The Osceola times., 1882-10-14
A KENTUCKY FEuD.
The Terrible Vengeance Visited by the
Chatfieids upon the McLoys.
Cincinnati Enquirer.

lucky, anu lilt Tcsult WIS llt hiiiiiS VI
one man in self-defense and the cold
blooded murder of three others. The
scene was at the polls at the mouth of
Blackberry and in Pike county, about
twenty-five miles from Pikeville. In that
section are two families the Chatficlds
and the McLoys, with numerous rela-
tions. The Chatfclds are the most
numerous, and physically are the larger,
the McLoys being small in stature. On
the day of election one of the Chatfield
clan approached young man of the Nc
10y family, and staggering up to him,
said; "Jim McLoy, you don't vote here
to-day unless you vote as ! do" The
young man answered that he did not
want any trouble, and would not vote at
all. "Yes, you will,' responded the bully,
"We'vc made you grind apples for us on
your knees before this, and if you don't
don't vote as l do to-day, III make you"
With this warning the bully staggered
off Young McLoy went away and took
a drink or so to arouse his courage. After
while Chatfield returned, looking for
McLoy, and found the young man in a
place where escape was not easy.
"McLoy," he said, "have you voted
yeti"
no" answered McIoy.
you'd better 90 and vote quick, then,
and vote as l tell you"
Young LcLoy Strengthened himself up
and, in voice trembling with rage, prob
ably mingled with fear, said: "Chatfield,
you've made me go down on my knees
and grind apples for you, as you said,
and hoe corn for you, but you can't make
me vote but just as l please to-day"
Chatield responded to this with fierce
oath, and motion as though to draw a
pistol.
"If I've got to die Pm going to die like
man." With these words McLoy drew
clasp knife with tive-inch blade and
opened it. His adversary fired, the ball
grazing McLoy's head. The latter sprang
at his tormentor with cry of rage and
made a slash which denuded the bone
of one arm of its flesh from the shoulder
to the elbow. Then with powerful blows
he slashcd Chatfield across the breast
from shoulder to waist, and again in the
other direction. He must have driven
the keen, long blade hilt-dcep through
clothing and flesh at least twenty times
before Chatfield fell.
McLoy fled a short distance, a fulisade
of bullets following him, but he escaped
unhurt. Turning and facing the Chat
fields, who had empticd their pistols, he
said Gentlemen, believe was in the
right. acknowledgement. ! give my
self up"
Ii was terrible crowd to surrender
himself to. Nearly all around him were
of the Chatficld clan-hardly a friend
within sight. A younger brother was
present, but was powerless, except to lay
down his life to satisfy the savage thirst
for blood. No representative Of law was
there, and if he had been his Office
would have been mockery. The man
to whom he surrendered himself was an
uncle of the slain man, and when Me-
10y gave up his knife this man took it
and said, 1--WE a great mind to chuc it
into you."
In an instant five men jumped at the
disarmcd prisoner, and grabbed him by
the throat or shoulder or wherever they
could lay their hands, and five pistol
balls whizzed past his head. These men
were crowded together too closely or
were unsteady from liquor, for none OF
the balls struck McLoy; Others took
him from his infnriated assaiants, but
with no intention of preserving his life
not even for the farce of atrial, as the
sequal showed.
MeLoy's captors took him across Tug
River into West Virginia. Afraid that the
authorities of that State would be bet
ter eniorcers of the law than those of
their own, they returned him on that or
the next day. They had apparently
made up their minds to policy of ex-
termination. They sent out parties and
brought in McLoy's two brothers, aged
respectively 20 and is years. The second
brother had been guilty of no other
offence than being present when the
killing occurred, while the boy of Is was
not only not present, but had never
taken part in the feud between the two
sets ofmen, either by word or deed.
Having captured the three boys, the
party struck for the woods. Nothing
more was seen of them, and after allow
ing sufficient time for vengeance TO be
wreaked, the citizens sent out party to
investigate. After some search the
bodies were found in a thicket. They
had been made to stand in row, their
arms tied, each ones right arm to his
neighbor's left, by green withes, and the
free arms of the two on the outside tied
in the same manner to two saplings.
Strung in this fantastic manner they
could not have resisted woman.
Their captors were determined to make
themselves safe from the desperation of
unarlned men. As they stood there look
ing down a steep hillside, they were shU.
dead by one shot each in the back of the
head. the bullets coming out at the fore
head or near it. A shallow trench was
dug, the three bodies laid in it, feet to
head, and a mound heaped over them
sufficiently 20 give them four inches of
earth.
That or the next day the father of the
boys came into town. He inquired ofthe
successful candidate what he should do,
the tears streaming down his cheeks as
he spoke. He received no sympathy.
L ....ll