his house by the back door and seek
ing assistance from this threatening
mob of masked men as reported in
Nashville paper. AS matter of fact
there were no masks worn or ;.ny-
attempt to conceal the features. The
moon was shining almost as bright
as day They called at other houses
before they reached the home ct the
Judge. AS they passed by on the
pike a light was burning In the hall,
and thinking that Judge Gordon and
his grandson, Edwin Jones, who lives
with him and often participates n
their hay rides and ice cream festi-
walls would enjoy their grotesque APP
pearance, the leader knocked at the
uOOl dllu the Juu5S dppcolSu' AlS
looked through the glass door at
them The leader by way of introduc-
ton asked If he could get lodging for
his family Just as he had done at
the other houses they had visited.
The Judge asked some other ques-
lions as he was locking his door, and
turned away, saying he would see the
head of the house. The party saw
the door locked and turned and went
to another neighbor further on, where
they were welcomed in and had nice
time, but the judge made for the
back door and hurried through the
field to the depot. After staying
there for a few minutes he came to
my front door and knocked. was
sitting by the fire reading, but with
out any hesitation | arose and open
ed the door without asking any ques-
ton as to who it was. l invited him
in, it was then o'clock. He sat with
me and talked more than half an
hour, but said not one word about
the occurrence. If he had thought
that mob had just attempted to in
jure him it seems that he surely
would have mentioned it to me in
that half hours talk
After some time the whole party
came to my house and came into the
room where he was sitting. He saw
them all in their odd dresses just as
they were in front of his house, be-
fore 10 o'clock that night in my home.
In his report to you he says that he
found out the next morning that sew
eral of his neighbors were in the
mob and he did not learn their pur
pose. He heard them tell of other
houses they visited and what nice
time they had. He then told them
they had violated the law and iaid
themselves liable to the penitentiary.
They told him they did not intend to
vi him b,,t h. op1