The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-11-12
WEST VIRGINIA'S FEUD.
A Pending Family War and
It's Origin.
THEDRAMA OFFUDGE CREEK
There Will Be No Peace for the Billups or
Pixies Until One OF the Other
Tribe Is Exterminated.
Cincinnati En- Quirer.

The western part of West Virginia has
been noted for its family feuds. Less than
seventy miles to the south of Huntington
| occurred the bloody Hatfield Mccoy TRACE
/ dies, aud not over thirty miles back of
huntington IS the region where Paris Brum-
| field. noted desperate, met his death at
the hands Of his own SON last April, going
| TO his grave with the blood of ten men on
! his hands. Paris was often indicted, but
was never brought to justice. He made fun
| of the Sheriff, and remarked not long before
| he dropped with his boots on from ball
| from a gun in his sons hands that there
was no necessity 10 send Judge to this
county to try cases; that they always let
people in his township do as they pleased.
The records of Lincoln County will now
show that Brumield bad at least 1000 in
dietmenis against him, from misdemeanor
to felony, yet he never suffered one days
Imprisonment.
The people were glad when he was buried,
and, thong h his son has been indicted. yet
he will not be tried. and if tried will be
acquitted.
Feuds seem to be indigenous to the soil,
and this-one of the foremost counties of
the State-has one Of even unusual atrocity.
and the seed of enactment is only few
miles from this city.
Fudge Greek derived its name from a
small mountain stream which is a tributary
OF Mud River, and Is situated in Cabell
County, midway between Milton and Bar
louisville, the former county seat, and
south OF n station called Ona on the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Railway.
The people of the neighborhood of the
late Billurs and Pike feud are industrious
and as q general thing law abiding. They
work their farms, which are well titled and
quite productive, a number having very fine
peach orchards on the hil1sides. They also
do great deal OF timbering and stave-
making, the slaves being shipped to the sea-
board, thence across the salt water TO the
wine-prodncing regions of France. They
make railroad ties and peel chestnut-oak
tanbark. The hills and creek bottoms are
well tlmbered; and yield also very fair
quality of coal.
1t is on this creek that one of the most
terrible crimes In his tory occurred few
DAYS ago and the affair was only part of the
Pike-Bilups feud. This family affair has
taken OH great many people, and may yet
take more.
1t was in 1888 that James Pike, big six
foot-three fellow, made his appearance on
Fudge Creek. He would shoot at the drop
Of a hat. He had his wife and ten children
with him. lie squatted on a farm belong
Ing TO an old German and cut of what
timber he could. Officers of the law never
approached him, though the owner asked
them time and again TO run him off
On tie same creek lived Charles Billnps a
son Of the sister of Pike. He like the other
neighbors. feared his uncle, and remarked
that he never lay down OF night in bed
while DIS uncle was living in the neighbor-
hood, cause" said he, Jim come there
TO Kill me Cause l said something about
him."
On August. 1856, Pike did attack BIllups
in the woods, Just above the latter's house.
both were armed with axes. and the fight
lasted some minutes, when Biliups, with a
swing, brought the sharp AK he was hand
ling against the neck of his antagonist.
nearly severing his head from bis body A
CoroneTs jury, after q two days inyestiga-
ton, recommended an aeguittal. Every one
seemed pleased at the taking off of the des-
perado.
Pike left a son. and be was a chip of the
Old oiock No one liked him, and when his
father lay dead In the little cabin WHARF
they lived lie swore vengeance on the slayer.
Outsiders cared nothing about the matter.
but were ready to see the shooting 20 on
Ill both were dead and the feud at an end.
The women of the families took TO sh0otinp
at each other and in April last Mrs. Billups
walked mile to shoot her own niece but
her husband prevented her.
James Pike Jr. married n sister of the
wife OF the man who had killed his father, |
and the families have had so many shoot |
ing scrspes that their trays became regu-
lar and expected thing.
On September % Jim Pike Jr and Charles |
billups met on the way from church. They |
quarreled and Billups applied an odious |
name 10 his sister-in-law. The coward |
went home and told his wife. She grabbed |
a big Winchester that stood in the corner |
and started for the Billups' house. All the /
women in THAT locality are sharpshooters |
She drove the whole family away by pre- |
senting her gun. They knew she would shoot, |
and while the children were making their |
escape she fred on Anuie and Charley |
aged and IL. Charley is now dying and |
the woman will certainly be lynched II the |
females OF the neighborbood can get at her. |
The other child is vet alive, but this feud, |
like ell those West Virginia affairs. will not J
cease until every Bllups and Pike in the |
Fudge Creek region either dies OF moves |
away.
The authorities Of the county have done |
nothing so far, and it is supposed they hope |
Fudge Creek will take the law into its own |
hands.