The New York herald., 1878-03-02
The Living PrOgenitOr Of Five Hundred
and Fifty Persons.
A MORMON WITHOUT A REVELATION.
An Athlete and Mighty Hunter
at Ninety-six
LIFE IN THE VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS
Horse Racing, Gard Playing, Fox Hunting
and Running Contests.
ADxIxrows, Pittsylvania county. Va,
Eah 1870


Feb. q, 1878
Pisyivania county, Va, has for great number Of
yoars enjoyed considerable notoriety as being the
native place of remarkable characters but
by far tho most Interestingly remarkable man that
this any other county has produced is "Old
Man Owen Adkins, OF Turkey Cock Mountain whose
peculiar moral views. embracing and taking in as
they do Mormonsm and free love; whose almost
incredible physical abilities remarkable powers
OF endurance; whose oddities and queer habits, and
whose unprecedent great number Of offspring all
combine TO make him object OF interest in the
limited circle of his acquaintance
BIRTH LIFE.
owen Adkins born the 25th OF December,
1852, and Is consequently now In his ninety sixth
year, His parents very poor and iterate people
OF the lower stratum OF society, who made scanty
living by hunting and nshng and around the Two
beautiful little mountains between which they
sided They had seven children-fve boys and two
| girs-Owen being the third son. Unlettered and
ignorant themselves, the parents neither knew
nor cared 10 appreciate the advantages OF ed
ucation, and therefore their children were
also reared in blissfui ignorance. Young owen
| IN early lie showed signs Of very
decided traits Of character aorlng evidence OF the
fact that in point of hard common sense he not
only greatly the superior Of his brothers and sisters
but also OF his parents Though small in stature he
feet of foot displaying at the same time remarkable
powers OF endurance and inexhaustible "wnd, hav.
ing the capacity In long distance hill and dale
| to compete in with ordinary horse. His
father noticing these peculiarities, turned tncm to
| good account, and always carried young Owen with
him to public gatherings and there made him wrestle
with larger boys, foot races, ana often compete
with slow for such wagers the old
could raise In this way the father much money,
taking In at time the OF $780, the amount OF a
bet foot OF i've miles against time, the boy
making the distance IN twenty six minutes. He was
at that time only twelve years OF age. The boy,
of course took great pride In these wonderful
powers and successful exploits and enjoyed the
toriety which they gave him only wild mountain
boy could,
A TERRIBLE FIGHT WITH 4 BEAR.
In those early days Turkey Cock and smith Noun.
tans far and for tho great variety Of
game to be found and about them Deer, bears
and wildcats, which strangers in tnat sec.
| ton, were then numerous squirrels and wild
| turkeys are to-day, aud bear ana deer hunting
the avorte most profitable sports but were also
exceedingly dangerous, and for that reason all the
moro fascinating 10 the young nu untsmaD. owen was
always ANXIOUS to try his metal on a bear, but his
father knowing the danger. forbade his attempting
bear hunt alone. This however, did not alay the
boys great DESIRE and morning in the spring OF
the year he surreptitiously procured his fathers
| rife and all alone started up the mountain side IN
hopes OF meeting Bruin Soon his wish was gratIhed,
for as no scaled iorblddlns looking ledge he stood
lace lace with large black bear which seemed to
| have met him there by appointment. The boy at
once empted the contents Of the rife at his bearship
and struck him OF his foreegs; but This only
served enrago the animal, and he at clasped
young Adkins In his tight embrace. The rifle, being
was Inc only weapon leit the boy Iof defonc.;
but with the aid OF that his almost superhuman
strength great activity he finally, cong uered,
tho dead body Bruin, with jagular
| cred, lay at the boys feet. Owen, however, was
badly used up, his shoulder and arm beng severely
|
Owen Adkins for great number o. years kept the
visitors the SKIN Of bear that he killed when ''he
was little chunk ,f boy, just fourteen years DID,"
Owen learned To use shotgun or rife with unerring
accuracy wLen he was very young aud has ever been
reg rded "crack shot " In his own language, mo
never was aeard OF nohin'. but always alter The bar
| fight preferred TO tackle them varmlnts at rifle
/ range"
la tho spring of 1906, when Owen was IN his
himself within one hundred ieet OF the house in
which he born, where he still lives. His lie with
his first wife was for five years more, very happy
one, and might have continued the end but or
peculiar IDEAS on the suoject OF marriage whlcn. by
some means, worked themselves into his brain and
caused him to publicly proclaim his moral right to
havo many wives as he wished
! MoKMoNIsM WITHOUT TIE CHURCH.
