In the early 1900s, reports of “night riders” carried an immediate sense of terror. These masked groups moved under cover of darkness, often arriving in numbers to threaten, beat, or punish those they had marked as targets. Their power came from fear, secrecy, and the belief that an isolated household could do little once a mob reached the door.
But in Mason County, Kentucky, one young woman refused to be frightened into helplessness.
According to this 1909 report, a mob of 40 masked night riders came to the home of George Kreitz on a Thursday night, apparently intending to whip him. When the family refused them entrance, the riders smashed down the door with an ax and crowbar.
On the other side, however, Kreitz’s daughter was waiting with a loaded double-barreled shotgun.
As the door gave way, she fired both barrels.
The sudden blast sent the masked men running, turning what was meant to be an act of intimidation into a rout.
The report does not say whether any of the riders were wounded, but it notes that Kreitz recognized several of them and soon began speaking with officers in Maysville. Arrests were expected.
Mob Routed By Girl
MASON COUNTY, Kentucky. — A slender girl armed with a double barreled shotgun put to flight 40 masked night riders when they crashed down the door of her father’s house Thursday night in Mason County, Kentucky.
The mob appeared at the home of George Kreitz, evidently with the intention of whipping him, and when entrance was refused, the door was knocked in with an ax and crowbar. Kreitz’s daughter stood ready with a loaded shotgun and fired both barrels.
Kreitz recognized several riders and is in conference with the officers at Maysville. Several arrests are expected.
Source: Valentine Democrat. Valentine, Neb. November 4, 1909.
