The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1894-05-10
HAZEL GREEN, WOLFE COUNTY, Ky, THURSDAY MAY TO- 1894
'FRAID O. SQUATTERS.
Said to Be Dangerous to Take Dcpo-
sitions in Breathitt County.
An Interesting History of the suit by the
South Hcirs--.For Twenty Years
They Have Not Visited
the Property.

The famous and. involved litigation
surrounding the suit of n. G, Morse and
others against the South heirs came up
before Judge Barr, of the Federal circuit
court, this morning on remarkable
motion made by Barry South, one of the
defendants. He filed afiidavits stating
that it was dangerous to take dispositions
of certain witnesses at their homes in
Breathitt county, and asked an order of
court authorizing it to be done at Jack.
son, the county seat.
The case Is a most remarkable one.
Long before the war the Hon. Jerry
South, who for years was kingbee in
Kentucky politics and Jesse Of the Frank.
fort peni,entiary, bought, along with
Judge Breck, an immense tract of land
in Breathitt county. The purchase price
was triaing, as the land for years was
considered practically valueless, No at.
tention was paid to 1t by the owners, and
it was taken possession of by squatters,
who built houses and eked out bare
existence.
When Jerry South died the Breathitt
county lands were part of the large
estate which he left his heirs. The land,
it was later found, covered camel coal
fields, and as facilities for transportation
improved the squatters not only operated
mines, but felled the valuable timber.
In the meantime Judge Breck had dis
posed of his part of the property, but
the land was never divided and n. G.
Morse and Others who inherited il from
the purchaser brought suit for parti.
ton, the South heirs, of which there are
several branches, became involved in
litigation, and now it would be hard to
accurately define the legal status of the
many suits.
To bring the cases to trial in the Fed.
eral court at Frankfort, to which they
were assigned, II is necessary to secure
dispositions of number of squatters
and other witnesses who reside on the
land.
These people, it is represented by
Barry South, are lawless and desperate
and II would be as much as his life is
worth to make the attempt to invade the
neighborhood. The leader of the squat
tiers is Bill Strong, one of the most noto-
rious men in the state, so Mr.. South
says. Strong is a sort of feudal hero,
exercising over his own neighbors a
greater power than ever did landed baron
in the days of nighterrantry. He was
one of the leading spirits in the noted
feud between the Strong Little faction
on one side and the Burnett faction on
the other, in which, it will be remem.
bered, Judge Burnett was killed, and to
suppress which the Louisville Legion
was sent TO the mountains. So much
feared is Strong that on one occasion
when his son was arrested for some
offense nobody had temerity enough to
try him. Bill has been a terror to Gov
eminent officers, and it was his followers
who few years ago planned to burn
General Deputy Collector Spurrier alive
for having made some seizures of Illicit
stills 10 the neighborhood.
Mr.. South, in his statements TO Judge
Barr, said that the Souths had never for
the past twenty years dared to visit the
and that in order To have the
property cared for a receiver had been
asked for and bad been appointed by the
county court. This receiver was Prof.
Goff, a prominent educator Of Jackson.
Mr.. South's statements as to the dan
ger which attends the efforts TO take de-
positions in Breathitt were supported by
affidayits from several persons, among
them Prof. Gof. Mr.. j. b. Markham,
United States Commissioner at Frank.
fort aud a representative Of the Moss
interests, contended that there would be
no danger, and that no demonstration
had ever been made by any Of the wit
nesses. Each South and Markham was
placed on the stand aud cathechized by !
the other, but the verbal passages at
arms became so tart that Judge Barr
took the examination into his own hands.
He finally granted Mr. Soulh's motion
taking occasion 10 say that he was ex-