Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-21
THE HATFIELD-M'COY WAR.
HecenIy-Publishc Reports Mali
riousiy FaIxe-The Squatter War.

Hecent1y-Pub bIishcd Reports MALI
ciousiy FaIse-The SGuatter War.
WILLIAMSON, w. VA, February 20, 1925.
To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
So much has been published OF late I'm
regard to the Hatheld-McCoy war and
the Robert Manis 5o0,OOo-acre grant and
squatter war that | wish tQ have a brief
space in order to state the facts as they
fsaliy exist.
a correspondent OF several newspapers.
with headquarters at Matewan, has pub
lished numerous letters during the last
lew months which are not only false.
but maliciously false, and do this coUn-
try an inespressible injury. In the first
place the Hatfield Mccoy feud is not ex>
tant. the last outbreak being in 1886.
Since that time the former participants
have been engaged In peaceful pursuits,
and to-day you will find no more peace
full citizens than the former leaders OF
that vendetta. Anderson Hatfield. or BAD
Ancc. as the sensational correspondents
call him, Is an elderly man OF nearly 81
years, and Is exceedingly pleasant and
agreeable-a simple mountaineer in his
habits and fond OF bear-hunting and out
door sports OF all kinds. In his home nc
Is extremely hospitable. and stranger
will find nowhere a more hearty welcome
than in the house of this much-abused
outlaw"
Other members OF the Hatfield famil,
stand high I'm this community, and would
be regarded as among the best citizens
II they lived in any county in Virginia.
The people OF this section Of the State
are. as a class. simple and unostenta>
tous and many or them poor and illte-
rate: but are honest, Industrious and
thrifty-nct cutthroats and outlaws a.
these sensational correspondents would
have the outside world believe.
SQUATTER WAR.
As TO the squatters' war with the claim
ants OF the Robert Morris grant, that,
too is inexcusabiy false. AS is we'll
known the State Of Virginia granted
most OF her Transaileghany territory to
different parties In extremely large bOunG-
aries during the latter part OF the eigh-
teenth century. Among them was grant
OF $4,000 acfes to Robert Morris. These
grantees never entered upon the land or
paid any taxes upon them. or put them
upon the assessors books for taxation,
and the Legislature enacted laws dc,
| claring all such land forfeited for the
noa-payment Of taxes and open TO actual
settlers, as if 1t had never been patented.
and IN this way junior patentees have
| for many years been in possession OF
nearly II not quite all the land granted
| to these old claimants. In the latter part
OF t'e summer OF 1888 some gentlemen,
| claiming to represent II. c. King. OF
| New York city, came here and set up
some claim 10 this land as the grantees
OF Robert Morris, and since that time
! have instituted suits against number
p OF PARTIES in the Federal courts. The 1u>
| nior claimants are, as any one would nat
urally do, defending these suits with the
| best legal talent they can employ. but
as 20 aghting over IL they have no idea
Of such a thing. and whatever may be
the final outcome CT these suits they will
acqussce therein as cheerfully as any
people on earth. And would further add
in this connection. that the natives are
not the principal ones interested in the
result OF these suits but northern cap.-
tallsts. Many wealthy bankers of the
North are the owners of most the land n,
the disput d boundaries, having purchas Ell
of the junior patentees.
WANT SETTLERS.
Such articles as were published by you
(though | have no doubt innOcently) DO
this section much injury.
Aingo county has Just been formed by
the present Legislature from Logan coun>
~. and Is the scene Of all the Hatfield
Mccoy feud. but no county In the State
offers half the inducement to settlers or
observation-disclosures. We have eighty
miles Of railroad in the county, lana
cheap, rich I'm coal and timber. the soil
fertile. the people generous and hospita-
bic. with the tug fork OF Big Sandy river
as the southern boundary of the county.
which affords cheap freehts and easy
access to the markets OF the West. am
at a loss to imagine more favorable
location for a man with energy and
push. but find that people who should
know better are frightened away by the
stories of the mendacious correspondents
who either are too lazy to get the real
news for their papers or they have be-
come so much In the habit Of lying that
they can't tell the truth
Regre;tlng the necessity for trespassing
on your space. / am
Yours ROBERT IL. hOt LIZ.