Saturday 5:30PM

[dmccarty]

No, I'll not get confused. But should you forget, there is this disambiguation to remind you.
University of North Carolina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They start out at the top clearing up any confusion folks may have.

That link confused me. They are calling NCSU, NCSU at Raleigh. :laughing: We all know that NCSU is in Raleigh. There is only one NCSU. :laughing:

Back to the book I ordered.

The book arrived this week and I have been reading it as time allows. I am impressed so far. At one point the author is talking about what is going on in KY and NC during the same time period and that was very interesting. Especially the locations and people in NC that are mentioned since they would be familiar to most people in NC today. The book mentions Rocky Mount as having protests against the Duke Trust. My wifey's family is from Rocky Mount. I wish her grandfather was alive to ask him questions. He would not have been born when these events happened but I would bet he heard stories.

The book is about the Night Riders which was an organization that was created to push back against the Duke Tobacco Trust. Duke monopolized everything to do with tobacco around 1900. From the buying of the tobacco to the selling of product, a Duke owned/controlled company was involved. The companies like the American Tobacco Company where part of a group of companies that people referred to as the Duke Trust. Eventually the trust was broken up.

The growers where really hurt not only by the low prices paid by the trust but also by taxes from the Feds and almost certainly over production. The Feds saw the growing tobacco markets as a revenue source and taxed accordingly which pushed down demand. In the mean time farmers saw the great prices paid for tobacco so the produced more. Low demand and more product will drive down prices and Duke with his control of the buyers drove down prices even more.

The farmers in western KY and parts of TN formed a group to push back. I can tell it is about to get ugly in the book. You quickly became part of the group or the enemy of the group.

It is a very good read and I hope I can find some references to books that cover what was happening in NC regarding Duke, The Trust, and farmers.

Of course the book is really interesting to me since I lived in KY at one time and now live in NC.

Later,
Dan

 

[rtimgray]

If I remember right, the book covers the burning of the town of Princeton (where I work) and also a similar event in Hopkinsville. I think there were plans to do the same to Paducah, but I think the National Guard was mobilized to prevent it. It does tell a scary story of times past.

 

[EE_Bota]

That link confused me. They are calling NCSU, NCSU at Raleigh. :laughing: We all know that NCSU is in Raleigh. There is only one NCSU. :laughing:

Back to the book I ordered.

The book arrived this week and I have been reading it as time allows. I am impressed so far. At one point the author is talking about what is going on in KY and NC during the same time period and that was very interesting. Especially the locations and people in NC that are mentioned since they would be familiar to most people in NC today. The book mentions Rocky Mount as having protests against the Duke Trust. My wifey's family is from Rocky Mount. I wish her grandfather was alive to ask him questions. He would not have been born when these events happened but I would bet he heard stories.

The book is about the Night Riders which was an organization that was created to push back against the Duke Tobacco Trust. Duke monopolized everything to do with tobacco around 1900. From the buying of the tobacco to the selling of product, a Duke owned/controlled company was involved. The companies like the American Tobacco Company where part of a group of companies that people referred to as the Duke Trust. Eventually the trust was broken up.

The growers where really hurt not only by the low prices paid by the trust but also by taxes from the Feds and almost certainly over production. The Feds saw the growing tobacco markets as a revenue source and taxed accordingly which pushed down demand. In the mean time farmers saw the great prices paid for tobacco so the produced more. Low demand and more product will drive down prices and Duke with his control of the buyers drove down prices even more.

The farmers in western KY and parts of TN formed a group to push back. I can tell it is about to get ugly in the book. You quickly became part of the group or the enemy of the group.

It is a very good read and I hope I can find some references to books that cover what was happening in NC regarding Duke, The Trust, and farmers.

Of course the book is really interesting to me since I lived in KY at one time and now live in NC.

Later,
Dan

I think I may have missed it...what is the name of the book?

A buddy tells about reading something about the earliest explorers of the state. He doesn't remember the name...but he marveled over what NC must have been like in that time. My buddy was amazed at what the fellow said...that apparently you could ride clear across the state (almost) by horseback, but under a canopy of huge trees.

 

[dmccarty]

I think I may have missed it...what is the name of the book?

A buddy tells about reading something about the earliest explorers of the state. He doesn't remember the name...but he marveled over what NC must have been like in that time. My buddy was amazed at what the fellow said...that apparently you could ride clear across the state (almost) by horseback, but under a canopy of huge trees.

Sorry I missed the question.

