The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-09


and got home. The bafiel avcnger Of
blood went back to the corpse of his son.
and over the grave of jim I rk vengeance
against the Norveis was vowed.
The feud now spread rapidly. and soon
involved many new partisans. The Turks,
Hobbses Blues and JamisOns were the
leading spirits of the "Slicker' faction.
The Norvels, Joneses, Dobltns and Mont
gomerys headed the 'anti-Slcker" party.
The field of hostilities wideHed daily. and
the war extended into Hickory and Polk
counties. The local authorities We're pow
erless TO check the growing strife. and at
that time the seat of the state government
was long distance from the Ozark coun-
try, and no one asked the aid Of the gov
ernor in the interest of peace. "Slcker''
went on during the intervals between the
killings. and nightly raids after the vic
Tins of this method of torture were COM
mon. One whipping would provoke an
other in retaliation, and thus the country
was kept in constant dread Of violence.
1t was the rule Of each faction to order
man to leave the settlement when he
was whipped, and Uncle Matte McCracSen
saws that sometimes the fellow "slicked"
actually sold his property under the lash.
one or more members of the mob purchas-
ing the goods thus offered for sale a spec
ulative spirit in this way crept into the
war. and became with some OF the actors
in the feud a secondary motive though
hatred and revenge continued to dominate
the controlling spirits of each faction.
1t was about year after the killing of
Jim Turk before his death was avenged.
Tom Turk and Use" Hobbs undertook the
bloody enterprise. They went to the Nor
vel homestead one morning before daylight
and waited for their victim to come in
sight Else" had "old Abram." the best
product of the Tennessee gun shop and
Turk carried a rifle Of similar caliber
About sun-uD old man Noryel the slayer
of Jim Turk, came out of the house to
wash for breakfast. He went to a barrel
Of water and dipped into IL wash pan.
"a HFag b,tt
either because of the inferior.ty of his
gun or lack of nerve on the part Of the
giant "slcker," the shot was harmless
and Norvel turned and looked toward the
assassins.
Then Hobbs pulled the trigger of "Old
ADram' and the second victim OF the feud
dropped dead. It was long after the kill
ing of Norvel that the Turks and the Hob
SEES told the details OF the tragedy. and
Uncle Matte McCracken believes that
rim purposely missed the Old man in or
der to make Use" the principal I'm the
crime. He thinks that Turk doubted the
loyalty Of his associate, and was afraid
that Hobbs would betray HIM "'
The killing of Norvel led to the supreme
crisis in the "slicker war" 1t startled the
whole country and called the people out
side of the feud to arms The militia was
mustered and marched to the scene of the
late murder. Maj Rains militia com
mander of some local fame, at the head of
eighty men, attempted to supuress the
feud and bring the murderers OF NorveI
to justice Turk and Hobbs were stisDect-
ed of the crime at once but there was no
positive proof of their guilt The militia
remained In the neighborhOOd OF McCrack-
ems for several weeks, protecting the wo-
men and hunting for the murderers OF
Norvel The women and children were de-
moralized with terror and followed Mai.
Rains and his men around from place to
place The houses where the militia camp
ed at night were called forts" and here
the non-combatants gathered and cooked
their suppers under the protection of gov
eminent muSkets. As the militia marched
by the McCracken homestead one evening
Bob Turke and Arch Blue got upon the
yard fence and croWed in defiance. That
was an old Tennessee mode Of challenging
an enemy to battle. The same night the
militia camped at one of the MetcaiFs the
house was full of women and children
Blue and Turk went to Metcaifs after
dark and fired at one house. The door was
shut, but Bob Turks shot killed one of
the men within the house. 1t happened that
the man killed was one Dobbins. whose
father-in-law, NorYel had already been
murdered by Tom Turk and Use" Hobbs
II was mere blind shot that Killed Dob
bins, as Turk could see no one when he
fired. The house in which his murder oc-
CURED Is still standing, and q weather
beaten door bears the mark of the bullet
that brought the second bereavement to
the Norvel family.
After the shooting of Dobbins the mill
tia continued to scout the country IN
HOODS.
The "slicker'' outlaws had several hiding
places. The murderers of old man Norvel
were finally found at the home Of one
of the Cruises, they were upstairs, and
refused to come down and surrender Tie
militia surrounded the house and threat
ened to set fire to the building If the
"shckers" did not some out and surren-
der. The family, in order to save prop
erty, persuaded Tom Turk and Use"
Hobbs to give up. Then the militia started
to Bolivar with the prisoners. 1t was a
march full of sensational features. Mrs
Norvel shouldered the gun of her MUIR
dered husband and Joined Maj. Rains
command in guarding the prisoners on
the way to jail. Many of the settlers
went to town to see what would be done
with the "Slickers"
At Bolivar the prisoners were commit
ted to Jail. In a short time they were re-
leased by their partisan friends and the
reign of terror continued. Sticking" went
on, and many families left the country
immigration to the territory affected BY
the war, stopped, and for nearly two
years no new homes We're established on
the prairie around the center Of hostut-
ties. Members of the church took sides
in the strife, and the few preachers II,
the country could exert no influence
toward the restoration Of peace. 1t was
after the killing of Dobbins that the bel
hgerent factions reSOrted to all possible
cunning devices to terrorize the country
The graves of hated persons We're made
and rude epitaphs written on boards, tell
ing OF Ine4r dedLN.
change now came over the spirit Of
the war which made deadly foes of the
two most prominent members of the
'Slicker'' party. The intimacy between
Tom Turk and Use" Hobbs growing out
of their partnership in crime, led to the
exchange Of many secrets. some OF which
were foreign to the common cause. In
one of his confidential moods the giant
"Slicker" had used the name of a woman
Of the settlement with too much freedom
Whether impeiled by general sentiment
of chivalry or resenting the insinuation
with the motive of a secret lover, Use
Hobbs championed the honor of the prai-
RE maiden, and challenged her accuser
to the trial OF battle.
This quarrel occurred in a harvest field
near the McCracken farm. The scythe
was then displacing the reap hook as a
harvesting implement. and Use" Hobbs
had already acquired the distinction of
being the best "cradler" IN the settle
ment. Friendly neighbors then ''swopped
work" instead OF hiring help. and sev-
eral hands were in me fed when Use"
demanded fhat Tfor1 TuPk ehrsflg lra