Night Riders in Dry Ridge

Equity Men Assist a Farmer

W. T. Osborne, who resides near Dry Ridge, Grant county, hauled his crop of tobacco, which consisted of 4 hogsheads, to the depot of that place last Wednesday to be shipped to the Cincinnati breaks.  He did not have the tobacco pooled and thought he had the right to sell.  On Thursday evening a meeting of the Dry Ridge local [American Society of Equity] was held to determine what should be done about the matter.  A committee was appointed to wait on him.  The committee went to his home about 11 o'clock Thursday night.  A conference was held with him and he finally agreed to surrender the bill of lading and allow the Equity Society to haul the tobacco back home.  He refused to haul it himself and four farmers agreed to come to Dry Ridge early Friday morning and haul the tobacco back.

Accordingly, on Friday morning, Equity people began arriving in Dry Ridge.  By eight o'clock, the town resembled a  county court day in a county seat town.  At nine o'clock, the four hogsheads of tobacco were loaded on separate wagons and escorted by 500 Equity farmers. was moved back to the barn of Mr. Osborne.

Everything was conducted peacefully and in order.  When the matter was explained to Mr. Osborne he made little objection to the stand taken by the Equity people and agreed to hold the tobacco until such a time as they should give him permission to ship or sell it.

For the sake of peace the Equity people agreed that they would haul the tobacco back to Mr. Osborne's place, but they declare that this is the last crop they will take back, and issue warning notice to all others who have tobacco that is not pooled that they must not deliver their tobacco until those in the pool have a chance to sell.

from the December 6, 1907 Falmouth Outlook