I wonder if the book was by William Bartram.

I came back to talk about the other book now that I have finished it.

The book is "On Bended Knees: The true story of the Night Rider Tobacco War in Kentucky and Tennessee." by Bill Cunningham. The author is/was a KY Supreme Court Judge from Lyon county KY which was part of this history. I got the book on Amazon.

The book is pretty danged good. It is not a large book and it is a good read. Actually it is an excellent read. :thumbsup:

SPOILER ALERT. Don't read much farther if you want to read the book.

The book ties the actions and lives of Duke and a country named David Amoss. Amoss created an impressive organization to fight against the Duke Tobacco monopoly. He then led company and battalion sized cavalry raids against towns in the area. This was in the early 1900s! "Units" in the Night Riders had assignments to sized the fire and police departments as well as the telegraph and/or phone office. Other units would go find Duke representative's who were often whipped and sometimes killed. Duke tobacco warehouses were the big target and they were burned down causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

The book starts out with the Night Riders attacking a farm. The farm's husband was whipped by his brother while the other brother watched from the family home across the road with his mother. Read that again and think about it. The farm's wife was beaten and shot in the neck while their 13 year old son watched.

This little incident is important because this women eventually helps end the Night Riders through legal action. Yes, a FEDERAL lawsuit filed at the first part of the 1900s.

The book does an good job of talking about the rise of the Duke family and business as well as the University. Given where I live this is very interesting history. The last few pages of the books had me saying that the book is not going to end this way. No WAY. Then it ended the way I thought it would. If you wrote a novel with this kind of an ending I don't think people would believe it.

Anyone want to read the book to find out the ending? :laughing::laughing::laughing:

There is a very good magazine in NC called "Our State". I was looking at an issue and by chance they had a photo of a wagon selling tobacco products in the early 1900s. The slogans on the wagon were about Union made products that were NOT from a Duke company. I think the "dislike" about Duke was widespread among the tobacco farmers.

Later,
Dan

 

[EE_Bota]

Sorry I missed the question.

I wonder if the book was by William Bartram.

I came back to talk about the other book now that I have finished it.

The book is "On Bended Knees: The true story of the Night Rider Tobacco War in Kentucky and Tennessee." by Bill Cunningham. The author is/was a KY Supreme Court Judge from Lyon county KY which was part of this history. I got the book on Amazon.

The book is pretty danged good. It is not a large book and it is a good read. Actually it is an excellent read. :thumbsup:

SPOILER ALERT. Don't read much farther if you want to read the book.

The book ties the actions and lives of Duke and a country named David Amoss. Amoss created an impressive organization to fight against the Duke Tobacco monopoly. He then led company and battalion sized cavalry raids against towns in the area. This was in the early 1900s! "Units" in the Night Riders had assignments to sized the fire and police departments as well as the telegraph and/or phone office. Other units would go find Duke representative's who were often whipped and sometimes killed. Duke tobacco warehouses were the big target and they were burned down causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

The book starts out with the Night Riders attacking a farm. The farm's husband was whipped by his brother while the other brother watched from the family home across the road with his mother. Read that again and think about it. The farm's wife was beaten and shot in the neck while their 13 year old son watched.

This little incident is important because this women eventually helps end the Night Riders through legal action. Yes, a FEDERAL lawsuit filed at the first part of the 1900s.

The book does an good job of talking about the rise of the Duke family and business as well as the University. Given where I live this is very interesting history. The last few pages of the books had me saying that the book is not going to end this way. No WAY. Then it ended the way I thought it would. If you wrote a novel with this kind of an ending I don't think people would believe it.

Anyone want to read the book to find out the ending? :laughing::laughing::laughing:

There is a very good magazine in NC called "Our State". I was looking at an issue and by chance they had a photo of a wagon selling tobacco products in the early 1900s. The slogans on the wagon were about Union made products that were NOT from a Duke company. I think the "dislike" about Duke was widespread among the tobacco farmers.

Later,
Dan

That is fascinating, and I have never heard a bit of it before. I will definitely study up on that, and I may even read the book. Thanks for telling the tale.

 

[dmccarty]

That is fascinating, and I have never heard a bit of it before. I will definitely study up on that, and I may even read the book. Thanks for telling the tale.

The best part of the book is the last couple of pages and the last line in the book.

Seriously. I could not believe the ending.

I am such a tease. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

People are still reading this thread.

Do ya'll want to know how the book ends? :laughing:

Later,
Dan