The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-11-09
A REGULAR VENDETTA.
rwO Families In Quarrel FOR YsarsE--
blood shed at Every hssiing-.-A
Strange History,

rwO Families In Quarrel FOR YsanE-.
Hood shed At Every ktesiing-.-A
Strange History,
It began a score Of years ago, in one
Of the cotton States, TAYLOR during n
quarrel killed man named Sutton. A
pistol'shot avenged fancied insult,
and the murderer was left unpublished.
The machinery Of law was rude in the
rough section where tho hrawl had oe.
Cured, and the surviving male repre-.
sentstiyes Of neither the Sutton nor the
Taylor families seemed to think il in.
cnmbent upon them TO give tho slayer
up to the courts. A year or two after
the murder the Taylor family iumi.
grated TO Texas, evidently to avoid
danger OF future collision with the fam.
lily OF the murdered man. Soon after:
ward, the Suttons also went 10 Texas,
and, az fate would have it, settled in
an adjacent county, but each family
lived in ignorance Of the others
whereabouts until the close Of the late
war.
AEOre than decade had passed since
the original difficulty" between
Taylor and Sutton, and one might i'm.
agine that the snimosity OF the Injured
family would have been somewhat up.
poased by the flight Of time. But lit
tie circumstance, which once mora
brought the families into collision, re.
suited in vendetta which has few par.
allels In any country, and certainly
none in the United States. A young
Taylor, finding his desire for adven-
ture stronger than his prudenee, made
across the cotnt5 line one day, and
stolu horse. The theft was discov-
cred, and he was pursued, and fell by
the ride OF Sutton. This aroused all
the angry memories OF the past, aud in
short time neither Taylors nor Sut.
tons dared 10 leave their houses with.
out being armed TO the teeth. Open
war was declared, and the citizens OF
the two counties in which the hostile
families resided gradually took sides.
1t is said that as many as twelve hun.
dred persons were AZ one Tins 80 much
interested In the vendetta, aud so com.
mitted 10 ono or the other side OF the
quarrel, that, had there been general
fight, they would, without hesitation,
have joined In Il. II they met on coun.
try roads, or at tayerns, or in the mar.
ket places, the implaca6le ieud was car.
ried on with a mores intense bitterness
than that Of the Montagueo and Gap
nlets a corpse was the result Of every
meeting unbushing was common 4
dead Taylor lying In front OF clump OF
bushes, with his brains blown out,
marked the vengeance OF the Suttons /,
and lynched Sutton, taken suddenly
from his horse and hung to tree, tes.
titled 10 the sleepless hate Of the Tay.
Tors. At last 30 many people became
embroiled in these occasional murders,
which are said 10 have numbered Gfty,
that tho condition OF atfairs in the two
counties became intolcfable. Business
and agriculture were almost entirely
suspended the courts were blocked
with tho suits and counter.suits OF the
two principals in the vendetta, and
both sides desperately determined to
bring matters to climax. So they
took the field In warlike array.
At this iuncture, it was discovered
that the Suttons were more numerous
than the Taylors, and that they also
had larger number a Rdherents.
After some guerrilla warfare, the Tay.
lors were surrounded, and, rather than
become the victims OF wholesale mas.
sacre, they consented to adjourn 10 the
county seat Of the county in which they
thun we're, and there enter into solemn
compact to cease the vendetta, aud
"call II square" The compact was
made the two counties were wild with
excitement; travel was once more un.
obstructed, and some confident persons
laid aside their arms.
But Que month later, MS q veteran
Sutton was seated with companion on
the deck Of d steamer at Indianola,
about to start for Galveston, young
Taylor shot them both dead. He was
subsequently arrested at Galveston,
and when, two months ago, he was
sent to Iudianola for trial, he was &c.
companied by two militia companies,
who had been ordered TO protect the
majesty OF the law against any further
pursuance Of the most remarkable ven.
delta OF modern times. The murderer
now lies in prison awaiting his sen.
tence, and. meantime, the Taylors aud
Suttons are once more vigorously at
war.