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Show . T " T .'X THE CITIZEN 14 mountain trail. The boy was frightfully injured and his blood for months stained the rocks where the assault took place. The first murder occurred when Sam and Paris McCoy, nephews of Old Randll, ventured hear a rendezvous of the Hatfields, where they came face to face with Bill Stayion: SOUTHS BIGGEST FEUD 4 Two innocent razorback hogs startteud ed the famous Hatfield-McCothat raged for nearly thirty years in mounthe West Virginia-Kentucktains, and is now recalled by the recent death of Devil Anse Hatfield, who led his clan in all their fights with the McCoys. At its height, back in the eighties, it was an orgy of bery, arson, assault, and wholesale murder which would seem to have had one of our modern crime waves looking like a mere ripple. It reached a point at last where West Virginia and Kentucky, as states, took up the quarrel and are said, almost to have come to civil war over it The Hat- fields won at last, principally because they outnumbered the McCoys. Only a single descendant of the McCoy line is said to live in the Kentucky hills now. Their leader, Old Rand'll McCoy, died some time ago, his body wrecked by the ravages of years of fighting. Old Devil Anse, the Hatfield leader, who took a personal part in more fights than any other member of either clan, always said he would die a natural death and he did. y y ' I i lie started trouble, as usual, with the cool deviltry that characterized his every act. He broke off the top of a papaw bush, rested his rifle upon it, took deliberate aim, and shot Paris McCoy in the hip. Faris fell, but staggered to his feet and shot Stayton in the breast. Then both their rifles being empty, the combatants threw them' d conaway and closed in hand-to-han- flict. Kicking, gouging, throwing stones, nothing was barred, and at last Stay-to- n fastened his teeth in McCoys cheek as the two rolled over and over on the ground. Sam McCoy, who was only 15 years old, ran in) placed the muzzle of his old cavalry pistol at Staytoiis head, and fired. That was the first murder of the Hatfield-McCo- y fued. Paris McCoy surrendered Lor the authorities and proved the fight was so much in that even Justice Hatfield had to release him.. Sam fled to the mountains, where the Hatfields searched for him with a dread relentlessness that knew no stopping. At last Ellison Hatfield found him, but Sam, too, was acquitted by a jury on the murder charge. self-defens- The region where the Hatfield-McCodrama was staged is wild and mountainous, says a reviewer of the feud in the Kansas City Star. It has a hundred hidden recesses lending themselves to the sort of warfare carried on by the feudists. Through the heart of the region runs the Tug river, which figures' largely in the story of the feud. On adjoining farms on a branch of this river lived Randolph McCoy and Floyd Hatfield nearly fifty years ago, and here began the big feud of which origin we read: y What is said to have been one of the most terrible crimes of the whole feud took place on election day, 1882, when both clans gathered at the polls to vote for a candidate who happened to be favored by both. The voting was over by noon, the favorite being elected. Then: Lets get whiskey and drink to the "Whos victory, got whiskey? I have, spoke up Joe Davis, a storein my store, half a mile keeper, away. Bring it here, was the imperative demand. Ive got two kinds of moonshine, Joe qualified; corn and apple. Which some one suggested. One day Hatfield saw two razor-back- " hogs feeding on the mountain- side. Theyre mine, wise they aint em with mine. he decided. no one elses. Least- do you want? Both, was the unanimous response. To this day residents near the Tug River part of the Kentucky-We- st Vir- I'll put Which he straightway did. "Randll hog-pe- n McCoy passed some days later. the Hatfield ginia line say that Joe Davis should have known enough not to sell two kinds of liquor to the same celebrants at the same time, but he sold them; drinks were mixed, and the lid was "Whatr you doin with those two hogs ed. of mine, Hatfield? he demand- Theyre not your hogs. blown off. The Hatfields I They are too," McCoy asserted. em. see know my animals when