The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-09-02
GROVE KENNEDY, OUTLAW.
EXPLOITS OF AKENTUCKY DESPERATE
A Man who Kept State ut Bay for Nearly q
Year. Frightened the Governor. and Builied
the Courts How He was Caug hi nj Last.

~ 'h"" ""o new q StaF NJ nay tof NrofD -
Year. Frightened the Governor. and Builied
the Courts How He was Caught nj Last.
A correspondent writing from Lancaster,
Garrard county. Ky, says: " There Is
Grove Kennedy's place. said a friend. As
we drove over a ine turnpike smartly to
wards Lancaster this morning. We were
about four miles from town, and looking
of the road across a wheat-feld one could
see the gable OF white cottage peeping
above the foliage Of little stunted wood
land. Blue smoke was curling family
from the chimney. and the picture was one
OF pastoral simplicity and beauty. Gar
rard county is in that vague borderland
between the bluegrass region" and
the mountains" in Kentucky, where
hills roll away like ocean pillows: where
men grow six feet high before they are
twenty-one and live to be eighty years old
without any other effort than lodging bul-
lets and turning knife-blades. We did not go
10 call on Kentucky's most famous outlaw,
who has just been pardoned out Of the
penitentiary by Governor Blackburn.
Grove Kennedy kept the State OF Ken
lucky at bay for nearly year. depopulated
watering-place, scared the Governor out
OF his boots. laughed at life. and bullied all
the courts OF the Commonwealth for two
wears. We saw him in Lancaster-a tine
looking fellow Of perhaps thirty-eight.
with dark hair and beard and hne bright
ewes. with a genuine humorous sparkle in
them. He was steward in the penitentiary
for three years. and is bieached by eoDiine-
ment. He i a typical dangerous man OF
this vicinity. In 1863, then boy OF about
eighteen, he enlisted in "A Federal regiment
waiting orders. One afternoon he was
sitting near a stump playing poker in yio-
lation Of rdles. when big bully in camp
began to abuse him. Grove answered back
calmly with worse abuse and never turned
his head The bully slipped up behind
him with a knife. and was about to bend
over the boy TO stab when Grove lifted q
revolver lying on his lap. pointed II over
his shoulder, and blew the bully's brains
out. the bullet entering the eye. He comes
Of family that kill. They die generally
booted and armed. They came TO hen-
lucky with Daniel Boone. and owned
90. 600 acres Of garden land in this Eden OF
Kentucky. They began by killing Indians,
and have never got over IL. Old Eb Ken
nedy was Groves uncle and foster-faiher.
In 1877 they quarrelled and bad lawsuit.
After old Eb had given his testimony III
court he insulted Grove and walked out.
Grove calmly went out on the balcony, and
as his uncle walked down the sidewalk
drew bead on the old man with shotgun
and sent the whole ease 10 higher court.
The charge went in behind the ear. and
generously came out all over the old mans
countenance.
AN OUTLAWS heroic WIPE.
Grove was arrested without resistance,
and his preliminary trial came OF in con-
nection with an application 90 be admitted
10 bail. The trial occupied three days.
The prisoners friends began 10 gather
ominously when il seemed sure that bail
must be refused. One morning the Court
stationed twenty armed men inside ihe
door with instructions 10 disarm every
person who entered the room. The court
chamber will accommodate about two hun
dred. When court began 100 pistols ana
knives were piled up on the clerks table.
Bail was refused Kennedy was led out
under heavy guard 10 the jail. HIS bro-
tber-in-law lived across the street, and A.
Grove passed. his wife. who was waiting.
ran out towards him. In an instant Grove
leaped from among his guards, and his wlie
threw herself before him and covered his
flight. He gained his brother-in-law's
house. and escaped out the back way.
For six months he was at large. lie
passed the summer at the famous CRAB
Orchard Springs, the Saratoga OF the State.
He had announced that he would not sur
render. and there was nobody in the state
anxious to capture him. He j. distantly
related TO Henry WatteTson. editor OF the
| Courier Journal. Mr.. Watterson went TO
Crab Orchard. and Grove introduced hlm-
self and invited Watterson 10 take drink.
"Why," said WattersOn, with his great
ringing laugh, a they drank together,
don't You know that Governor Mccreary
is coming over here day after tomorrow
to meet me: You had better clear out"
Not much" said Grove. IF Gov
ernor McCreary comes to Crab Orchard I'll
ask him TO take a drink with me-
| ..He won't do it, said Watterson.
| "I'H bet YOU fifty dollars" said the out
law. ..that if McCreary comes he drinks
with me-"
opreyenttrouble Wattersont eIegraphed
Met reary not to come, and the Governor
hurried back TO Frankfort and offered
large reward for the outlaws capture.
APAMOUs CATCHER OP sURDERERS.
The reward was large enough 10 invite
the approval Of George W. Hunter, OF
Bardstown, popularity known a. I" Iar
shall" Hunter. Hunter il the coolest anC
most determined man in Kentucky;