The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-02-01
ALL INJURED.
Attempt to Capture the Notorious
Flernings.
4 Desperate Encounter Takes Place. In
which Ill the PartIc! pants Were Hurt
and Two Arc Already Dead-An-
other, 1t is believed, Will Die.

other, 1t Is Believed, VIII DE.
Bio STONE GAP, Va, Jan. 29.-Ed
Hall and Doc" Swindell, two of the
men shot in the terrible fight with the
Fleming boys at Boggs, W. Va, last
Saturday. arrived here Sunday. From
them was learned the full particulars
of the fight the facts Of which have
been so meagcrly reported, owing to
Che inaccessibility of the town from
railroad md telegraph.
Off and on since the bloody and TEND
ish murder of the Mullins family, al
most two years ago, by Doc Taylor re-
Gently hanged, and the Fleming boys,
parties of men have been on the watch
and have made raids to capture the
Flemings.
Most active in these raids were the
Eranham boys, Ed Hall and Doc Swim
dell. So eager and conspicuous were
they that at times when they came
upon the Flemings they were singled
out as marks for their unerring rifles.
Esconced in the mountain Businesses
of kentucky, among friends, it was
almost impossible to get at the Elem
ings. SO secure they felt that they
went so far as to plant crop, one OF
them in women's dress doing the plow-
ING and attended to the running of a
sawmill.
The Branham crowd did not, how
ever, give up the pursuit, but
have hunted and watched for the
past year. The Flemings repeatedly
sent them word that they would on old
scores shoot any Of them on sight. Tho
motive of the Branham crowd in the
capture, that Of obtaining the reward
for the bodies dead or alive, and never
from sense Of bringing the guilty to
Justice, now turned to a personal mat
ter. With the Indian thirst for revenge
Jno Branham, El Hall and Doc Swim
dell began in earnest to wipe out
at any cost their differences
They soon made it too hot for the
Flemings in kentucky, causing them
to make their way into West Virginia
Branham. Hall and Swindell followed
closely after them, and on last Sal 1r'
day located them in BoSgs, an ou.-oT-
the-way town in West Virginia. 70 DO
sure they were not wrong in their men, a
man in the guse of tax collector was
sent to question them. He returned
with evidence sufficient TO convince
them they were really the Fleming
bows. Branham and his party now
made their preparations fer the fight,
which they well knew the Flemings,
for revenge and rather than face the
hangman's moose, would make to the
death.
The Flenngs were making some
purchases in a little store when Hall,
the first of thre,, walked fearlesly in
and caught Cal fleming with one hand
while he broue hit his pistol to bear
with the other. Instantly Henan Elem
ing levcd lis pistol and the ball
grazcd the back of Halls head,
causing HIN to loose his hold on Cal,
who then drew his pistol and be-
gan firing. Hall, recovering himself,
drove {. "A into Cal Fleming's brain,
telling him to the floor. In the mean
time lIenan Fleming's unerring aim
had been doing deadly work. Swim
dell before, either from slowness or
fright, he could fire, received a ball
through the neck and made for the
door. John Branham, in spite of his
bravery, was lying on the floor with
one hole just above the left and one
through his right lung. Hall now
turned his attention to Henap, and a
bloody duel followed. Standing face
to face at distance of ten PAGES they
fought unfinchingly until, with one
bullet through his chin and his hand
rendered useless. Henan Fleming ran
into back room to make his escape.
Finding no outlet. he ran back to the
door and threw up his bloody and still
bleeding hands, with the fingers shot
almost off.
81 can't do any more, Ed" he said;
~ surrender"
Branham and Cal Fleming have since
died. If Henan Fleming lives, which
is not certain, it is believed that if the
chance is given him he will turn states
evidence and implicate in the murder
of the Mullins family men whom no
one for an instant suspect Of being con-
nected with such terrible deed.