Some of these skirmishes happened in the small town where i was raised in southwestern kentuckyi painted this for a book on the history of todd county kentu. Night riders tells the story of the struggle that followed, and reveals the ambiguities and complexities of a drama that convulsed this community for over two decades. Violence was only one method employed by the growers to raise the price of tobacco. Its a fascinating piece of american history the tobacco farmer versus the american tobacco company, which is becoming a monopoly in the world of tobacco.
The books main character, percy munn, is a young lawyer involved in a fictionalized version of the black patch tobacco wars, which took place in kentucky and tennessee. The night riders were a crack team of confederate raiders, striking behind enemy lines under cover of darkness, operating with one mind, one heart. Apparently, most whites in the area had been sufficiently dissuaded from working in these competitor fields, but the blacks hadnt gotten the message, as far as. The night riders was the name given by the press to the militant faction of tobacco farmers. Our group is putting together a fullfledged documentary on the night riders, a violent group in tennessees history. The tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee.
Macdonald, a local physician who is the most reckless of the night riders. Night rider is the first novel by american author robert penn warren. Tobacco, trust, and trump how americas forgotten war created. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
On september 24, 1904, the tobacco planters of western kentucky and the neighboring counties of west tennessee formed the dark fired tobacco district, or black patch district planters protective. Their most audacious acts were wellplanned militarystyle raids. During the tobacco wars, rumfords own greatgrandfather, george washington kinney, was attacked by night riders, who also destroyed the family barns and tobacco crop. In november 1906 about 250 night riders burned two tobacco warehouses in princeton, kentucky that stored 400,000 pounds of tobacco already purchased by the duke trust. Jun 21, 2011 the night riders a thrilling story of love, hate and adventure, graphically depicting the tobacco uprising in kentucky language. It is hard work, and relatively uneventful these days, but around the turn of the twentieth century, tobacco farming was a dangerous job for area farmers. In spite of martial law and tough talk from republican governor a. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.
Night rider definition of night rider by merriamwebster. Night riders refers to that intimidation element, their vigilante activities. These rebel farmers donned black hoods and attacked at night, on horseback, and became known as night riders. Dec 14, 2009 the tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee, 19051909 by james o. The paperback of the the night riders a thrilling story of love, hate and adventure, graphically depicting the tobacco uprising in kentucky by henry c. In 1908 the association exerted the most control, having gained nearly complete control of the dark lead tobacco crop. Paul vanderwoods night riders at reelfoot lake is the definitive book on this subject. Montgomery county tobacco farmer holding tobacco leaves. Night rider kentucky tobacco wars warren, robert penn. David amoss from kentucky, who led the secret organiztion known as the night riders. This book is poetically written, and the writer bill cunningham does a fantastic job at telling the story of the black patch tobacco wars, whilst giving a deeper understanding of the characters and their personalities that created the night riders, and those who fought against it.
April 24, 1907 the night riders struck again this time at golden pond. On september 24, 1904, the tobacco planters of western kentucky and the neighboring counties of west tennessee formed the dark fired tobacco district, or black patch district planters protective association of kentucky and tennessee. The night riders fired gunshots into every home there as a warning to the africanamericans of birmingham to move on and not be hired for the tobacco fields of enemy tobacco growers. Reviewed in the united states on august 20, 2005 as the stepdaughter of a caldwell county tobacco farmer, i picked up this book with a general interest in learning about the history of the area i was growing up in. The struggle escalated in intensity as the riders developed into a fullfledged guerrilla army. Shootouts occurred between night riders and local posses, with casualties on both sides. The knight rider story by bill cunningham i plan to try and pick up at a used book store,amazon or ebay. There does not appear to have been a direct relationship between the ku klux klan and the night riders. Some of these skirmishes happened in the small town where i was raised in southwestern kentuckyi painted this for a book.
Iain gately shelved 4 times as tobacco avg rating 3. Warrens first novel, night rider 1939, is based on the tobacco war 190508 between the. Robert penn warrens all the kings men is of course his masterpiece, but night rider is much worth a read also. While reading this capivating novel i was relegated with additional details about the night rider stops in cerulean, ky at a barn nearby my previous grandfather in. Rumfords other greatgrandfather, george washington jett, was a night rider which brings a. Willson a former lawyer for american tobacco the war only abated when farmers finally received some measure of relief. Duke, after whom duke university is named, managed to combine nearly all the large foreign and american tobacco interests into a single gigantic trust under the aegis of the american tobacco company. Sep 28, 2016 at the height of the movement, the night riders organized night time demolitions of numerous tobacco warehouses across the region. In connection with the book, roll of thunder hear my cry. Please select ok if you would like to proceed with this request anyway. Imagine a lawless militia of 10,000 masked men roaming. So, like the night riders who wear masks to hide their identity, he puts on a mask of control to hide his troubled mind. Wes is blind to the dangers he facesthe devious tobacco buyer.
