In the early 20th century, the tobacco farmers of western Kentucky and neighboring Tennessee counties faced economic ruin due to the monopolistic practices of the American Tobacco Company (ATC), led by James B. Duke.
In response, on September 24, 1904, these farmers united to form the Dark Fired Tobacco District, also known as the Black Patch District Planters’ Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee (PPA). Their primary aim was to boycott the ATC and protest against the devastatingly low prices offered for their tobacco crops.
As tensions escalated, a militant faction of farmers, trained and led by Dr. David A. Amoss of Caldwell County, Kentucky, emerged.
These men, known as the Night Riders, resorted to terroristic acts to fight back against the ATC’s dominance. Their night-time raids included the lynching of the Walker family, the lynching of Captain Quentin Rankin, and the kidnapping of Colonel R. Z. Taylor.
The Night Riders also targeted and destroyed the tobacco warehouses of the ATC, with their most significant raid being the occupation and attack on Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 1907.
The Night Riders’ actions were part of a broader conflict known as the Black Patch Tobacco War, which lasted from 1904 to 1909. Initially called the Silent Brigade, the Night Riders became notorious for their ruthless methods in opposing the ATC, which had driven tobacco prices so low that farmers could no longer make a profit.
Led by Dr. David Amoss, the Night Riders employed fear and violence to enforce their cause. In 1910, Amoss faced trial for his leadership role in the 1907 raid on Hopkinsville. His home in Caldwell County later became a museum, preserving the history of the Night Riders and their campaign.
The Night Riders’ terror campaign extended beyond individual farms to entire towns, where they destroyed tobacco crops, warehouses, and machinery. Their violent tactics eventually forced the ATC to concede to the farmers’ demands in 1908, but the legacy of their actions left a lasting mark on the region.
Today, let’s take a look back at a handful old reports of violence perpetrated by the Night Riders.
1. Accused of Owning Too Much Land
A band of Night Riders visited a farmer and asked him to join their association. When he declined, he was whipped for owning too much land. Reported May 14, 1908:
“Cossey, in his affidavit, says that several weeks ago he was visited by a band of 25 men who, after taking him out, invited him to join the night riders. When he declined, the leader told him he owned too much land, and ordered 25 lashes laid on.” [Source: Hopkinsville Kentuckian. (Hopkinsville, Ky.), 14 May 1908.]
2. Woman is Whipped by Night Riders
In an article published on May 27, 1908, we read about the Night Riders pulling a widow out of her home and whipping her to near death:
“Night riders of Kentucky have begun warfare on women. A band of masked men went to the home of Mrs. Martha Haynes, a widow, near Morgantown, Ky., and commanded her to open the door. She refused and they broke it down. Rushing in, they seized the woman, dragged her to the yard, and while several men held her to prevent her sinking to the ground, others whipped her with switches until she was in a fainting condition.
“When finally release, Mrs. Haynes was more dead than alive…. A man named ‘Curt’ Johnson was also beaten. Early in the week, three women were dragged from their homes by night riders and beaten.” [Source: The Cimarron citizen. (Cimarron, N.M.), 27 May 1908.]
3. Wife Mistaken for Night Rider, Killed
A Murray, Kentucky wife was shot and killed by her husband. The fear caused by Night Riders escalated to the point that homeowners and farmers would shoot at anything or anyone in the dark.
Reported on September 5, 1908:
“Reports have reached the city that J.F. Dalton, who lives in the eastern part of the county, near Shannon, on the Tennessee River, shot and killed his wife Wednesday night.
“Mr. Dalton lives in a portion of the “night rider” district of this county and within the past few days received a warning notice from “night riders.” Upon hearing an unusual noise about the premises, Dalton and his wife both got up and went into the yard. Dalton requested his wife to return to the house and she did so, going through a rear door. When Dalton came back, his wife was still outside and her husband fired upon her. Mrs. Dalton was shot in the head and lived about three hours.” [Source: Hopkinsville Kentuckian. (Hopkinsville, Ky.), 05 Sept. 1908.]
4. Night Riders Attempt to Assassinate Former Member
It was reported on October 1, 1908, that the Night Riders dropped a bomb off at the post office to be delivered to a former member turned informer.
“Detectives in charge of the night rider prosecutions in Western Kentucky and Assistant Postmaster E.E. Bell yesterday opened a suspicious package which was received at the Paducah postoffice two weeks ago addressed to Sanford Hall, the self-confessed night rider, and who turned informer on the band and is a star witness for the State.
“The package was found to be an infernal machine of the most deadly variety, containing ten ounces of a gun-cotton mixture, besides dynamite and powder. It was a most ingenious contrivance, the ‘machine’ being ten inches long, and provided with a new file to ignite the matches that were skillfully arrange on the interior.
“The detectives who have the infernal machine in their possession say that had any person pulled off the lid before the package was rendered harmless by being soaked in water, the explosion would have been sufficient to have blown him to atoms, besides wrecking the entire front of the Paducah customhouse.” [Source: Hopkinsville Kentuckian. (Hopkinsville, Ky.), 01 Oct. 1908.]
5. Threaten Tobacco Growers
In 1909, Night Riders were threatening tobacco growers in Western Kentucky with hemp (rope) and bullets:
“Tobacco growers of Western Kentucky and also men who buy the product in that section of the state have received warning from the “Night Rider” element that if they fail to join the association this year they will be waiting upon by a committee with hemp and bullets and not only they be summarily dealt with personally, but the homes and tobacco barns will be visited by fire. These threats, one of which was received by the editor of the Madisonville Journal, was signed “Night Riders, Eight Hundred Strong,” and it is believed by many that the destruction will be even greater than it was two years ago, when the festive Night Rider first made his appearance in the tobacco fields of Kentucky.” [Source: Palestine daily herald. (Palestine, Tex.), 09 July 1909.]
6. Night Riders Active and Murderous
Night Riders give notice to the farmers of Paducah not to sell their tobacco for less than 8 cents a pound. March 11, 1915:
“Two hundred and fifty night rider notices warning farmers not to sell tobacco below 8 cents a pound, have been received by farmers in Ballard County. Night riders who have terrorized numbers in this section of Ballard County, sent the warning to tobacco planters. A [black] farmer was recently called to the door of his home in that section and shot to death.” [Source: Hopkinsville Kentuckian. (Hopkinsville, Ky.), 11 March 1915.]
