The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-11-15
Devil" Ance's Work.
MURDER DOES NOT SPARE INNOCENT WOMEN
IN KENTUCKY.

| MURDER DOES NOT SPARE INNOCENT WOMEN
IN KENTUCKY.
The burning of McCoy'S house was an event
that thrilled the entire nation with horror, says
the New York Herald, referring to the capture
| of "bcmon" Mounts, one of the men concern
ed in The outrage. Here is the picture of this
awful night in the Kentucky wilderness which
was drawn by the special correspondent. who
rode over the mountains to the scene of the
bloody border war last February and talked to
| the survivors:
1t wa New Years night-a cold, blustery,
moonlight night-whcn the main body of the
Hatfield gang met at Old Ance's house and
marched across the Tug, up Pounding Mill
creek to It little fork. up that fork and down
| another to The main Blackberry creek, and
from there TO the house of Randolph Mccoy,
on the Blackberry fork of Pond creek.
| When the band arrived at the two cabins side
| by side the light, were out. Old man Mccoy
slept in one with his wife, his eldest son, Cal
| vim, nnd bis tiny nephew. In the connecting
cabin slept his three daughters, Affair, Ade-
iaido and Fanny, and their little niece Affair
was tie eldest. Il gentle. religious girl. known
| all over the country rs nurse who was al
| ways ready to tend the sick and helpless. Her
life was devoted to charitable deeds and mis-
~ionS of tenderness. She was the guardian of
| her murdered brothers orphans.
'>trrender.'
Il WAS hoHrse fierce cry that broke on the
night aiY.
~ oulI invade Virginia and klnap citizens,
| VIII YOU: Come out and surrender prison
ers of war;"
There was a terrific chorus of yeIl> Calvin
| Mccoy and his father knew what it meant.
! The doors were barricaded. Calvin went up
| stairs, while his father and mother stayed
| down stairs. The girls in the next cabin
/ crouched in a corner.
It enc out. you, and yield.'
j voliey Of rifle bullets cut through the back
and front doors Of the cabin Calvin knocked
! olit the weather boartn" at either end of the
caDn @arret and tired with mis- repeating rifle,
| first out OF one loophoie and then out of the
either The firing kept up for some time.
| Then he IIatiieliS ordered the McCovs to light
up the interior of the cabin. There was no
| response. They went to the door of the cabin
| Wherr the trembling girls covered, and ordered
| thein to make a light. Affair cried and de-
| rarcI that She had no matches.
" hlie this was goin" on the rest of the Hat
iicd gang was piIing torches against the cabin
occupied by Old Mccoy. and at last SET it OH
| tire. The Old man threw water out and en-
| tjn-uj>hed it a. fast a> the fire was relit.
| Finally the water was all gone. The danes
| Wtre beginning to hiss and crackle around the
"Atilar." cried Calvin from above go and
put tat fire out with milk"
Ion, Calvin, Calvin, They'll kill me- plead
ed the yirl.
.lut it out. Affair" >hrieked the heroic
young fellow. he fired a shot at i; figure
Stalking below.
The gin appeared ut the door, and several
rifles were eNelled at her She advanced.
"(io back, You -. or You'll be
Shot like a dog
'tap Hatfield and Hence Chambers. know
yru,' she cried. "Iou won't kill woman.
VIII yuu: | have two little orphans to raise.
Cap, have prayed to God for you, and have
prayed for peace Don't murder me-
'Nomcr.y to women. ;" hssed a voice through
the darkness. ">lay all. She'll be a witness"
IA the name of our Lord" R-r-r-r bang.
Inr soft eyed Affair fell over ON the stove
w,Ih rifle bullet through her gentle bosom.
Her sisters pulled the dead GIRL from the stove,
Whirh was burning her flesh.
"ph. my God. Mother, Affair shot. Go
tu her, >'r"aintI Calvin.
~ the ray haired mother stepped oft into
the yard 70 reach her daughter in the next
.ahiu she was roughly ordered back BY oi,!
Jim Vance. The frantic woman rushed on.
and WAS feel bya blow in the side with Il rifle
barrel. which fractured two ribs Still the old
mother craWled on in the light of the flames al
most TO The door, inside of which her child lay
da:lt. There Wa- Il man ut the door with Il
cpct, Il pistol.
y uu old -----, ii! Kill YOU, toe. il
you i,,,'t 90 back. - he growled.
'Oti. for The sake Of hri>t, let me 90 TO my
poor dead girl, d"n't mean any harm. Let
jHc ~ur my child.
A riff butt crashed on the venerable head.
AND the mother lay still.
Inc tigiI in the either cabin was becoming
terrific. A~ the lam,> slowly ate away the
wood work below old Mccoy crawied up into
the garrett with his iion-hearted son, and the
two hHf naked prisoners fought like tigers for
their lives. Tie air was sitting, and they
cou!i feel the warm breath of the flames. Now
the beams hrgln TO crack, and smoke poured
into tie little coop.
"Eaher, III make dash. It's our only
chanee. If reach the corn crib alive, I'll be
aide /" protect YOU with my rifle
The TWO shook hands ami kissed ,never to meet
again on earth. Calvin ran ont of the door, and
doubling up, raced like a deer, with his rifle
IN A~ hand. \ stream of bullets followed him.
He hah cone 30 yards when a bullet crashed
through his head, and he leaped into the air
H1a fell upon lis face corpse.
soon the Oh man appeared at the door bare
footed, !archaadcd and in his night clothes.
H. discharged both barrels of his shotgun into
til. crowd, killing Ellison Mounts and wound |
ing jim Vance, French Ellis and two others.
A. the mutliaiel @In" scattered the Old man !
escaped into the woods. lie crawled up on a
ledge OF rocks. and from the shadow peered
down ut his burning cabin, half frozen in the
bitter Ninlrr wind and writhing with fear
that h- little ones would he put to death be- |
fore his tye>. lie could see the logs that he
had liled together faIln- apart and the light
Of lhe flames sparkling in the creek beyond.
Then "anc Il >i-ht that made his heart stand
~til! almost. The -irS crawled out of the cabin
ana placed the corpse Of gentle Affair upon a
bed. folding her hands upon her breast and
clo~ny her eyes. Then they helped Mrs. Me-
Coy to crawl to the bed ard lie down beside
her Slain daughter. The old man saw the girls
ttieh search for their brother. lie did not
know the boy was dead till he heard their heart
irln>iiNiny .ricS when they came upon him.
The, made a bed for him, too, and the children
lay town under the clothes beside him all
night.
when the noiyhbors came i'm the morning
they found this appalling scene. Adelaide was
kncc!ing beside her rother, with his head in
her arms. calling M on him to speak, she
had called al night. The girl had gone stark
mad.
OIt Mccoy meanwhile was almost dead from
cold. He wandered up the mountain till he
found pace where some hogs mad warmed
the mirc. He stuck his feet deep into the mud
and remained there till day break. when he
staggered into tie cabin of John Scott. haggard
and hallow-eyed
O. Justice. ii t>t thou no eye for scenes like
these: Are thy feet gone out Of the wilder
ness forever!
They rode in from very hill and valley to
the victims puried. The rough chivary of
the mountains gathered about the ruined
hou.e. and when Affair and Calvin We're laid
in the earth there were five linalenged graves
III IA row. They carried back the story to every
corner of Pike county, and the soul of Ken
turhy burned.