Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1867-01-31
A CHAPTER ON TRAGEDIES.

A correspondent of EliZabethtown, OF Garter
County. Tennessee, gives the Louisville Jour7'a
the particulars of terrible feud that has been ra
ging for twenty years between two families OF that
county. and which was brought to an end by the
bloody deaths of the sole surviving tribes In the
streets of Eizabethtown on the evening OF the 9th
instant. The history of the affair, as detailed by
the correspondent, is as follows:
Tn the fall of 1916 family named Johnstone re,
moved from the neighboring County OF Wautau'
ga, North Carolina, into Carter County, East len,
nessee. and settled down in the neighborhood OF
another family named Rogers. Johnstone, who
appeared to be an energetic, industrious man. I'M
mediately went to work at clearing up little farm
He feled trees, grubbed undergrowth, burned
stumps, and split rails to fence In the ground nc
reclaimed from the wilderness; In his labor nc
was assisted by his two sons both mere lads: -
While the three We're engaged in erecting fencing
about their patch of land Rogers rode up to where
they were at work one day, and laid claim to pile
of rails. about dozen in number. This claim
Johnstone disputed, and finally, on Rogers apply
ing to him the epithets of ''Ear' and 'thlef, the
North Carolinian pulled him from his horse and
administered to him severe chastlsement with MS
fists. Rogers went off vowing vengeance, and IN
the course of an hour returned to the spot armed
with rifle, the contents Of which he discharged
into the body of Johnstone, producing fatal conse-
ouences Rogers who was man of some wealth
for those primitive times, and was possessed OF
considerable influence among his rough, unlettered
neighbors, was acquitted Of the charge OF murder
by an examining justice This was the beginning
Of the terrible vendetta that has run through the
wears that followed cutting down the males OF the
two families in the pride Of their strength and
manhood.
The two Johnstone lads vowed vengeance upon
the murderer of their parent, and one OF them,
James. worked night and day, with but one OBJ
iect in view-to accumulate the means to pur-
Chase rifle At length he became the owner OF
one. and one Sabbath morning, with his gun upon
his shoulder, he approached the house OF Rogers.
The latter was sitting upon his porch, and, as ne
saw the young Johnstone approaching, probably
diyining his intention arose hastily and started to-
wards the rack where his gun was suspended. But
the avenger of blood was upon his path, and ere ne
could reach his weapon he fell upon the floor a
corpse, his heart pierced by the bullet OF his toe.
ROGERS left behind him young wife and three chill
dren-o one of whom was boy. Among the rough
backwoodsmen of Carter County. young John
stones crime was looked upon with satisfaction,
if not favor-the Indian law OF retaliation being
looked upon by them as the very cream OF justice.
Aferward Johnstone married, and, as the years
nassed by. he became surrounded BY an interesting
and numerous progeny.
The boy William Rogers, in the meantime, had
almost reached manhood estate, when one morn
ing, without divuging his intention to his mother
or sisters, he left the house with his fathers rifle
upon his shoulder as if he were going out to hunt,
and in less than in an hour gret-stricken mother
was weeping over the corpse OF 4 slain husband and
father Young Rogers, in his turn, had become
an ayencer. and Thomas Johnstone fell beneath his
hand. -,
In time the memories of these three murders
died away, and those who were children then grew
IN he men and women, William Rogers had taken
70 himself wife, and become the head OF a grow
ing family. One morning he rode into Elizabeth
town as he did not return that night-a circum-
stance that had never occurred before his wife
became very uneasy, and in the morning induced
her brother start to town In search OF her hus-
hand. About three miles from the house he came
upon the body of his brother -n-aw, lying in the
road stiff and cold in death His brain had been
nierced by rifle ball. Although his murderer was
never discovered, yet the community quietly ac,
cepted the belief that Henry Johnstone, son OF
Thomas who was slain by Rogers, was the perpe-
traitor of the deed. Some years afterwards, IN
drunken moment, in Elizabethtown, this young
man acknowledged he had slain Rogers, and gave
as his reason that the latter had killed his father
Johnstone was a young man, and only lew
months before the murder had been married TO
young girl in the neighborhood.
least ten years had been added to the past, when
Young lad, son of the murdered Rogers engaged
in an alteration in the yard ofthe Court House at
Elizabethtown with Johnstone, who was then a
middle aged man, and inflicted such wounds upon
him with knife that he died on the following
morning, on
Thus it went on for years, now Johnstone fall
ing by the hands of a Rogers, and then Rogers
falling beneath the avenging hand of a Johnstone,
until the war interviewed, and for a time at least
the terrible feud appeared to have ended The
cessation of hosttes brought the survivors Of the
warning families back to Carter County These
survivors consisted of Randall Rogers and Robert
Johnstone, both battle-scared veterans, and both
Unmarried men. On the evening Of the 5th in
slant these men met in grocery at Elizabethtown,
and soon became engaged in an alteration. By
standers interfered, and for an hour Or two coils
ion was averted. They were separated BY friends,
and taken off in opposite directions. This occur
red about noon. About three o'clock, as Rogers
was going up the street he saw Johnstone coming
down As they neared each other they drew their
reyolvers and commenced simultaneously hrlng up
IN each other continuing to advance as they tired.
Finally. and when about four feet distant from
Jobnstone, Rogers sank to the pavement, and; as
he Law the last act of his life was to fire the last
charge in his pistol into the abdomen Of Johnstone,
L.. b,,tlat fred at the same instant, Dene-