Raid on Tax Collector.
Kentucky Mob Recovers Goods Seized Under Unpopular Assessment.
Olive Hill, Ky., . — Indignation over the burden of taxes levied to pay interest on bonds issued by Carter, Elliott, and Boyd Counties sixty-six years ago for the Lexington & Big Sandy Railroad, which was never built, culminated early in a raid on this town by a band of between 800 and 900 men, who forced Levi White, Collector of Taxes, to give up a stock of goods which had been seized. The goods were then taken back to the store of Levi Oppenheimer, where the official had seized them.
There has been grumbling for years over the taxes, and the raid is said to be the work of a regular organization recently formed in this and Elliott Counties. Oppenheimer recently decided to test the validity of the bond tax and refused to pay. The tax was upheld in court. The stock was seized as a result.
After restoring the stock the band celebrated, shooting firearms. A stray bullet hit Deputy Sheriff John Armstrong in the foot.
The Washington Herald also covered this case, in a little more detail. This wasn’t the only episode of tax resistance prompted by the issuance of corrupt railroad bonds, but I’ll cover some of the other examples later on.
