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Hatfields and McCoys

THE GREAT INTERSTATE STRIFE OF THE LAST DECADE

It started over a Hog Case and Lasted Many Years-Romance in it Reconciliation
and Then Murder and Retaliation-Governors of Kentucky and West Virginia Were
Drawn into it-Stopped by The Raids of a Kentucky Sheriff.
The New York Times- May 3, 1896

The recent mysterious murder near Huntington, West Va., of Robert K McCoy of the mountaineer family of Pike County, Ky., and the suspicion that the Hatfields were mixed up in his disappearance, recalls memories of the great McCoy-Hatfield feud, which was one of the most sensational subjects for the last generation.

The McCoy-Hatfield feud has long been considered an incident of the past. It was believed the two factions had become so scattered and punished that they would not renew it. During the time it lasted, however, it formed one of the most romantic episodes in the history of the two States concerned-Kentucky and West Virginia.

The utter disregard of human life, the frontier lawlessness in the center of Eastern civilization, the daring rides of parties into the two states, killing, burning, and kidnapping, and the actions of the two Governors, each apparently endeavoring to shield his own outlaws, furnished details of a romantic story that caught the attention of the whole Nation. The Americanized vendetta was more interesting than the original.

Several causes for the feud have been given. The real cause, however, was the utter lawlessness of the region in which it raged. The region is mountainous, without railroads, and with only un-kept wagon roads, unfit for any but the roughest wagons. Schools were hardly known among the mountaineers. Few churches were to be found within a days journey, and these were generally kept open only during revival time.

Education and Christian influence, therefore, had but little opportunity for operation. Added to this, there was but little opportunity for operation. Added to this, there was but little disposition to enforce the law. Officers and courts were so incompetent that the settlers generally found more satisfaction to themselves in taking the law into their own hands, and settled their disputes by main force.

The traffic in illicit whisky was a fruitful source of contempt for the law. Many mountaineers kept their quiet stills where they manufactured their "moonshine" whisky, and the men of the country round seemingly felt called upon to aid this illegal traffic, while the women, who had but very little influence with their lords and masters, did not count. Few of them, anyway, could comprehend the enormity of the conditions under which they were living.

The Hatfields and the McCoys were the leading families on the opposite sides of the Little Tug River, which separates the two States. "Old Rand'l' (Randolph) McCoy, the head of his family, lived on Blackberry Branch of Pond Creek, in Pike County, Kentucky, while near him, in Logan County, West Virginia, lived "Bad Anse" (Anderson) Hatfield, the head of his family.

The two factions were very large. All the mountain families are unusually large, and these two were extremes. Kinfolk bound to the head of the family by the strong ties that are bound up in the Southern families were also intermarried in a few instances.

The trouble arose during the days of the war, when the McCoys had a band of riders on one side and the Hatfields on the other. These bands were ostensibly organized for the protection of property during the war, but they were often engaged in pillage, and they often came into each other's territory.

The first death in the feud came about through a dispute over two of the sharp-nosed, razor-backed hogs that are the indispensable possessions of almost every mountaineer family, Floyd Hatfield, who lived near old Rand'l McCoy, was accused of stealing two hogs from the latter. He retorted that the hogs were his property, and the case was brought before a local magistrate and settled in favor of Hatfield.

Soon after the trial Randolph McCoy and two of his sons came upon Floyd Hatfield, Deacon Ellison Hatfield, the latter's brother; young Bill Stayton, and some others, who were fishing. A dispute over the hog case arose, in the course of which Randolph McCoy accused young Stayton, a boy of eighteen, resented this and knocked the old man down with a stone. The younger McCoys were prevented from taking vengeance then, but six months later young Stayton was shot dead at one of the Pike County creeks. There seems to be no doubt that he was waylaid by Parish and Sam McCoy, nephews of Randolph, though the two boys when arrested, were acquitted in the court of Justice Wall Hatfield.


A truce was affected, however, through the influence of a candidate in Pike County, for whom both the families were working on election day, the Hatfields showing their neighborly feeling by coming into the State of Kentucky and helping their friend.

Another case of ill feeling, however, came up soon after. This was a case of love, not ideal, but having elements of romance in it. Rose Anna McCoy had become intimate with "Jonce" (Johnson) Hatfield, and thus the heads of the two houses and paternal motives for keeping peace. After a time, however, "Jonce" Hatfield grew distasteful to the McCoys, and two of the sons of Randolph, with a party of others set out to bring him to justice, many indictments being out against him in Kentucky.

He was caught at a rendezvous with the McCoy girl, and was taken into custody. She secured a horse from her father's barn and made her way over the terribly rough roads, in the dark night, and alarmed "Bad Anse" Hatfield and his household. The Hatfields soon made up a strong party, lay  in wait for the McCoys and their prisoners, and rescued the son of their leader. It seems almost miraculous that no blood was shed on this occasion, as both parties were ready to fight. The girl was afraid to return to her father until a year later, when she and her child were turned out from the house of the Hatfields.

No bloodshed marked the rivalry between the two families for the next two years. At the Pike County election,  in August, 1882, however, came the fatality that started the reign of murder. A relative of both the Hatfields and McCoys was a candidate for office, and the leaders of the two factions again came together to work for his election.

During the day illicit whisky was freely given to the men of both factions, and in the afternoon they were feeling very belligerent and only a little incident was needed to start a fight. This came when Talbot McCoy met Elias Hatfield, known as "Bad Lias" and demanded $1.75 that had been borrowed from him. Hatfield denied the debt, and McCoy immediately threw him down and began to pound him. In the midst of this operation, Deacon Ellison Hatfield carrying a large pocket-knife, and Elias, his brother, carrying a pistol.

