KYJacksonPurchase-L Archives

From: Bill Utterback <>
Subject: [KYJP] The Night Riders
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2003 19:43:11 -0500

My friends -

I had indicated yesterday that we would move over to Graves County for our
post today, but I have had enough inquiries concerning the Night Riders and
their activities that I have decided to devote today's posting to a brief
discussion of that unfortunate episode in the history of Calloway and
Marshall counties in the JP region(and there were other counties who also
suffered at the hands of these people, Trigg in particular, and there was
some activity in Henry Co., TN, as well).

The 1908-1909 time frame was the period of the greatest activity of these
Night Riders(so called because they inflicted their damage in the darkness
of the night). In those years, fear was rampant in the areas in which the
Night Riders appeared.

These Night Riders groups were a lawless by-product of the Planters'
Protective Association, which was a group that grew to perhaps 15,000
dark-fired tobacco growers in the JP, TN and other parts of western KY. The
original premise of the Association was that the major tobacco companies -
particularly the American Tobacco Company - were in violation of the
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. The Association felt that "price-fixing" was
the result of this monopolistic conspiracy, and, as a result, this union of
tobacco growers - the Planters' Protective Association - gradually gained
favor among such farmers.

There are many other facets - political, social and economical - involved
in the rise of emotions prior to the start of the lawlessness - too much to
be covered in this brief posting. By 1908, feelings had become so polarized
on this issue that tobacco farmers were expected to be a member of the
Association. If they did not join, or spoke out against the Association,
they could expect a visit from the Night Riders at any time. They sometimes
sent notes to the farmers in advance, warning them that they had better do
as they were told, or their houses and barns were at risk. The first act of
violence in Calloway County was reported to be the burning of the barn of
Brandon Hurt in February of 1908. Sometimes, a large group of Night Riders
would visit farmers and ask them, in a polite manner, to join the
Association. If that did not happen, however, the politeness stopped. After
a period of attacks by Night Riders against non-Association farmers, these
farmers began to warn of revenge. There was the specter of farmer against
farmer in many cases. It was a bad and dangerous situation that bred fear,
anger and mistrust. In some cases, Night Riders forced farmers, on the
threat of death or destruction of their property, to get down on their
knees and take an oath to join the Association.

The ultimate end of the reign of fear occurred as a result of the failure
of the Association to establish and maintain its financial base, and the
increased law enforcement activities of the State and county. There was
always two sides to the question of whether the Association and the Night
Riders were one and the same or whether there were actually two distinct
and separate entities, with the Association having no influence over the
activities of these "rogue" gangs of Night Riders.

A number of people were forced off their farms as a result of the fear
associated with the Night Riders. My grandfather operated a small farm
outside Murray in 1907, and, when the Night Rider activities began to
occur, and since he was not an "Association man", he elected to sell the
farm and move to Murray. He had been thinking of doing so for over a year,
and the prospect of violence coming onto his property was enough to cause
him to make the decision to sell.

It was a difficult time in the history of Calloway County, and those other
counties affected by this violence.

Tomorrow, we will move to Graves County.

-B
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• [KYJP] The Night Riders by Bill Utterback <>