The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-09
IN VIRGINIA WILDs.

Gov Mckinney Fad some Interesting
Adventures in the Border Counties.
From the Richmond Slate
by the way" remarked the governor,
II see the papers to day publish sensational
items about the man 'Talr Hall, who Is be-
ing carried back to Wise county. l under
stand the people there declare they will
lynch him. It's an awful country down
there, and We who live hundreds of miles
away eau hardly realize its roughness a d
lawlessness. In the extreme southwestern
part OF the state Is the Pond river which,
though narrow, is unfath mably deep. It
twists aud turns, and in one place, after
running ten miles, It curves back to a
stones throw of the starting point.
The state of Virginia in the extreme
| southwestern portion is singular SHAPED and
a good, long-rangs gun can shoot from one
state into two Others-Kentucky, Tennessee
and Virginia coming together there. Like
all border country, this section is wild and
| lawIess
Il never saw an example of their lawless-
ness but once. 1t was while l vas election
| eeriug for governor. MIR Alexander was
| with me. We spoke in a builuing that was
used for both school and church. There
was no pulpit, but platform with a table
/ on it. While the speaking was going on |
| noticed three men in a corner, each with a
| Winchester rifle in his hand As the room
| had four windows on each side, this was the
only place where they could not be shot
I from the outside.
81 had finished speaking and Alexander
was almost through. when l heard & rapid
| fusillade outside. The shooting was di-
rectly in front Of the building the only
| place it could not have been seen from the
inside.
ave started to go out. but the men in the
| room formed a ring around us and told US
not to; that il would DO over in few
| seconds.
"a little later we went out. Three men
were lying on the ground They pointed
out an old man as being tae worst wouaded
| OF the lot and almost sure to die He was
shot directly through tho body. went up
to HIM aud, taking his hand, which was
| covered with blood, told him that | was
sorry to see him in such bad fix He
looked up into my face. saying: % that's
! all right, governor. The - radical doesn't
| live who can keep me from voting for you.
| This was Saturday, and l understand that
| he did vote on Tuesday.
The men who did the shooting" contin-
ued the governor, "must have been
strangers to that section, for they were
| easily caught. They started Off on a run,
but being hard pressed took to the low
lands without knowing it. In a few min
utes they found the Pond river in a circle
IN front OF them and their pursuers on the
| hilltop behind. Being mountain men they
could notswim stroke, and the canoe was
on the other side. A demand to ground
their arms accordingly complied with, aud
they were taken into custody.
| THAT night we spoke at Wise Court
| House. Inc next morning the sheriff came
into my room. He was tall man, not I'M
| handsome and not unintelligent Cow
| ernor,' he said, i had to kill another one of
them last night
II asked him what he meant He replied
that 1t was too dark to bring the prisoners
to the court house the night before, and he
had stopped at a log schoolhouse with them.
| In the middle of the night they were awak-
ened by a party of rescue-s armed with
! Wlachesters He said he realized that
| some one was obliged to be killed. and
| quick at that. Pulling mis- revolver, he
| slapped it to the side of the man nearest to
him and killed him.
Il asked him how he knew that he killed
him, when so many shots were fred. He
| answered that he felt the mau's heart beat
ing on the pistol when he pulled the trigger.
While in this country the governor
went on, " noticed one morning a line Of
| smoke curling up from the foot OF the
mountain. thought / would walk down
and see what it was There were no paths.
aud suppose had to climb half a dozen
fences never saw so many fences in my
| life. When ! got to the bottom found il
was my host firing up his still Such
| location for such a purpose conld not
| be sequaled. The still was located
on the bank Of the river, upon a natural
dam. A shove Of the shoulder would put
1t in fifty feet of water. On the opposite
side was a cliff that man not used to the
mountains could no more climb than you
could the Lee monument. Alongside the
still lay canoe with paddle in it. Such
supply Of dogs and horns never saw.
If revenue man came TO the house the
dogs or women would see him. The latter
would blow the horns and the former bark.
Even if they did not no mortal man could
climb all those fences without being discov-
cred by the person running the still A
shove OF the shoulder and the still was in
the bottom of the river. Into the canoe. a
few strokes of the paddle, and the moon
sinner would be on the other side where no
man C0uld follow