The constable pretended to arrest Talbot McCoy, but generally peaceful Deacon Hatfield, now fired with corn whisky, dared the other fight a man his size,and Talbot drew out a knife like that held by the Deacon. The two closed and fought for a long time. After cutting McCoy once Hatfield's knife closed on his hands, and he threw it away, and only used his fists, while McCoy used his knife with terrible effect, and little Budd McCoy, only nine years old, stood in the crowd and used another knife on Hatfield whenever he had a chance.

In spite of this, however, Hatfield threw McCoy to the ground and seized a large jagged stone. He was holing this, and was about to strike Talbot when Farmer McCoy shot him and knocked him over. Farmer McCoy immediately dropped his pistol and fled up the road. Elias Hatfield shot at him five times, and then with, Constable Hatfield, pursued him on foot. They over took him and arrested him, with Talbot and young Randolph McCoy, who was accused of having cut Ellison Hatfield, though it afterward was proved that he was mistaken for his brother, Budd.

Ellison Hatfield died the following Wednesday. He had been cut twenty-seven times, besides being shot. The three McCoys were taken to the house of John Hatfield Monday night by the officers, but in the morning about seventy Hatfields gathered and took them away from the officers, drove them along to a secluded cabin, tortured them in many ways, and waited to see if Ellison Hatfield would die.

When his death came on Wednesday a swift messenger took the news to the Hatfield party and they notified their prisoners of the fate that was in store. The pleadings of the mother and wife of Talbot McCoy had no effect on their captors, while the men of the McCoy family did nothing to help them. That night they were taken to the Kentucky side, tied upright, and the two men were shot, while the boy was left there to moan. It occurred to the party afterward, however, that the boy knew them all, and one was sent back to kill him. A man supposed to be Alex Messer, returned to the boy and fired two barrels of buckshot into his head.

The Coroner's jury next day, under Coroner Joseph Hatfield, brought in a verdict that the men had come to their death at "the hand of persons unknown," and the bodies were delivered to the McCoys, who had them decently buried. They made no attempt, however, to take vengeance. The Hatfields seemed now possesses of a determination to kill old Randolph, the head of the McCoy family. They made an ambush for him in June, 1884, when he was known to be attending court, and only a mistake as to the identity of the men prevented their success. Two witnesses at the trail happened to be dressed precisely the same as Randolph and Calvin McCoy, and to bear very much the same appearance. In the dusk they were the recipients of the bullets from the Hatfield rifles, and were maimed for life.

Soon after this a Hatfield raid was betrayed to the McCoys, and they escaped. The wife and mother-in-law of a Bill Daniels one of the Hatfield faction, were suspected of betraying the secret. Consequently, one night Capt. Hatfield and Tom Wallace went to Daniels's house, cowed him by covering him with a loaded shotgun, and brutally beat both women, breaking ribs and other bones, so that one died and the other suffered the rest of her life. As a result of  this another McCoy was killed, this time Jeff, brother of Mrs. Daniels. He was enticed into an ambush by "Bad Anse" Hatfield, who agreed to help him catchTom Wallace. He was taken prisoner, and was being led along by a mounted man, when he saw a chance to escape. He ran across the fields, crossed the Tug River and was escaping on the hillside, when one of the several shots fired after him killed him.

The Governors of the two States now became mixed in the affair. Gov. Buckner of Kentucky offered large rewards for the Hatfields chiefly concerned, and asked for a requitsion from the Governor of West Virginia. Gov. Wilson, whoever refused to grant it for a long time, and it was not until the close of 1887 that the real work of suppressing the feud was begun. In that year, however, a noted character, one Frank Phillips, a Deputy Sheriff, took the matter in hand, revived the spirits of the McCoys and their friends, and began raiding West Virginia.

Phillips had supposed that a requisition was coming from the Governor of West Virginia, but he did not wait for it. He set out for the Hatfield leaders. His first raid was made Dec. 9,1887, in company with some of the McCoys, and he brought to Virginia one Tom Chambers. The second raid was made Dec 20 and Selkirk McCoy and  Jeff Christian, two of the Hatfield faction, were taken from McDowell County, West Virginia, to the Pike County jail in Kentucky. The last raid of the Hatfields was made in revenge for this action. New Year's night nine Hatfields, led by Uncle Jim Vance, attacked the house of Old Rand'l McCoy. Two girls were in one end of the house, and one Allaphare McCoy, who answered the knocking at the door, was shot by Ellison Mounts by the order of Vance. The house was then set on fire and the door on the other end was shot to pieces. Old Rand'l put out the fire with buttermilk from the churn, and shot off four fingers from the hand of Tom Mitchell as he was reaching up with the torch under the roof. Calvin McCoy from the attic also shot at the attacking party and drove then under cover.

Mrs. McCoy started from the door to go to her daughter who had been shot, but Jim Vance broke two ribs with the butt of his gun and struck her on her head with his pistol, stunning her. Calvin McCoy was driven from the attic by the fire, and ran for a corn crib 100 yards away. He was killed when he almost reached it. The old man ran gantlet in safety, however. Then the gang went away, and two girls and little Melvin McCoy, the son of Jonce Hatfield, ran out.

Phillips led another raid six days later and killed old Jim Vance after a hard fight and captured several Hatfields. A number of raids followed, until the Hatfields were driven to take refuge in the mountains, and the feud was practically ended. There were a number of incidents afterward and complications between the Governors of the two States. Some of the Hatfields were sent to prison and others were hanged. The feud, however, became almost dead after the raids of Phillips.

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