Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-08-06

Il
was feeling badly about it. He vel
coined the detective with open arms,
SO to speak, and the two presently
| sat down to eat dinner. They had
hardly begun their meal when they
perceived stealthily lodging in the
woods on the other side of the river
Tug river-fgures OF armed men.
Cunningham and Ellis had made up
their midds to capture "Johnse'
Hatfield or to kill him. The time
had come. This was their quarry,
They slipped down TO the rivers
edge and silently crossed over to
the south end OF Sand siding cut.
where they took position sheltered
from observation. In a short time
they saw "Johnse" put his Winches-
ter to his shoulder and draw dead
aim on Ellis shack on the other side
of the river. He was waiting for
Doc to come out. The other man,
who was "Awk" Damron, was still
down in the weeds. Ellis and Cum
ningham threw up their guns and
covered the desperate, who had his
Winchester trained on the head
quarters of the Mingo man across
the river. He turned his head for
minute and his murder-charged eyes
looked down the barrels of two
deadly rifles aimed at his head.
''DRoP THAT CUM"
"Johnse' Hatfield is noted, among
other things, as man of quick ac-
tion. drop that gun and hold up
your hands, shouted Cunningham.
"Johnse' took another lightning
glance at the rifles of his enemies
and dropped his gun. He did not
hesitate. Had he turned it an inch
to the RICH: he would have had two
bullets in his head. Cunningham,
Ellis covering "Johnse," walked over
and standing on the desperado's rifle
proceeded to further disarm him by
taking from his clothes a SO Smith
& Wesson and the six inch dirk.
He then handcuffed him and left him
in charge of two men-Hopkins and
Birchfield-who had just came up,
and he and Ellis followed "Awk'
Damron, caught him, took from him
a revolver and Winchester, and
brought him back to where they had
left Hatfield. The latter's guards
had taken him across the river and
thither went Ellis and Cunningham
with Damron. They kept him over
night and next day, having nothing
against him, turned him loose and
sent him home with his own and
Hatfeld's artillery. The dirk Gun
ningham bought from "Johnse,"
paying him a dollar for it. Ellis
and Cunningham took their prisoner
across the Kentucky mountains to
the Pikeville Jail, a long forty miles
from camp. There they left him to
face the thirty nine Pike county in
dictments for murder pending
against him.
SLAYER OF FIVE CHILDREN.
At the Jail, who should visit the
captured desperate but Jim Mccoy,
brother of five children that
"Johnse' Hatfield has helped 10
slaughter. 1t is characteristic of the
situation, that Mccoy went over
and grayely shook hands with Hat
field, promising him the best treat
ment possible under the circum-
stances, and at the same time 10
forming him that he proposed to
prosecute him to the bitter end of
the law.
1t has even been characteristic,
too, of the Hatfields, when caught,
to confess, and the latest recruit for
the gallows from their ranks was no
exception to the rule. He confessed
and asked for life sentence. There
is possibility that he may get it,
probability that he may not.
The words che confessed" to those
unfamiliar with tragic incidents of
the Hatfeld-McCoy feud, is phrase
ambiguous. Hatfield acknowledged
bis participation in at least two of
the principal horrors of that deadly
strite-that of 1882 and that of 1888.
HISTORY OF A FEUD.
In 1882, old man Randolph Nc
Coy was engaged in petty law suit
with Bill Staten over a seventy-five
cent shoat. Ellison Hatfeld-or
"Deaeon. as he was known-he was
a preacher before he became corpse
-was counting old man Staten's
daughter and naturally sided with
his prospective father-in-law. On
election day in Pike county, as was
their wont, the HatGelds crossed
over the river and, at the behest of
certain interested politicians as well
as from a sheer desire for devilment,
proceeded to terrorize the commun-
ity and to run the election to suit
themselves. The deacon was at
Black Fork Precinct with squad Of
cohorts. "Devil Anse" was at Peter
Creek precinct, with another. To-
gether the Hatfields had Twenty-Five
men with them at these two pre-
cincts. Talbot Mccoy approached
fhe nolls fo vote The GDpaennr