The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1867-02-12
EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY FEUD.

feud that has been raging for twenty years
between two families Of that county, and
which was brought to an enc by the bloody
deaths of the sole surviving males of the
warning tribes, in the streets of Elizabeth
town, on the evening Of the 5th Of January.
The history of the affair as detailed by our
correspondent, is as follows:
La the fall of1646 family named John
stone removed from Wantauga county, n.
C, to Carter county, East Tenn, and set
tied down in the neighborhood Of another
family named Rogers Johnstone5 who ap-|
peared to be an energetic, Industrious man,
Immediately went to work at clearing up
a little farm. He felled trees, -grubbed mp
under growth, burned stumps, and split
rails TO fence in the ground he reclaimed
from the wilderness. In this labor he was
assisted by two sons-both were lads
While the three were 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
a dozen in number. This claim Johnstone
disputed, and finally, OF Rogers applying
to him the epithets OF 'liar'' and "thiel,'
the North Carolinian pulled him from bis
horse and administered to him a severe
chastisement with his fists Rogers went
off yowing vengeance, aud in the course Of
an hour returned to the spot armed with
rife, the contents of which he discharged
into the body Of Johnstone, producing fatal
consequences Rogers, who was a man of
wealth for those primitive times, and was
possessed of considerable influence among
his rough unettered neighbors, was acquit-
ted on the charge Of murder 10y an examin
ing Justice. This was the beginning OF the
terrible vendetta which has run through
the years that followed, cutting down the
males of the two families in the pride Of
their strength and manhood
The woJohnstone lads vowed vengeance
upon the murderer of their parent, and one
Of them, Thomas, worked night and day,
with but one Object in view, to accumulate
the means to purchase a rife. At length
he became the owrer of one, and one Sab
bath morning, with his gun upon hi<
shoulder, he approached the house Of Rog
ers, The latter was sitting upon his porch,
and; as he say young Johnstone approach
imp. probably diyining his intention, arose
hastily, and started toward the rack where
his gun was suspended. But the avenger
Of blood was upon his path, and ere he could
reach his weapon, he fell upon tie floor a
corpse, his heart pierced 10y the bullet Of
his foe; Rogers left behind him a young
wife and three children one Of whom wa,
boy. Among the rough backwoodsmen
of Carter county, young Johnstone's crime
was looked upon with sad satisfaction, il
not favor, the indian law Ct retaliation be-
ing looked upon by them as the very cream
of Justice. Afterward Johnstone married
and as the years passed by, lie became sur
rounded by an interesting and numerous
progeny.
The boy, VIM. Rogers, in the meantime,
had almost reached manhood's estate, when
one morning, without divuIging his inten-
tion to mother or sisters, he left the house
with his fathers rifle upon bis shoulder, as
if he were going out to hunt, and in less
than an hour grief,strcken mother and
children were weeping over the corpse of a
slain husband and father Young Rogers,
in his turn, had become an avenger, and
Thomas Johustonc had fell beneath his
hand.
In time the memories of these three muir
ders died away and those who were children
then grew up to be men and women. VIM
Rogers had tax to himself wife, and be-
came the head of a growing family. One
morning he rode into EI.zabelhtown, and
as he did not return that night-a circum-
stance that never occurred before-his wife
became very uneasy and in the morning
induced her brother to start to town in search
of her missing husband. About three miles
from the house he came upon the body Of
his brother-in-law lying in the road, stiff and
cold in death. His brain had been pierced
by rifle ball. Although his murderer was
never discovered, yet the community quiet
ly accepted the belief that Henry john
stone a son of Thomas, who was slain by
Rogers, was the Pefpetator ol the deed.
Some years afterwards in a drunken mo-
ment in EIizabethtown, this young man
acknowledged he had slain Rogers, and
gave as reason that the latter had killed his
father. Johnstone was Young man, and
only few months before the murder had
been married to young girl in the neigh
borhood,
Again the chart of time was unroIed
and at least ten years was added to the
past, when young iadj son of the murder
ed Rogers, engaged in al alteration in the
court house at Ehzabethtewn, with John
stone, who was then middle aged man,
and Inflicted such wounds upon him with
a knife, Shat he died the following morn
ing.
Tins If went on for vaarS DorV a Iohn-