A cultural history of how an exotic plant seduced civilization paperback by. A nonfictional tale of the kentucky and tennessee tobacco wars and. The black patch tobacco wars were a period of civil unrest and violence in the western counties of the u. Bands of night riders fan out across countryside, first destroying the crops of those who refused their entreaties to join up, then property, until even the taking of human life is justified as a means to their end once they have made the decision to torch the tobacco warehouses in bardsville and the other towns in the vicinity. Labor day marks kentuckys night rider movement the. The book s main character, percy munn, is a young lawyer involved in a fictionalized version of the black patch tobacco wars, which took place in kentucky and tennessee in the early years of the twentieth century references. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
As the night riders spread their violence, it was just a matter of time before the state militia was this is another narrative about night riders, a tale of tobacco growers in western kentucky and tennessee banding together to. The socalled black patch consists of about 30 counties in southwestern kentucky and northwestern tennessee. The armed and hooded vigilantes who participated in these violent acts became known as the tobacco night riders. In the rear are the ruins of the acme mills and elevator company, which had a daily capacity of 1200 hogsheads of tobacco. Defending community in the black patch, 18901915 8580000820737. Being a young girl raised on a tobacco farm in caldwell county, ky i was no stranger to the grueling work that takes place on a tobacco farm. As part of it, we interviewed historian and public speaker rick gregory, and. Clarksville tn online is the voice of the people of clarksville tennessee. Night riders during the period between 1900 and 1906 trouble began to brew among the tobacco men of the state, especially in the black patch area around hopkinsville. In the aftermath of tragedy, they swore they would live to hunt down the traitor.
The museum display includes a night rider mask on a mannequin, and various newspaper accounts of the conflict and attack on the town. Jim rumford is an award winning author, entrepreneur, amateur historian, and ceo of rumford industrial group during the tobacco wars, rumfords own greatgrandfather, george washington kinney, was attacked by night riders, who also destroyed the family barns and tobacco crop. By the spring of 1906 the night riders were destroying tobacco beds of of nonjoiners and burning barns. But to each, life would bring first a woman and then a revelation. A nonfictional tale of the kentucky and tennessee tobacco wars and farmers revolt against the impoverishing tobacco prices of the duke trust.
This was an amazing book that i just could not put down once i had started reading. The night riders were known to be the most efficient association. It is not just a historic account, its a beautifully told story. To help prevent history from ever repeating itself, kinney compiled one of the largest private collections of tobacco wars primary documents in the united states. The men set fire to the tobacco warehouse operated by w.
Tennessee called the black patch for the dark tobacco grown there, big business arrived with a vengeance. The tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee, 1905. Jul 25, 2017 the night riders were known to be the most efficient association. Through amoss influence, the night riders developed their own protocols, passwords and secret signs. Rumfords other greatgrandfather, george washington jett, was a night rider which brings a family dynamic into this story. The night riders were a vigilante group operating from about 1906 to 1908 in southwestern kentucky and northwestern tennessee that used fear and intimidation against the duke tobacco monopoly in the area. It was just before the turn of the century that james b. The night riders by henry cleveland wood free ebook. Always apparently selfassured, macdonald is the only night rider who is not masked, and at his trial he appears. The area had suffered a prolonged depression since the late 1890s caused by falling tobacco prices. Oversimplified, the night riders grew out of the black patch tobacco wars, which. Their evening forays soon earned them the name night riders.
Reelfoot lake and its dark history of night riders the. David amoss, a medical doctor from the cobb community in caldwell county, kentucky. Nov 22, 2019 tobacco, trust, and trump how americas forgotten war created big government today on the george espenlaub show, jim will discuss his book. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Inspired by the night riders in tobacco country, many of the fishermen and their friends often as many as 100 at a time. Riders in the night is the story of the revolt of the tobacco growers against the american tobacco company, and the organization of a resistance movement known as the night riders, which undertook by whip, firebrand, and gun to break the hold of the trust. The night riders a thrilling story of love, hate and adventure, graphically depicting the tobacco uprising in kentucky language. They were getting tobacco at ridiculously low prices and the farmers were unable to make a living. Nall, 1939, the standard press edition, in english. Minor battles were fought, sometimes at night, between gangs.
