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Show lil RISERS 1 HAKDSJF THE ii Taking of Testimony Begun in Gases That Have Stirred the South. PRISONERS STOICAL AND APPEAR INDIFFERENT Judge Threatens to Bar Newspaper News-paper Men if They Print tho Proceedings. UNION CITY, Tenn., Dec. IS. The state made material progress in the first daj's testimony in tho night riders' trial. Testimony poverinp tho details of the murder of Captain Rankin and supporting sup-porting an identification of two of the E'risoners as members of the masked and was presented. The prisoners, unkempt, scowling and silent, paid little attention to the proceedings. pro-ceedings. Only once did they bctra3' any emotion. One witness, who had been sworn into tho baud against his will, testified that tho only part of the-oath the-oath he remembered was that providing the3' would kill him if ho revealed an3'- thing. At this some of the prisoners grinned. Important Testimony, i Ed Powell was an important witness for tho state. Powell was dragged from his bed tho night of the Bankin murder mur-der and forced to accompany the band to the Walnut Log hotel, from which Rankin and Taylor were taken. Powell says he recognized Garrett Johnson and B03' Ransom as members of the baud. When , the riders, took Rankin and Taylor from the hotel into the woods' they took Powell along, too, he said. He heard them questioning the two men as to their title to the land in the Reelfoot district. Near the spot where Rankin was murdered they halted Powell until the crime was done. When iho3' asked him if he recognized any of them he said no. They told him to tell Ward, the hotel proprietor, to como down for the bodies of his guests. .Powell was arrested b3' tho soldiers and testified before the cbronor that ho failed to recognize the riders, but did so because he feared for his life. May Bar Newspapers. That a strict censorship of the press will be established durintr the night riders' rid-ers' trials was indicated whon court opened todaj-. In cautioning tho jnr3- to confine their reading to novels and good books. Judge Jones said; "Before we commence, tho taking of testimony, I want to make a; request of tho men who are representatives of tho newspapers hero. As .vou know, there are over 100 indictments yet to be iriod. A juror who has heard from either a witness or from one who has heard from a witness what purports to bo an account ac-count of what happened is incompetent as a juror. The 6upromo court has held that 'a newspaper report of testimony comes within the forbidden field. Ilcnco if tho newspapers report the tes-timonv tes-timonv at tho trial it will make it impossible im-possible to secure a jurv in the cases to Come, and thus justice will bo defeated. "This is a very serious phaso of th trial. Tho court will make this request iu a vcrv polito and informal wa.v, trusting trust-ing that' tho good sonso and patriotism of those who own the papors will load them to compl3 with it. Of course, if it bo disregarded the court will bo compelled, vor3' reluclanth, to take such steps as ma3' be noccssao" and local to protect the interests of the commonwealth. "Tt has been suggestod that the ruling rul-ing appl3 onlv to papors which circulnto in this county and that papors at a distance be excepted. It is not belioved that this would be fair, and no exemption exemp-tion will bo made." Much Interest Shown. A number of Tennessee dail3- rapors havo a staff of "men hero. Most of them are sending out tho testimony in detail.. de-tail.. Tho witnesses were called, and sovon-ty-four responded for tho state and eightv-six for tho defense. , J. F. Carpontcr, owner of a sawmill near Reelfoot lake, was tho first witness wit-ness examined. lie is n.lnwyer and wrote the letter which led Captain Rankin and Colonel Taylor to go to tho Walnut Log hotel. Carpcntor was arrested, ar-rested, but proved his innocence. IIo wished to buy from Ta3'lor and Rankin some lumber on tho Roolfoot lake prop-orty prop-orty owned bv tho West Tennessee Land company, which ho claimod owned moro of tho Reelfoot lake district. Tho residents resented this claim ti ownership and the troublo began. |