Night Riders in Crittenden County

  This interesting article is from the Book titled Echoes of Yesteryear By Leslie McDonald, 1972.

Tobacco was the cash crop.  Dark-fired tobacco was grown especially for its value to bring in money when everything else failed.   Corn and wheat were bead for the table, hay was food for the livestock and sorghum was grown for a little sweetening.  Tobacco remained the commodity that brought a little girl a doll for Christmas, for other cash crops were practically non-existent.

By the 1890's and early 1900's tobacco was grown almost everywhere in the county.  There were large well-constructed barns on every farm to house and smoke dark tobacco.  A long aisle of hot coals was maintained on each side of the barn to "smoke" the tobacco until it cured to the color desired by the grower.

Many farmers grew large acreage of tobacco and in 1904 the price of tobacco dropped below the price it cost to product it.  This resulted in an organization called the Planter's Protective Association.  This tobacco surplus was put into what was known as "in pool".  Many planters refused to join the Association.  At first a harmless band was formed to force these planter to act but later it evolved into violence.

 
The Night Riders climbed into their saddles with two purposes:  The farmers must be forced to join them or not to raise tobacco.  As lawlessness increased, due to the fact that their identity was covered by a black mask and white sheets, they grew bolder.  They salted tobacco plant beds, tore up young plans and burned tobacco.  They began to burn tobacco warehouses, growers' barns and generally cause trouble.  Anyone who took sides against them soon met with their rage.

The Night Riders were soon out of control.  They used whips and clubs on individuals for real or imagined moral transgressions.  They shot into private homes for warnings.  Thorn switching was their favorite method of chastisement.  One man reported that bullets entered into the bedding of his sleeping sister.

Many threatening notes were the first indication of impending violence around Dycusburg.  Dycusburg was the location of the buying, selling and shipping of the farmers tobacco crops. 

The Bennett brothers owned the Distillery which the Night riders burned to the ground February 2, 1908.  They also burned the warehouse for tobacco owned by Henry H. Bennett.  They spared the warehouse of S. H. Cassidy. 

 They also decided to whip Henry Bennett and William Groves.  These men had continued to buy tobacco after their warning.  They were to be made into examples to warn others.  The Night Riders unmercifully whipped William Groves.  The beating crippled Mr. Groves permanently and he died a cripple, maimed and scarred some year later.   

For the chastisement of Henry Bennett, they chose to give one of the thorn-switch whippings.  One of his ears was almost torn off and he was left a complete invalid, though he lived two more years in agony.  On his tombstone in the Dycusburg Cemetery is this inscription "Killed by Night Riders".  This was March, 1908. 

Soon the entire countryside was so incensed by these brutal beatings that the word began to get around that the Night Riders would be ambushed on sight.  Some of the men would be riding in trucks while some continued on horseback.  This stopped the Night Riders for good.

A couple of the old tobacco barns that were in Crittenden County. 

 They are all about gone now.    Either fallen down, or being torn down for their lumber.

Beautiful and Colorful Vintage Christmas Cards

 Just some beautiful and colorful vintage Christmas Cards with matching envelopes for this week's post. 

Civic Societies Have A Special Place In Our History

From the Illustrated Edition of The Crittenden Press, August 16, 1894, many valuable and interesting pieces of our history were written about.  

 This piece was about the Civic societies of the town.

This feature of the town will always be found a safe and reliable standard from which to judge the propensities of the men who constitute the business element of the town and surrounding country.

 

Banded together by solemn and irrevocable ties, for the purpose of friendship, morality, brotherly love, sympathy, counsel and support, wherever they are found strong in numbers will always be found a harmonious and united community.

 

Silent often in their charities, the outside world can never know to what extent it is indebted to those noble organizations.

 

Although doubted by some, their doubts and suspicions are the offspring of ignorance of the motives and working of these institutions. Any community in which these praiseworthy organizations exist can always be trusted as peaceful and law abiding, and a good land in which to dwell.

 

In Marion are four of these societies, and each has a strong membership.

Bigham Lodge F. A. & A. M. is the oldest and strongest. It has a membership of seventy and is one of the best working lodges in this section. It owns its own hall and the lodge room is well appointed. Within the last two years it has grown rapidly.