Warrens first novel, set during the tobacco wars that raged in kentuck. Just after midnight, a group of approximately 25 men arrived in the small town, fired a few shots, and warned everyone to stay in their houses. The reverend doctor christopher syn is the smuggler hero of a series of novels by russell thorndike. Publicly, of course, the association blamed the situation on american tobacco and denied involvement. The trail of the night riders the trail of the night riders. Night riders in black folk history displays the richness of oral tradition research in the hands of a skilled folklorist. The tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee, 19051909 hardcover january 1, 1991 by james o nall author visit amazons james o nall page. Walls first novel, which appears posthumously, is a tale of moral reevaluations set in postcivil war kentucky. Night rider by robert penn warren and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. It was written close enough in time to the tobacco wars to be able to realistically describe them absent the reinterpretation of history, and despite it being among his earliest works, warrens wonderfully descriptive writing and tone come through in a way no modern writer can match.
They burned hillbillies barns and destroyed their tobacco fields by scrapinghoeing out the cropsalting, or choking the young plants with grass seed. The night riders a thrilling story of love, hate and. The night riders marched into town by the hundreds, burned down three tobacco houses, shot a train brakeman trying to switch his cars to a safer spot, and brutally beat a tobacco buyer. The story idea came from smuggling in the 18thcentury romney marsh, where brandy and tobacco were brought in at night by boat from france to avoid high tax. One of the authors bestknown books, riders of the night is a contest between good and evil involving the death of over 70 men. Christopher waldrep shows that, contrary to many accounts, these wealthy tobacco planters did not resist these new forces simply because of a nostalgia for a bygone time.
This tenuous link to a much earlier time, the time of the tobacco wars that rocked rural kentucky and tennessee just before wwii, provided me with just a sliver of insight to the hard times robert penn warren depicts in his first novel, night rider. Find the tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee. Night riders tells the story of the in an agricultural region of kentucky and tennessee called the black patch for the dark tobacco grown there, big business arrived with a vengeance, eliminating competition, manipulating prices, and undermining local control. Night rider definition is a member of a secret band who ride masked at night doing acts of violence for the purpose of punishing or terrorizing. Night rider southern classics series kindle edition by. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. How americas forgotten war created big government is a memoir by the awardwinning author jim rumford. Buy the tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee, 19051909 by james o. The hardcover of the the tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee, 19051909 by james o. In reality, of course, many leading association men were also members of night rider platoons. The protagonist, percy munn, is an affable but pliable young lawyer. Book of the week tobacco, trusts, and trump by jim rumford. Researched in the 1950s, vanderwood interviewed about 25 people from obion and lake counties who lived through that era, including seven people who had once been night riders. Schuelke, the tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee.
South atlantic quarterly a profoundly moving account, told in the words of those who experienced it and those who heard it from the ones who were there, analyzed and interpreted by a black woman folklorist and scholar. The tobacco night riders of kentucky and tennessee, 19051909 by james o. However, the book is no ordinary accounting of the authors own history. Bands of night riders fan out across countryside, first destroying the crops of those who refused their entreaties to join up, then property, until even the taking of human life is justified as a means to their end once they have made the decision to torch the tobacco warehouses in. The night riders was the name given by the press to the militant faction of tobacco farmers during a popular resistance to the monopolistic practices of the american tobacco company of james b. Bill cunningham is a kentucky supreme court justice and author of a book chronicling the night rider tobacco war titled on bended knee. During the tobacco wars, rumfords own greatgrandfather george washington kinney was attacked by night riders, who also destroyed the family barns and tobacco crop. On september 24, 1904, the tobacco planters of western kentucky and the neighboring counties of west tennessee formed the dark fired tobacco. The sequence of most active violence spanned three years. This is a history of the night rider movement an outgrowth of the black patch tobacco wars in western kentucky from 1905 to 1912 ot so. As the night riders spread their violence, it was just a matter of time before the state militia was this is another narrative about night riders, a tale of tobacco growers in western kentucky and tennessee banding together to fight the duke monopoly. Captain todd, a man of both courage and probity, disapproves of the new. Jan 14, 2020 jim rumford is an award winning author, entrepreneur, amateur historian, and president of rumford industrial group. The night riders achieved their success through violence and illegal, vigilante actions.
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