Walker, Lexington Herald-Leader, October 13, 1908

Full Text

of Governor’s Reward Offer

Denounces Massacre of Negro Family and Calls Upon People to Wipe Out Kentucky’s Awful Disgrace

Following is the full text of Governor Willson’s vigorous proclamation offering a reward of $500 for the conviction of anyone of the men engaged in the massacre of the family of David Walker, a Negro, at Hickman:

Offer of Reward

The Governor of Kentucky hereby offers a reward of five hundred dollars ($500) for the apprehension and conviction of any person and each person of the band of some fifty men who handed together and went at midnight to the little cabin home of David Walker, set fire to the cabin, and when he threw open the door pleading for mercy, he was shot to death, falling screaming to the ground; then his wife, trying to escape from the burning cabin, fled to the door holding her baby to her breast and begged the night riders for mercy, but the brutal, cowardly fiends murdered the little baby in its mother’s arms, and she fell fatally wounded with the dead baby baby clasped in her arms. Then a little girl only 5 years old was murdered while trying to escape through the door, and three other children were shot and seriously wounded.

If two or three men had gone to this poor cabin and murdered the family the crime would have shocked humanity with its revelation of the incredibly wickedness, brutality and dastardly cowardice of the three men. That a larger number, some fifty men, joined in such a crime, multiplies the cowardliness and wickedness fifty fold, and makes every member of the band guilty of murder in the first degree, of the basest, wickedest, the most cowardly and inhuman murder conceived to mortal mind.

This crime and the stain on Kentucky of the murder of four helpless prisoners at Russellville, both by bands of night riders, the outgrowth and logical result of the toleration of night-rider crimes in large districts of the State, is only one remove from civil war, and the very safety of our institutions and what we have of civilization is involved, and the only salvation for the name, honor and character of Kentucky is for the whole people to rise up in their might to save their liberty, uphold their law and mercilessly put down murder, arson, intimidation and proscription wherever they dare to show themselves. 

The governor does not appeal to the people, but calls upon them to assemble in their respective neighborhoods and counties, organize and take stern, prompt and effective measures to punish every cowardly scoundrel that rides the roads to threaten his neighbors, to put an immediate end to lynching, murder and arson, and calls on the local authorities in each county to be earnest and vigilant, and offers to them the whole power of the State, or so much as each shall need, for the instant arrest and punishment of all who are guilty of these crimes, and to do everything possible to clear the name and honor of Kentucky of the shame and disgrace of such crimes.

Augustus Willson

Governor of Kentucky 

Frankfort, Ky., Oct. 10, 1908.