| Now this man.never heard oil Brigham Young and
| M0rmonism, and long before the Aormon doctrine
Owen Adkins mad views ana opinions which coincide
ex.cty with the polyEamy portion ol Joseph Smiths
and Brigham Young's creed. He believes that while
the laws oil tue land allow him 10 have only wife
~ time there Is no moral law winch prohiblis him
| having as many as ne may wish, provided he prop
erly supports them and their offspring. In accord
with ths then peculiar idea OF his he, about i've
years alter his marriage took unto himself three
cubines Tor each OF whom he built comfortable
houses all WITHIN one mile Of his own residence His
hrst WIG did not agree WIN her husband on the sub
jeci Of poygamy, and from that time untl death
there no peace in that family The concuDincs
could agree among themselves, but the wc hated the
concubnes as oniy spirited woman who believes her
| rights to ave been Invaded can nate.
This wife died III 1880, after bavng borne her hus.
band nineteen children, all OF whom are now living
lLyr III ar.
RED a second time HIS second vile had obi bjection
To- poygumy aud lived m peace ana uppnrc MT happi.
ness Win husband and copcuDnes. a low years alter
the second marriage The old man took moro
cub me- HIS SCI ond wife lived only few years dying
in 1889 alter bearing fve children four OF whom still
| survive hr ADKINS never married alter the death
! OF his secold vile, but hvcd with his our concu-
bincs until the last died, about twenty-five years
ugo, wDen he took another woman 10 be concubinc,
but has never married she still lives with him,
| and Is as KIND. ooodient aud attentive 70 him as
| though she were wife Instead OF concubinc.
| MORE CHILDREN THAN BhIGHAM YOUNG
| MIR. ADKINS Two lawful wives bore nim twenty our
| children, and his concuOncs aggregated iorty-sx,
making IN all scveny children, sixty-six OF wuom
living only four oil THIS large number OF chil.
dren having died. His Oldest child, a sou by his
first vile, Is now seventy-onc years old, aud lives
within short distance oil his iather He also has a
very large amy, but does not agree with his pater-
nal ancestor in regard 10 poygamy. The old gentle.
mans second child Ia daughtef) is nearly seventy
years OF aye. she has beon tho mother Of twelve
children, only one OF whom has died. All OF his chill
oren thai are married aua settled, except one, have
large Iamies, aud II Is therefore quite certain that
Ola man Owen Adkins offspring, including living
cnildren grandchildren and greatgrandchlldren, num-
| Der somewh here near i've hundred fifty. Nearly
| all OF this tremendous family live right around the
ola gentleman within radius Of five miles, aud the
neignbornood has therefore taken of Adkin-
town, ny which II is known throughout that section
| oil the country.
| ADKINTOwE.
| Adkintown Is situated IN the valley between the
| Turkey COCK and Pine Mountains, aud - wild look
ing, thnly settled country, bounded every by
| beautiful picturesque mountain ranges which
covered with dense and grand forests. IL is three
miles IRON husevile ritssyvauia county, fifteen from
| Chatham, the county seat ana thirty-one from Dam
vile. The negnboring hills and mountains abound
| q great variety OF game, such AS squirrels, harcs,
opossuins, partrdges, quats phcasants Wild turkeys,
&c, aud II IL also great fox hunting country some
OF Atkins iamiy well-Ju-do crs and have
amassed fair fortunes cuitIvatIng the finer grades of
tobacco, " which the soil In that section particu
larry aoapted, but moet OF them follow In the loot
prints OF the great head OF the generation, ami