Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-09-04
GROVE KENNEDY,
A Kentucky Outlaw who Kept the
statsSt Bay for Nearly a Year,
Frightened the Governor aud
nullicd the ourts-aew He
Was taught az Last.


LANCASTER, KY, August ~
There is Grove kennedy's place"
said a iriend, as we drove over a fine
turnpike smartly toward Lancaster
this morning We were about four
miles from town, aud looking of the
road across the wheat field, M could
see The gable Of a white cottage peep
inc above the foliage OF Alittle slunted
woodland. Blue smoke was curling
iaintly from the chimney, ssd tho
ieture ives one Of pastoral simplicity
and b auty. 6aFrard county is in that
VAGUE bordsrland between the "blue
grass region aud the mountains, in
Kentucky where hills roll away like
oes.n pillows where men grow six
feet high h,iore they are twenty one
and live to 10 eighty years old without
auy other effort than dodging bullets
md turning knite blades, We did not
20 to oall On kentuoky's most famous
OUTLAW, who has just been parl0ned
cut OF the p%enitentisry by Governor
Blackburn. Grove Kennedy kept the
sat- Of kentucky at bay Tor nearly a
year, depopulated Watering place,
scared the Governor cut Of his boots,
laughed a life aud bullied all the
courts Of tie Commonwealth for two
wears. We saw him in Lancaster, a
6ne locking fellow Of perhaps thirty,
eight, With dark hair and beard aud
6ne bright eyes,with asenuine humor.
| Gus sparkle in them. He was steward
in the p~enitenuary Tor three years aud
5 blelched by confinement. He is a
ypieal danger0usm man OF this vicinity
"a 1868, then a boy Of about eighteen.
he enlisted,in a Federal regiment wait
ng Tor orders. One afternoon he was
sitting by a stump playing poker 10
violation OF rules, when a big bully In
camp bagun to abuse him. Grove an
sEersd back calmly with worse abuse,
ani never turned his head The bully
s. pped up behind him with a kuife
aud was about TO bend over the boy 10
tab, when Grove lifted a revolver ly-
ing on his lap, pointed 1t over his
shoulder and blew the bully's brains
nut, the bullet entering the eye. He
comes Of a family that kill. They die
generally booted and armed. They
came to Kentucky with Daniel Boone
and owned q, 1000 acres Of garden land
in this Eden Of Kentucky They be
gan by killing Indians and have never
gotten over it. Old Ed Kennedy was
Groves uncle and foster father In
1871 they quareled and had q lawsuit.
After old Eb had given his testimony
ia court be insulted Grove and walked
out. Grove calmly went out on the
balcony and as his uncle walked DOVE
the sidewalk drew a bead on the old
man with a shotgun and sent the
whole case to a higher court. The
charge went in behind the ear and
generously came out all over the old
mans oOuntenance.
AN OUTLAWS HEROIC WIFE.
Grove was arrested without resist
snce and bis preliminary trial came
of 10 connection with an application
10 be admitted TO bail. The trial oc
cupied three days. The prisoners
friends began to gather ominously
when it seemed sure that bail must be
refused. One morning the court sta
toned twenty armed men inside the
door, with Instructions to disarm every
person who entered the room. The
court chamber will accommodate
about two hundred. When court be
gan l60 pistols aud knives were piled
upon the clerks table. Bail was re-
fused. Kennedy was led out under
heavy guard TO Jail. His brother-in'
l.w lived across the street aud a:
Grove passed his wife, who was wait.
ing, ran out towards him. La an in
slant Grove leaped from among hi
guards and his wife threw herself be.
fore him and covered his fight. HI
gained his brother in-law's house ant
escaped out the back way.
For six months be was st large. HI
passed the summer at the famousCrat
Orchard SPRINGS, the Saratoga Of tn,
State He had announced that b.
would not surrender and there wa.
nobody 10 the State anxious to captur.
rim. He is distantly related toHenr,
Watterson, editor of the Courier
Journal. Mr. Watterson went Il
ICrab Orchard and Grove introduced
himself and invited Watterson 10 tax,
a drink.
why" said Wstterson, with hi
great ringing laugh, as they drabI
together, don't you know that Gov
ernor McCresry is cominp over her
day alter tomorrow 70 nee me2 Yol
bad better clear out
mot much" said Grove. 4" II Gov
ernor MoCreary comes TO Crab Or.
ehard I'll ask him to take a drin
with me-"
"He won't do it" said Wattersor
IN bet you fifty dollars" said tn
OUTLAW, that il NoCreary comes h
drinks with me-"
To prevent trouble Watierson tel
eeraphed M9Creary not to come, an
he Governor hurried back to Frank
fort, aud offered a large reward 70
~theloutlaws capture.
A FAMOUS CATCHER OF MURDERER:
The reward was large enough /
invite the approval Of George W
Hunter, of Bardstown, POPULAR
known az Marshal Hunter. Hunte
is the coolest and most determine
msn in Kentucky, a small, squar
iawed man with quick gray eyes an.
little hands that have a grip OF iror
Whenever an outlaw is domande
whom nobody else in the State d,re
( sttack, Hunter disappears quietly irol
Bardstown and vanishes from publ
{, sight. Sooner or later he turns u
igain with his prisoner in handcud
Or you read a double loaded dispatc
q y the Louisville papers to the efeC
that 10 an effort ~ capture his prison
r Marshal Hunter has shot hiI
through the head. | asked Hunte
once what was the secret OF his sue
{ cess.
, well" be said, you always 70
= the drop on a MAI aud, II ho don't d
What you want, shoot"
Hunter disappeared from Bardstow
after the reward had been offered 70
Kennedy. This was Published an.
0 Kennedy At once disappeared frot