Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-09-01
4 WELSH MINING FEUD.

DIR. Peter Williams, the recently deceased
coroner of Flintshire, Wales, was at the time
Of his death the Oldest coroner in Great Bri-
tain. He was very deaf very old and brim-
full of 'yarns" concerning his official expert
ences. What he termed the Buckley Noun
tain Feud" was one of the most interesting
and sanguinary of the many cases in which
his professional services had been called into
requisiton.
What is called Buckley Mountain is an ele-
waited table-land about three miles east Of the
market town of Mold. Its inhabitants were
formerly a savage, quarrelsome race, divided
like the Scottish Highlanders into ''clans. y
There were the Willamses, the Joneses, the
Hughesos, the Griffiths, the Morgans and the
Shepherds, and bitter family feuds often rag
ed between them. Coal mining and the man
ufacture of coarse stone pottery employed
most Of the ddult males, and it was no infre-
quent occurrence to see the military ordered
from Chester to suppress their internecine
conflicts. The soil is mostly freehold, and the
mines are worked on the principle of shares
each mine being divided into thirty-two
shares, and each share being designated "a
half an ounce"
At one time eight relatives Of the name OF
Hughes were associated with an equal mum
Der of the name of Griffiths in working what
was called 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 q thicker seam
and of superior quality, and the Hugheses
and Griffiths were hence esteemed particular
ly fortunate all over the mountain. There
was good deal of rivalry and frequent quar-
rels among them; but it was mostly good
natured rivalry, carried on by boasting, feats
Of strength and physical proves. But when
it became widely known that Evan Hughes
handsome, stalwart young man of twenty
and Samuel Griffiths an equally 1.-THE and
promising young Hercules, were bitter rivals
for the heart of Miss Aune Shepherd every
body in Buckley knew there was strife brew.
ing
Anne was the daughter of q stone pottery
manufacturer, who, without education, had
risen from the ranks and accumulated hand
some fortune. Wealth did not make him ar
rogant He was still 'hail fellow we'll met
with every hard toiling miner on the noun
tain and he did not hesitate to state, wher
in his CUPS in the Red Lion parlor of a night
that Sam Griffiths and Evan Hughes were the
two brightest young men on the mountain
and be would be satisfied with either of then
for son-in law.
jumped, and pitched the stone, with varying
success and eager aninosity. Nothing bu
Anne's threat that she would discard the frs
one who made a blackguard of himself KEEP
them from open and deadly hostilites. Both
knew she was a girl of pluck and would keel
her word, and hence their fierce spirits werC
kept in the outward bond of peace.
Meantime the Great Ash Colliery was turn
ing out well the seam" was promising, anC
the dip" was very gradual and uniform. i
was therefore resolved to sink another shaft
directly north of and about two thousant
feet from the Great Ash shaft, aud it was es
timated that by the time this new shaft wal
put down the workings would be driven from
the Great Ash to meet it, and thus perfec
ventilation be secured by means of an ''up
cast" and "downcast" shaft. Evan Hughe
and Sam Griifiths were employed to sink tn,
new shaft. which was christened the "Grea
Oak" They took alternate shifts of fou
hours, one boring" and the other, assisted
by an old bank's-man named Bill Conway
drawing up the clay and stone with a rop,
and windlass. When they reached the lime
stone, each man drilled his blast-hole with
hand hammer like that used by stone-dressers
making it about twelve inches deep aud theI
charging it with coarse blasting powder. NJ
fuse was used for igniting the charge, but I
copper-pointed needle" was placed on tn
powder and allowed to stand until the hol
was tightly stemmed with clay-slate. Thei
the needle was carefully withdrawn, and Tia,
hole filed with finer grain of powder. Th
"shot" being thus far prepared, the man be
low sung out for a cord and tightly-twiste'
| line was let down the shaft and securely stem
med into the top of the shot-hole. The bot
tom end of the line being now secured an
surrounded by fine powder, and the other en-
| in the hands of the bank's-man, the man be
| low gave the usual signal, and was forthwith
drawn TO bank. A red-hot ring, three o
four inches in diameter, was then taken froI
the shut" fire. the end OF the cord passe
through it, and it was shot down the shaft an
the blast fired
One fine spring day Sam and Bill Conwa
were at bank, and Evan below had just pre-
pared his blast in the manner described, an
had given the signal to be hauled up. 1t wa
nearly noon, and half witted son of the oil
bank's-man was walking quietly along benin
an adjoining hedge with his fathers dinner
He heard the ''shot" fired and hurried to tn
pit-heap. There he saw Sam Grifiths jumI
ing and swearing around; he saw the smok
pouring up the shaft; he saw his fathers III
tie dog; but he saw neither his father nc
Evan Hughes.
where's fayther and Yeavan ?" asked h
poor, half-witted lad.
Sans blood was up, and he struck the poo
half-witted lad on the cheek and blRcked b
eye. The lad ran home and Sam ran ha
way to the Great Ash shaft, bowling Wild
for assistance The fearfully -mutilated bodit
of young Hughes and the old man Oonwa
were brought up, and few hours later Corr
ner Peter Williams held an inquest Samu,
Grifiiths was the only important witness Il
| hot old AZ
pid, had at Evan Hughes's signal to swim
up" gone for the red-hot ring by mistake
That, seeing the old mans terrible blunde
he (Sam) had rushed from behind the shut,
where he had been asleep, to prevent the mi
chief, but was only in time TO see the CLOWN
ring disappear down the shaft Almost il
stantly the old man had discovered his fearfl
error, and, stricken with horror and remors
had plunged headlong down the shaft just
the smoke and debris from the blast were ri
ing. "It was all the work of half minute
he said to the coroner and jury, land was a
over before l could reach the spot. As Il
shouting, was struck speechless with no
ror. The jury accepted the explanation
there was no other to offer-and, though Il
silly lad, Conway, by his curious antics al
expressive pantomime, seemed to have som
thing on his mind he did not understand Il
nature of an oath, and consequently was NJ
sworn.
There were imposing funeral services
Buckley on the following Sunday. The Vi
lage maidens, with white handkerchiefs {
their heads and sprigs of rosemary, rue an
balm in their hands, walked before Evi
Hughes's coffin, singing pathetic dirges uni
the graveyard was reached but Anne She
herd had been seized with fit when she heal
the fatal tidings, and was unable to attend Il
young mans funeral.