I Ill law you for those two hogs. He filed suit for the hogs, and the case was tried in the mountain hut of Preacher Anse Hatfield, justice of the peace and a relative of Floyd HatBill Stayton, field and Devil Anse. whom the Hatfields called their kin, swore falsely at the trial and McCoy lost it. Stayton and McCoy fought after the decision. The bad blood had started and it could not be stopt. Kvery time Stay-to- n met the McCoys they clashed; the Hatfields naturally took Staytons side, mixed-bl- over the countryside. Brushes between the members 01 the two clans from that time on took place every little while. Fighting with fists and clubs, stone throwing, and even rifle fire characterized these fights. The first real bloodshed took place when Bill Stayton threw a huge stone at Floyd McCoy, a young son of Iiandlls, who was riding along a and McCoys were drinking together, all troubles forgot- ten, when Talbot McCoy suddenly remembered he had loaned a dollar six bits to Lias, "Hog Thief Floyd Hatfield's son, and that the debt was past due.' Talbot panfully figured how much moonshine he could buy with a dollar cents (a quantity in and seventy-fiv- e that day) and demanded the money of Lias. I dont owe you none, was Liass reply. Talbot reflected on the matter a while. "Well, I guess Ill have to take the worth of it out of your hide," he decided, and started after Lias. He was getting the best of Lias In a fair fight when Uncle Lias and Deacon Ellison came to the' rescue of their nephew. Fair fighting meant nothing to them. Uncle Lias" brandDeacon Ellison ished a revolver. pocketknife. opened a long-bladMcCoy, then Farmer Talbots brother, Jumped into the ring with a revolver, but a constable arrested Talbot. Another arrested young 'Lias and the trouble was over for a minute. That was Just about as long as peace lasted, for the mixed drinks had so -- ooded and the McCoys retaliated by nicknaming Floyd Hatfield "Ilog Thief Floyd and getting the. name adopted for him e, . ed . worked on Deacon Ellison that he forgot his religion and craved a fight. He called Talbot a coward, dared him to fight, waved the knife from side to side as he talked, until the . constable, instead of arresting Deacon Ellison with the rest, released Talbot, sq. hp could fight for his life. There was a spot v6f smooth, dusty d branches, of turf under the a huge beech tree and the crowd formed a wide ring around this, pushing Talbot and Deacon Ellison into the center of, it. A faint haze of dust rose ariund the two men, as they stood slightly crouching, glaring at each other. Then Talbot slowly reached ine his pocket. He drew out a pocket-knifthe size of the "Deacons and opened it. There was a breathless silence while the crowd shuffled to and fro uneasily, and more than a few drew revolvers out of their pockets, examined their condition carefully, . and placed ther hands on the triggers. Then the two men in the center of the ring jumped at each other, and the fight was on. It was fight to a finish, and both knew it The Deacon striking overhanded, viciously slashed Talbot across the head, cutting him to the skull. Talbot, with his eyes blinded with blood, responded with an undercut, driving his knife deep in the Deacons side, hitting a hib, however, and thus missing a mortal blow. The crowd yelled wildly, the two fighters separated, closed together again, and the Deacon started another overhand blow, "but the. very strength o fhis arm closed the knife in his hand, and he dropt it useless on the ground, at the same time seizing Talbot around the waist and grappling with him. Talbot was thrusting his knife into the. "Deacon with the fury of a demon when they both fell to the ground. The Kentucky hill folk still argue what caused the men to fall. Two other McCoys helped stab Deacon as he threw Talbot, the Hatwide-sprea- fields claim. One of the Hatfield gang kicked Talbot under the knees and both men went down, the McCoys say. Anyway, both were on the ground, The "Deacon underneath. to crush Talbots picked up a boulder head with. He was just raising his arm to strike when "Farmer McCoy fired a revolver. The bullet struck Deacon in the back, ranging upward. That ended the fight. Talbot Talbot and Farmer McCoy and Randll, Jr., only