The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-10
TURNER PARTON EEUO..
A Fresh Outbreak of Hostilities in
the Mountains Of Southeast
kentucky.
Killed in An Attempt to Capture
Berry Turner. the Notorious
Outlaw.

Outlaw. #y
The Bandit Chief and His Bloody Carecr-
Two Cownrdly Murders Among
His Many Butoheries.
PrNEv1LLE, Ky, Feb. 8.-Crinson spots
still distigure the face of the moon in the
neighborhood of South America, on the
edge OF Bell county, the scene Of the war
between the Turner and Patton factions.
Particulars of another conflict between the
two factions have been received, and one
more man has been added to the list of the
dead. The fight occurred Monday, and the
name of the dead man is George Sharp, n
MONDE. of the Turner side. The particu-
lars are rs follows: Since the killing of
the Parton men, Jones and Davis, last
week, hostilities were temporarily sns-
pended, each side Watching the movements
of the other with the vigilance of a savage
trained in warfare. Berry Turner, the
leader Of the Turner band, however, played
u clever dodge on his adyersaries, which,
though 1T YVES not wholly successful, was
ueVeEbu6lobb CAeNoIly CoACoASOo. ~
and his men still held possession of the old
cabin, and kept themselves we'll out Of view
for the first day or 80, but seeing no pros.
pect of another rally from the enemy, de-
cided to make a strategic movement Ac-
cordingly, about q dozen of the Turner
men left the house on Monday. leaving only
Berry Turner and young George Sharp at
home. Turner pretended to busy himself
about the house, apparently Indifferent to
the Partons. Along toward dark four of
the Partons made a bold break for the
house and easily got the drop on the Tur-
ners, and were proceeding to take them
away as prisoners, when Berry gave a sig-
nal, shouting, which brought his men, who
had only gone a short distance away. back
to the scene of action. The would-be cap
tors saw That the jig was up andprepared to
make their escape. A fusilade of shots was
exchanged, and when the smoke cleared
way it was revealed that George Sharp
was killed, and that the four Partons had
made good their escape to the mountains.
Berry Turner, the notorious leader, eb-
capped unframed. The scene OF the trouble
is about thirty miles from this point, over
mountain roads all but impossible. 1t is
in Tennessee, q short distance from the
line. The blood of the mountalneers is up,
and the end of this fight, from the present
outlook, appears only in the dim, distant
future. The mountalneers OF kentucky
fight cautiously, ho~wever-more after the
Indian tashion-and another battle will
hardly occur until a favorable opening is
made by one side or the other.
The murderer and outlaw, Berry Turner,
who. with his faction, is spreading terror
of a fighting family, and has we'll sustained
the funlily reputation. Previous to his re-
cent exploits Turner had a known record
of killing two men, Both of these mur-
deis we're Committed in the most cold
blooded manner imaginable. In Claibo ne
Berry Turner brutally murdered his own
cousin, Will Turner. The manner Of the
killing is described as mast heartless.
Berry, for some trivial or imaginary
offense, had dete mined to kill his cousin.
They met and Berry p,offered friendship,
but. watching his opportunity, whom Willis
back WAS turned, the murderer shot his vic
tim with his own gun, which Will had laid
aside.
For this offense Turner fled Tennessee
and crossed over the line into kentucky,
and a few months later committed another,
in about the same style. He became en-
ragged at a young man BY the name of Jim
lewis, over an affair about a woman, and
deliberately laid a plan to kill him. He
asked young Lewis to go with him to the
woods oneday. saying that he wished to test
the powers of q new Winchester rifle which
lie had just purchased. Turner asked
Lewis to step of q certain distance md
arrange "a target for him. Viii 9 the poor
boy was doing as he had been asked Turner
took deliberate aim and shot the young fell
low in the back, killing him.. Turner was
after q long time arrested, and. 1t was that
killing and the manner of the subsequent
arrest of the murderer which led to what is
now a full fiedged feud. Lewis was Il friend
of the Patton family. which Is II large and
fighting one in that neck OF the woods.
Bill Parton. who is now on the Plnevlllc
police force. headed a small posse and sue
ceeded in surprising Turner and capturing
him without any bloodshed. Lee Davis and
Will Jones, the two men who were killed
last Wednesday, by Turner, assisted in the
arrest. Turner was placed in Jail at this
place, and, while awaiting his trial, made
his escape. He overLowered the jailer and,
together with q numbor of other prisoners,
fled to the mountains. He, with character
istic instincts, went back to his old stamp
ing ground in the sweet-scented locality of
South Anne ica." This was one year ago.
Since then he has lived the life OF a typical
desperado, and has called about him a gang
OF the same peculiar breed.
Turner announced that he had picked out
Jones. Davis and Bill Parton rs his especial
game. Bill Parton found occasion to move
to Pinaville to live-not that he feared Yur-
ner, but that he liked Pineville better.
Jones and Davis remained in the neighbor-
hood, but are said to have been in mortal
fear of the desperado. They even went
SO far as to deposit $500 in the Pinevilis
bank as e reward for tho capture of Turner.
The two men. together with Manuel Parton,
finally de.8rMined to ATTEMPT the capture
themselves. The result was disastrous.
Manuel Parton WAS killed. Th men had
quietly surrounded the Turner stronghold
and lay in wait for the outlaw to show him
SELF. While in this situation Manuel Parton.
in an unguarded moment exposed his head
from behind a fallen tree. 1t was enough. In
the next moment y bullet from the Winches-
ter Of Berry Turuor had pierced the I'M
fortunate fellows brain. The distance is
taid to have beon 200 yards, and tho shot
was Il good one. The rest of tho party then
bent a quist retreat and loft the dead body
of their comrade on tho field. 1t lay there
for four days, and when some of the friends
of the unfortunate man were ventur, some
enough to take the body away they found
that only u few bones and clothing re-
manned. The body had bsen literally
eaten up by tho hogs. The murder and
subsequent inhumnn action of Berry Tur-
nor so fired the hatred of the Parton boys
thnt they made the attempt to capture, or
rather kill, the outlaw, which resulted in
the death OF Davis and Jones.
Hav no equal IS n prompt and positive euro
for sick healache, hiliousaess. constitution, main