The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-04-03
DYING FOR A FALSE LOVER.
Tia" Pathetic side of Life Among Kentucky
MoonShiners-A Mountain Tragedy,

chue othccrS, under command of Special
Balliif Tom Prather, raided through
Rowan and the adjoining county of Nor
gan, Kentucky, last week At an aban-
doned still house on one of the numerous
headings of Iocum creek, Morgan coun-
ty, they found the dead and partly de-
composed body Of Dick Alfrey, the last
of that famous family of moonshiners,
who have for years deted the United
States authorities. The still house was
a rude slIanty of unhewn logs, and, lying
in one corner, with his head among the
dead embers of the still fire, was Alfrey's
body. He had evidently committed sui
eide, for the muzzle OF his loug squirrel
rifle vas clenched between his fleshless
jaws. The upper part of his skull was
missing and pieces of the shattered bone
were found imbedded in the dry bark of
the logs composing the shanty. His
taklng-otf was the last act of a most
pathetic tragedy. Two years ago Alfrey
ran an Illicit still in the very house in
which he committed selfmurder His
partner was old Bill Elliott, we'll known
IN both Rowan and Morgan counties as
Crippled Bill, he having been badly
wounded in one Of John Morgan's raids,
from the effects of which he never recov-
cred. Bill Elliott made his appearance
at ocum creek Immediately after the
surrender of Appomattox and bought a
small tract of rough land on Squirrel
Ridge. BY dint of much labor he cleared
away the heavy timber and thick under
brush and erected a small cabin, a COW
shelter and other rude shanties that 60
to make up the buildings of Ridge far
mer. lie might have been very sociable
and companionab,e a man in his early
manhood, but his misfortunes seemed to
have soured his disposition and he made
few acquaintance and fewer friends.
ELoPED WITH HIS NEIGHROR's DAuGUTEh
His nearest neighbor was Squire Dink
Hanna, and one night, much to the
'Squire's indignation and everyone elses
surprise, Crippled Bill aud his neighbours
youngest daughter, Captola. mounted
their horses and rod7 across the country
to the Ohio river. crossing which stream
they were made man and wife by Squire
Massie Reasley, at Aberdeen, the Gretna
Green of America. They returned to
SnnIrra1 I2iI.ra FIR, Il
began life quietly and modestly in Grip
pied Bilps humble cabin. Bill evidently
lived his young and pretty wife, and she
was devotedly attached to her homely
husband. squire Dink Hanna never
f1rgave his daughter for her marriage
aud the two families were estranged.
About year after the elopement
daughter was born to the strangely
matched couple and three days after the
little one opened its eyes the mother clos
ed hers in death Crippled Bill m burned
for his lost mate as only a strong man
can, and when an unIettered mountain
preacher pronounced over her grave the
last rites that Christians give to their
dead he threw himself upon the mound
and groaned n agony of spirit. The
rough but kindly neighbors led him home.
When he entered his cabin with sad
and melancholy face his haggard eyes
fell upon the mothcrless babe sleeping
quietly in the home made cradle that
the neighbor woman, who had nursed
Bills wife i'll her last sickness, had drawn
up before the blazing fire of pine knots.
The helplessness AID innocence of the
babe no dou5t,kindlel in his bosom new
hope for the future, for his face grew
brighter aud he Turned to the neigh bors
who had followed him and said, with
rough klndliness:
'NaburS, the berryin' $ over. I'm gwine
to make a fresh start ter morrow fur her
sake. - and he pointed to the sleeping
child and, bending iown, kissed ths lit
tla pink cha"ks.
To everybody's surprise the child lived.
He called her Kate and as she grew older
the adjective ''little" was added to her
uame because of her fairy like grace and
delicacy of limb and features, aid when
she was seven years old everybody on
Iocum knew Crippled Bills Little Kate.
CRIPPLED BILL TURNS MooNsHINER.
She loved her rough old father and he
nod Co., I, 1
to be more precise, in 1874, Crippled Bill
fell in with the Al(rey boys and they in
duced him to Din them in running
moonshine still. The profits OF the bust
ness were somethin. euormous-if you
didn't get causht-and Crippled Bill be-
came their partner. For upwards of ten
ness and detied capture,
locum creek is one of the most pecu-
liar streams in Mountain Kentucky. 1t
heads i'll Morgan county and empties into
the Licking, nearly opposite Morehead.
For a distance of five miles it runs
through the Narrows of Yocum, a deep
and gloomy canyon, through which treads
rough wagon road. This road crosses
the little stream a hundred and fifty
seven times and the gorge is one of the
most weirdly picturesque spots in Amer
lea. Cliffs, whose tops tower hundreds
of feet above the bed of the stream, wall
it on either side. Their faces are covered
with thick growth of laurel bushes and
tall frs and pines overhang their sum-
mits. Prof Henry, of the Smithsonian
made careful examination of the cliffs
on both sides. He found behind the
screen of laurel bushes roomy caves, and
in the depths of these caverns the bones
of the great bear and traces of that curl
Gus prehistoric race, the cave-wellers.
1t was in one of these cavers that Grip
Piled Bill Elliott and the Alfrey boys car
ried on the business of illicit distilling.
They disposed of the product of their
still to the lumbermen on the river and
divided among themselves the profit
The gang had numerous encounters with
the revenue officers, and one after an
other of the Alfreys were killed until
only Dick remained. There were war
rants out for his arrest charging him
with killing revenue officer and with
Illicit distilliAg. Armed with his long
squirrel rifle he roamed through the
mountains and freely visited the towns,
boasting that he would kill the first man