The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-11

Although Jerry Hatfield il said to have
been dashing mountain scapegrace, he is
definitely accused OF only three murders
aside from his part in the killing OF the
three Mccoy boys already mentioned.
When boy of lG the was not over p when
killed. Jerry was empl- yed at the moOnshine
still which old Bad Anss had up in the
mountains back Of his place on Tug river.
The road to this still. like about all such
roads in that country, was up enc of the
little brooks that oozs and slide down the
| West Virginia mountains, and, because of
the peculiar nature of the mountain SIDE
approach to this still was well nigh impos-
sible.
One day when Anse and help were all
very busily engaged running off the doub-
ling;, they found that they did not have
enough jugs at the still by two to fill the
orders on hand, so Jerry, who was the
youngest of the hired help, was sent hurry
ing down to the house after the jugs. Now,
although he would have two pretty heavy
pieces OF earthen8are to carry back, he
took his squirrel rifle along with him, aud il
very lucky. as he often said, that he did So
1t was lucky for Bad Anse. Half way down
the brook he met stranger coming up.
The stranger held him up at once, but the
boy, with consummate tact, said he was
shooting squirrels, and argued and pleaded
until the mau was thrown off guard in
the head. Ii was deputy United States
marshal looking for Bad Anss's still
The halo of glory that surrounded the
boy thereafter made him anxious to shed
more blood at the earliest possible moment,
and, Of course, he was not very long in
finding opportunity. Although the noun
tain men are very poorly educated, fair
proportion of them are able to read and
write, and SO, because they are isolated from
Fl CN- mr.
for glib statesmen Of patent nostrums. books,
and notions. One day a jewelry peddler
came along and sold young Jerry "a beau
tIful solid silver, four-ounce, hunting case
watch for Sl3 10" At the emf of week
the solid silver had proved TO be solid brass,
and Jerry was in q state OF mind. The ped
dler had had ample time to get clear away
or he would have been the victim Of Jerry's
second shot at human being.
Because 1t worried the boy the young
sters OF the neighborhood chaffed him over
tie bogus watch, and within six weeks after
its purchase this chaff led to a fight at a
froiic over on Pigeon creek. Jerry would
not stand it in the presence of the girls, |
and when he had war ned ono yonng fellow |
that he would not stand it, he slipped iato |
the kitchen, where the family rifle was |
hanging over the door. Herbert Derssy, |
the one with whom Jerry quarreiled, IN |
stead of taking TO the woods and saving his |
life, drew knife and tried 20 head off the |
young Hatfield. But Jerry got the rife |
and shot him, and then, because Derssy |
had drawn a knife was able to plead self |
defence successfully when taken for trial |
before justice of the peace for examina-
ton.
This killing seems to have sobered the |
boy and quenched his thirst for blood for |
some years. He and Derssy had been good |
friends, and Jerry always regretted the |
killing.
Not very much is known here about the |
third killing. jerry and others were raft |
ing logs down Big Sandy TO the Ohio river |
These RATS were from II to Is feet wide |
and 80 or more long, They are handled by |
two men, one at huge oar at each end |
Two RATS met at a chute across q sandbar |
and the two crews quarreled and fought. |
One of the other crew was knocked under |
the raft, it is said, by Jerry.
1t is not impossible that the young man |
was guilty of a darker crime than either of |
these, however. No one knows just what |
he did do in the case Of q young woman |
with whom he eloped. 1t was about six
years ago He had been making love to |
Cecilia Sisson, who lived on the Kentucky |
side Of the river, and the girls father OBJ
jected to the young fellow. SO, as might |
have been expected, Jerry and the girl dis
appeared. Where they went or what be- |
Salbo VI buo blFl III Oue KNOWS, LOT Jerry |
would never tell. A couple who looked |
like Jerry and Celia were known to have
reached Louisa in boat. and there taken
the cars for Catlettsburg, but mountain
boys, with their lank forms. straight black
hair, black eyes, and lantern jaws, are as |
much alike as beans in a nod. The girls are
very much alike. too, and young folks go to |
Louisa in rowboats every week to take the |
cars TO Catlettsburg. If Jerry took the
girl there he Abandoned her, and she be-
came an Ohio river waif, which is a pretty
bad kind Of waif. II he did not do that
he may have killed her on the way down
the river, which was the favorite highway
for lovers, and has not intrequently proved
the highway of death to girls who resisted
too importunate lovers. Most people think
Jerry killed the girl, in spite of the fact that
there is no proof of such a crime.