Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-10-31
A 6LooDY BATTLE

Attacks the Howard Camp, and q Sharu
Engagement Follows-History of Tho
Feud.
PINEvILLE KY, Oct 23-Two hours
before daylight yesterday morning the
Law and Order party, hitherto called the
Turner faction of Harlan County, fifty
men in all, armed with Win chester rifles
and revolvers, under the leadership OF
County Judge Lewis, left the courthouse
and made an assault on the Howard
forces, who were in camp one
mile from the town. The engage.
ment was short sharp and terrific.
Not one Of the attacking party was
hurt, but one of the other side, Willard
Dean, was instantly killed and six others
were wounded. Among the wounded are
Bird Spurlock, whose injuries are NOR.
tai, and Robert Napier, whose recovery
is not among the possibilities. Bird Spur
lock was shot in the head. almost all OF
his lower jaws being destroyed By ball
from a Winchester. Napier son Of
George Napier, received two bullets, one
of which passed through his abdomen
probably cutting the intestines. Benja-
min Mitchell and George Cole were shot
in the legs. Thomas Howard got flesh
wound in the thigh. James Spuriock had
a close call. A bullet grazed his temple,
tearing away handful Of hair and a few
inches of skin, but not fractrring the
skull.
There was report current that Wills on
Howard had been MORALLY wounded, but
later advices are that he escaped unhurt.
The foregoing list of casualties may be
relied upon as absolutely correct, it hav =
ing been furnished by gentleman who
left Harlan Court House this morning.
The Howard gang were badly de-
moralized by the attack and it's disastrous
results, and they changed camp to q
point about three miles from the court
house. They have been making the house
OF E. NJ. Howard their headquarters. E.
NJ. Howard is a cousin of William How
ard. This fresh outbreak of hostilities is
due in large measure to the assassination
Of John Curran last Saturday. For q
long time this internecine war in Harlan
has BEEN called the Turner Howard feud.
1t has now come to be struggle be-
tween Wilson Howard and followers on
one side and County Judge Lewis, repre-
senting the Law and Order section, on
the other side. Lewis. who is one Of the
wealthiest mon in the county, is a Baptist
preacher who never took drink or swore
an oath in his life. At the August cleo
ton in 1886 he was chosen Judge Of the
County Court. He undertook to enforc
the Local Option law and, meeting with
resistance, used extreme measures to
carry out his rulings. He managed to
incur the displeasure of Wilson Howard,
and, being put to the necessity of gather
ing possee, was compelled to call on
the adherents of Turner. The families
of Howard and Turner are old and their
relationship is so extensive that they
practically control the entire population.
Harlan County is, perhaps, the most
mountainous in the State. The three
forks of the Cumberland river find their
origin there. Glover Fork and Martin
Fork unite above the town and one mile
below the court house make their con-
fuence with Poor Fork. after which the
stream is called Cumberland river. There
are about l, 2C0 voters in the county, and
the Repub licans have 600 majority. The
people are clever and hospitable, but
they are very dangerous citizens in diff
Guilty.
The gentleman from whom the partic-
ulars of the battle were learned left Har-
Ian Court House this morning. He said:
There is no use trying to describe
the condition of affairs in Harlan. Will
son Howard has no less than forty men
in his gang and they are all we'll armed
and desperate. Judge Lewis is, however,
determined to capture the whole crowd
and he has plenty Of followers behind
him. The women are badly frightened
and nobody feels safe in the town.
wish the Governor would, if he had that
power, declare martial law in the county
and give US relief. lam going away and
don't expect ever to return. I shall GER
tainly not 60 back until these troubles
are settled"
''When did this trouble between tho
Turner's and the Towards begin?"
"It began ten years before the war and
is the Oldest, bloodiest feud that ever dis
graced the State. On the Turner side, at
its incipiency, were two brothers. named
William and James Turner, both gentle
men of wealth and prominent. The
possessions OF James Turner consisted
largely in slaves, while William was a
large landholder. One of their enemies,
who was killed by Bill Turner, was named
Gilbert. Nick Howard was probably the
first man who started the other side.
Others involved are the Cawoods, the
Howard, who is now the central figure in
his party, has killed several men. He
killed two men named Bailey and Georg
B. Turner and William w. Turner. II
also severely wounded Bony Turner.
Wilson Howard is now about fifty
years of age. He was hot-headed
and impetuous in his youth, and
was, I think, imposed upon. One
OF his boldest 1ieutenants is a man
named William Jennings. These men
have, on two or three occasions, left Har-
Ian Court House and gone West, but they
have invariably returned after brief alb
sences."
Upon being asked how many lives had
been sacrificed in this feud the gentle.
man said:
81 suppose it would be safe to say that
no less than fifty men have been killed
since these troubles began. Nearly every
body in the county is retained by one
party or the other, and there is little
room for hope that there will ever be
peace"
It is believed that Wilson Howard will.
in the next few days, attempt to avenge
the assault of yesterday, and the news
from Harlan will be of intense interest
until blood begins to flow again.
Among the aged domestic animals
owned by Farmer Brown, of Tuscara-
was County, O., are dog sixteen
years of age, a cat that is nearly
a rooster of thirteen sum.
mars and a COW of TWENTY-FIVE