The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-30
A WELSH MINING FEUD.

DR.. Peter Williams, the recently de-
ceased Coroner of Flintshire, Wales, was
at the time of his death the oldest CorO-
ner in Great Britain. He was very deaf,
very old, and brimful of "yarns con-
nected with his official experience. What
he termed the Buckley Mountain
Feud" was one of the most interesting
and sanguinary of the many cases iD
which his professional services had been
called in requisition.
What is called Buckley Mountain is
an elevated table-land about three miles
east of the market town of Mold. It's
inhabitants were formerly savage, quar-
relsome race, divided like the Scottish
Highlanders into "clans." There were
the Williamses, the Joneses, the
Hugheses, the Griffiths, the Morgans,
and the Shepherds, and bitter family
feuds often ragged between them. Coal
mining and coarse stone pottery manu-
facture employed most of the adult
males; and it was no infrequent occur
renee to see the military ordered from
Chester to suppress their internecine
conflicts. The soil is mostly freehold,
and the coal mines are worked on the
principle of shares-each mine being
divided into thirty-two shares, and each
share being designated ga half an
ounce"
At one time eight relatives of the name
of Hughes were associated with an equal
number of the name of Roberts in work
ing what was termed the Great Ash Mine,
so named from the fact that the shaft
had been put down close TO an immense
ash tree. The coal lay deeper here than
in most other sections of the mountain,
but it was thicker seam, and of supe-
rior quality, and the Hugheses and the
Griffiths were hence esteemed particrl-
larly fortunate all over the mountain.
There were a good deal of rivalry and
frequent quarrels among them but il
was mostly good-natured rivalry carried
on by boasting, feats of strength, and
physical prowess. But when it became
widely known that Evan Hughes, 6
handsome, stalwart young man of TWEEN
ty, and Samuel Grii1iths, an equally
1.-THE and promising young Hercules,
were bitter rivals for the heart OF
Miss Anne Shepherd, everybody il
Buckley knew there was strife a-brew
ing.
. Anne was the daughter of stone
pottery manufacturer, who, without edu
cation, had risen from the ranks, and &c
cumulated handsome fortune. Wealtl
did not make him arrogant He was
still "hail fellow, well met !" with every
hard-toiling miner on the mountain
and he did not hesitate to state, when il
his cups in the Red Lion parlor of {
night, that Sam Griifiths and Evar
Hughes were the two brightest young
men on the mountain, and that he ewoul(
he satisfied with either of them for a son
in-law.
y Sam and Evan had wrestled, and run
and jumped, and pitched the stone will
varying success and with eager animos
ity. Nothing but Anne's threat that sh,
would discard the first one who made
blackguard of himself kept them from
open and deadly hostilities. Both knew
she was girl OF pluck, and would keel
her word, and hence their fierce spirit
were kept in the outward bond Of peace
Meantime, the Great Ash Colliery wa
turning out well; the seam was promis
ing, and the "dip" was very gradua
and uniform. 1t was, therefore, resolve,
TO sink another shaft directly north of
and about two thousand feet from TN
Great Ash Shaft; and it was estimate,