thirteen years old, were arrested for felling the Deacon who was at deaths door. The night following the fight the Hatfields gathered in force, overcame the officers who had the McCoys in custody in Kentucky, and took the prisoners abck with them to West Virginia. Further: The boys' mother learned where they were held captive and asked who had led the band who had overpowered the constable. Devil Anse Hatfield, was the reply. Mrs. McCoy went, to visit them and knelt before "Devil Anse to beg that they be given a fair trial under the laws of the state. Devil Anse looked at her flood of tears. He heard her plea for the thirteen year old boy. Yet lie was unmoved. "Yo fight, Ellison died. His last were, Give them the civil iaw! the words had as much effect oq Anse" as the tears o fthe McCr men had had. He picked out of his followers, including Ell Valentine Hatfield, his brother, Jonce" and Cap Hatfield, hliJ? formed them into a murder Party as night fell went down to the house after the McCoys. .He tied the three prisoners Jrjs stout rope, for use in logging tlons, and like cattle drove th the banks of the Tug river. Coys were going to their execute :' the hands of men more enemies at war. They reached th(I ters $dge and "Farmer McCoy from fear and exhaustion. Little $! dolph wept aloud and begged to leased, but Talbot stood up, erect soldier, and looked his murfefi?: square in the eye. Gentlemen, when you shoot want you to look me in the face,"' I dont want you to go y. said. hind me The men were dragged through water and its coolness revived Fc er." Up the bank they' were lei three big papaw bushes, on a stretch of ground at the foot of ate. hill. Some sheep killing dogs hadb tied there and shot recently and ana the bones of these the boys wereM to kneel while the Hatfields tied" to the bushes. Lanterns were .hung to throw tfcf light on the victims, then Ellisc Mounts, another Hatfield of ml: blooded kin, knelt and steadied t rifle on his knee. Take aim, Valentine Hatfield orde men-iiegte-i- l . ed. Mounts aimed. Fire!" Talbot McCoy fell dead. There followed a long interval taunts and curses while the hapleL McCoys writhed against the bushes cl . heard their family and their de&.J brother defamed. Then Charles Cal'- penter, another of the Hatfield i , ; tril-- - stept forth as the second He fired once with a pistol at Fan; er" McCoy, and, whether through p air or Intent, the bullet did not K executoinef There were more curses, at Carpenter taking shots at intem!; was lifeles until finally Farmer There remained only "Randll, Jr." fc thirteen-year-ol- d son of the head t McCoy. the McCoy clan. The Hatfields deliberated at soft length what they should do with tfc At last they decide: boy "Randll. that a night of paralyzing fear sper with the mutiliated bodies of dent might be as effective as marcbfc on the boy, so they solemnly back toward the river, leaving him stil: tied to his papaw bush. They were about to ford the j: streaCj-whe- Alex. Messer, another of the Hair kin, remembered that the might some day be a witness againHi them all for the double murder. . turned to "Devil Anse. saiij he no "Dead men tell tales. and pointed to where the little Ih? f remained tied on the hill. minute. a Devil Anse thought "Go you, he said finally, and Messer ran back to where the hoy was kneel-- j Ing. He placed a shotgun .igalnft. i Little Randll temple and fired. in simple inscription, carved beech tree, marks the spot today. says: THE McCOY BOYS field 1 11 SHOT IN 1882. tW neednt beg and yo' neednt "Ef cry, he decided mercilessly. Ellison dies, yo boys hez got to' die, damn my heart ef they dont!" Talbot McCoy was married and his baby, wife, with their came to plead for his life, but "Devil Anse was adamant. It all t depends on Ellison, he announced, and Ellison's life was ebbing away, slowly but surely. ' At three o'clock the day after the four-months-o- ld Curiously enough the murder of McCoy boys seemed to incite t!1? fields to carry on the war still n 're as than before. No McCy safe. The Hatfields fired from n or raided McCoy homes at night, tab ing the men out to be shot, fir the women, and sometimes setting their to the house. An illustration ot methods is furnished by the account to-turin- - |