Ep. 290: Blurred Lines – Good Guys vs. Bad Guys

In this episode of the Bear Grease podcast, Clay Newcomb details the events at the turn of the 20th Century in the the “Black Patch” tobacco region of western Kentucky and northern Tennessee. The tension comes to a head as prices paid to farmers by the monopolistic Duke Trust plummet and “The Association” attempts to stand up against it.  The Night Riders resort to beatings of non-Association farmers, raids on towns, and burning Duke Trust’s tobacco barns. But the question remains: were they justified? Who were the good guys and who were the bad guys? Listen to interviews with former Kentucky Supreme Court Justice, Bill Cunningham, and recordings of the last living Night Rider, Joe Scott.