 

Blackwell Lodge Knights of Pythias, was organized seven years ago, and has a membership of over fifty. In 1887 a number of the Knights from Ivy Lodge, of Henderson, came over to Marion and instituted a new Lodge, with a membership of twelve. Since that time the order has been growing and the idea of their own building was conceived. The new building was finished in October 1890, and the order has just completed paying for its hall.

The new K.P. hall was dedicated in Nov. of 1890. It is made of substantial brick, handsomely finished without and within and is a credit to the popular and rapidly growing order and an honor to our town.

From the start this institution grew rapidly, and it now embraces in its membership many of our best men, especially among the young. The lodge room is elegantly furnished and is one of the most attractive in the county.

The membership is not confined to Marion, but young men from various parts of the county have united with it and it is now one of the fixed institutions of the place.

 

The Ancient Order of United Workmen has a membership of forty, and is growing. Its members take a great interest in lodge meetings and are devoted to the order, which is very popular in the town and country.

 

The Knights of Honor have had a lodge here since 1879, and its members embrace some of the oldest and most substantial citizens.

 

The society at Marion is as good as it is anywhere. The people are unostentatious, friendly and social. We have no aristocracy.

 

For the purpose of hearing the leading men of the country and bringing the best talent to Marion, forty of the young men of the town have organized a Lecture Club and through the influence of this club the people of Marion are enjoying a distinction no other has to offer, accorded to a town of this size.

Meet Some More of Marion's Past Doctors

 Dr. John Riley Clark, noted physician and surgeon of Marion and Crittenden County in the late 1800's.

Born March 7, 1834, son of William and Rosa Cunningham Clark, one of Crittenden County's early pioneer families.

He was born at a time when schools were scarce in this section, and his parents were unable to give him the educational advantages he craved, but being staunch of mind and body, the hardships of those pioneer days brought out and developed the tenacious qualities of the mind that made him successful in whatever he attempted.

When he began life for himself his only patrimony was an ambition to surmount the difficulties in the way of a professional career, and blessed with a strong body and mind, he rose above the barriers and for years stood in the forefront as a physician in his native county. He attended the Medical University of Louisville.

As a citizen he was progressive and liberal, every ready to lend his assistance to such things as he thought would benefit his fellow citizens.

For years he was been prominent in the affairs of this section. He represented Crittenden and Livingston counties in the legislature of 1879-80, and served his district with distinction. He was also one of the partners of A. Dewey Co., builders of Marion Merchants flour-mill in 1890. He also built J. R. Clark Lumber Mill.

Dr. Clark and his wife, Nannie Johnson Clark, bought a farm in the Tribune-Repton area, built first a log house and here they started out their life.

The doctor practiced in his professional line, bought more land, erected new buildings and had a splendid home and a fine farm. To this union were born ten children.

When Dr. Clark died on Sept 16, 1902, he was one of the best-known and respected citizens of Crittenden County.  He and his wife are buried at Mapleview Cemetery.

1951 - Cherokee Indians Were in Marion

 

Crittenden Press, May 1 8, 1951.

On May 11th, a party of nine, including four ancestors, of the original Cherokee Indian Tribe, stopped in Marion on a tour retracing the "Trail of Tears" made by 17,000 of their ancestors 113 years ago at which time 4,000 of their tribe lost their lives.

Chief McKinley Ross, descendant of Captain John Ross, an Indian leader, presented Mayor L. D. Chipps with a peace pipe in a ceremony from the Courthouse lawn with this message.  "As Chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, I  bring you greetings from my people.  113 years ago 17,000 of my ancestors passed through Marion on a march to Exile.  Today three other tribal leaders and myself are retracing that Trail of Tears.

We left our Carolina Mountain homes two days ago on the Trail of Tears journey that carry us through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and to its end in Oklahoma.  We are retracing this historic trail in the hope the people of America may learn of a forgotten page in history.

Other Cherokee descendants besides Chief Ross in the party and wearing authentic native costumes, were Leroy Wahnetah, Joe Washington and Rev. Arsesn Thompson, the first Cherokee Educationalist.

The tour is sponsored by the Cherokee Historical Association.

Attending the Welcome luncheon at the Marion Cafe besides the Cherokee party were: Mayor and Mrs. L. D. Chipps, John Quertermous, Ben Clement, Daisy Franklin, Pauline Guess, Grace Paris, Mrs. T. C. Gilland, R. Pl Davidson, N. S. Hollingsworth and Neil Guess.  

The traveling guests were presented with souvenirs of Fluorspar by Ben Clement and other favors from the down stores.