The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1896-04-23

mn nIsronY or A rErp.

THE HISTORY or A FEuD.
Places, like persons, have characters
TO keen or TO lose. From the time be-
You'd which Grcsidc tradition fndes into
the less authentic record of legendary
tales, McNabh's cove had shared with
its scanty population the evil report OF
bad ncighborhood. geographically,
il Is IA mere cash in the side Of Murphy
mountain, with few acres of arabic
land in the center shut in on three sides
hy steep wooded hills, whose SUBMITS
nrc the cliffs of the mountain. Prac-
tically inaccessible on three sides, en-
trance by the fourth is scarcely less
difficult. 4 narrow wagon road winds
mp the sharp ascent which measures
the height Of the cove above the level Of
Harmony valley; and besides this there
are no means of ingress or egress for
vehicles, and none for pedestrians save
such as are afforded by two or three
rocky trails up the sides of the noun
tain.
The isolation OF McNahb's cove had
much 60 do with It's unsavory reputa-
ton. For many years the Bynums.
whose log farmhouse of two pens and
paHsarr" was the only human habita-
lion in the small valley, had acted IA
go-hctwecn for the Illicit distillers on
the mountain and their customers in
iiU valley. In consequence OF
this, ,., cove had been the scene of sew
cral encounters between the revenue
officers aud the moonshincrs; and al
though the l'ynuins had usually main
tanned an outward show of neutrality,
there was little doubt that they had al
ways given the secret aid to their
rcighbors on the mountain. II was
curing the life of Col. Latimer's father
that the Bynums had first brought
themselves within the pale OF the law.
revenue officer had climbed the steep
rond lending TO the cove one afternoon,
md the next morning his dead body
was found nt the foot of the declivity
with q bullet hole in the skull. Old
squire Latimer was justice of the
Icace ut the time, and he was especial
~ active in pushing the inquiry which
finally fXcd the crime upon one OF the
lynums. AS the evidence was mostly
circumstantinl, the murdcrers got of
with life sentence; but for the
sluire's part in the prosecution the
l'ynums declared war upon the I.ati-
u.cr family, institutinR series of por-
rccutions which eliminated In the
burning Of the manOr-bouse in the val
ley. The eX-Virginian was law-abid-
ing man. and, although there was lit
Tie doubt MS TO the identity of his enc
mics, be refused TO rctaliatc in kind,
With each fresh depreciation he 70,
doubled his efforts 10 obtain proof
hich could be produced in court; hut
his pcrsccuterswe were shrewdnnd crafty,
aud lac was never able to get conclusive
evidence against them. After the
burning of the mnnor-housc the squire
built "rhe Laurels" on the plateau ~
Murphy mountain; but did not live
long to enjoy his new home. The
plateau farm was reached by road
which climbs the face of the ascent
from Trcgnrthen. Beyond the Lnti-
mcr estate IL skirts the brow of the
mountain, following the line of the
cliffs and doubling around the head OF
McNabb's cove. One morning when
the squire was riding along this road nj
a point where II comes out upon the
edge of an abrupt precipice command
ing view of the cove, n
rille-shot rang out, and the fright
enfd horses gallopcd riderless back to
THE Laurels." When the searchers
found him a short time afterwards the
squire was quite dead; and before noon
John Dynum was in jail at Tregarthen,
charged with the commission OF the
crime. Al this distance of time there
appears 20 he Mt least reasonable
| doubt OF his guilt. lie was seen in the
.iage, aud in fact was arrested there,
within two hours 81 the time when the
murder was committed; and while the
distance from the head of the cove 10
Trcgarthcn by the road leading past
"rhc Laurols" is only three miles, il IL
six by the way he must have gone 70
avoid meeting fhc searching party.
| This, and other facts, might have been
brought out in trial, bat the Dynums
were unpopular and their feud with the
| Iatimcrs was well known. The news
Of the Rquirc's death spread rapidly
through tho valley during the day, and
NJ night an armed mob broke into the
jail aud secured the hapless prisoner,
who was hurried TO the scene of the
murder and hanged TO the nearest con
ycnicnt tree.
With the death of John Bynum the
fcud smoldered for several years. His
only brother, Jed, who was absent al
the time of the lynchiug, moved 70
Texas q short time afterwards, and
there were LEFT only the widow and hei
four children on the small farm in the
cove. 1t Is 10 be supposed that the
woman, who was q ryuum 10y blood az
wei ps by marriage, did not fail &c
teach her children the catcchism oil
vengeance; but. however this may be
hostilitics were renewed rs soon as th'
boys were old enough TO follow in the
footsteps OF their elders
Col. latimer, the squire's son and
heir, Inherited little Of the peace-loyinl
tcuPr OF his father, Tho FIRST time hs
found his fences thrown down aud IN,
cattle in his fields, he armed himself
with hcp'y ridmg whip and wen
about nursing his wrath tll his oppor
mty should arrive. Meeting JEFF
Bynum in the street OF Tregarthen, tbs