Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-12-23

started to beat him. The sight CT great.
burly Talbot Mccoy beating little Elias
Hatfield was more than peaceful Deacon
Ellison could stand. He drew a revolver.
and with Elias Hatfield, the youngsters
uncle, went for Talbot Farmer Mccoy
drew n pistol, and two conseables. seeing
trouble ahead. arrested Talbot and young
Elias for fighting. All might have been
well but for Deacon Ellison Hatfield. Too
frequent Indulgence in moonshine had
changed him from a peacemaker to = trou-
BILE maker, and he denounced all the Nc
Coys as scoEndrels for pretending to make
peace when they were really looking for
fight. He called Talbot Mccoy a coward
for pitching into boy and made lunge
at him with his knife. The constable who
was holding Mccoy let him go, and Tai
bot drew a knife, while the members of
both families made a ring for the two
men to fight 1t out
Talbot Mccoy sprang at the deacon and
plunged his knife into his side. The dea-
con cut open his opponents head, and then
the men fell apart. Ellison ACCIDENTALLY
cut his own hand, and dropping his knife
he sailed into Mccoy with his fists. Tai
bot stabbed him 20 times, and then slip
ped and fell, with Deacon Ellison on top
of him. The deacon grabbed heavy
stone, and in another moment would have
crushed McCOy's head to u jelly, but at
that moment Farmer Mccoy shot him in
the back, and then dropping his revolver
ran up the road.
Then the constables asserted themselves,
placing FurIner, who had been captured
by Elias Hatfield and Talbot, under arrest
They also arrested Randolph Mccoy, .Jr.,
a nero boy, Who was accused of st;tbbing
Deacon Ellison in the legs during the
fight. The prisoners were tHken TO John
Hatfield's house, while the wounded man
was taken care of by u neighbor. The
news of the shooting of Deacon Hatfield
brought n dozen Hatfields to John Hat
fields house, but the McCoys disappeared
and made no attempt TO rescue the pris-
Oners.
The next day, while the constables were
taking the prisoners to the Pikesyille Jail,
they were met by Devil Anse'' and u lot
of other Hatields, who ordered the con-
stables to take the prisoners to Blackberry
creek. On the way there Devil Anse'
took the prisoners away from the con-
stables, tied them together with ropes and
drove them into West Virginia, where they
were placed in a schoolhouse for safe keep
ing.
There "Devil Anse" told the prisoners
that if Deacon Ellison died of his injuries
they would be put to death. a lot of the
Mccoy women folks came and pleaded for
mercy, but Devil Anse" drove them all
away. The prisoners suffered torture
while in the schoolhouse, for the ropes
that bound them were on so tight that the
blood could not circulate.
When the news of Deacon Hatfield's
death was brought to Devil Anse," he
conveyed it to the prisoners, and they
broke down and wept. That night the
Hatfields drove them down the road, still |
bound with ropes, ard over the line into
Kentucky. Farmer Mccoy, who had
tainted was restored to consciousness. and |
then the march was resume ed until the spot
selected by Devil Anse'' was reached. |
Here the prisoners We're thrown to tho |
ground, then raised on their knees and |
tied in that position to some bushes. Tai |
bot Mccoy, who had asked TO be allowed |
to face his executionCrs. was turned the |
other way, while Farmer was made to look |
into the weapons of his murderers. The |
boy Randolph was tied facing the others, |
and then Devil Anse" yelled to Wall |
Hatfield that all was ready and that he |
was to give the word when to fire.
Take AIM Firer' yelled Wall, and /
every man discharged his weapon. Tai
bot and Farmer were killed Instantly No |
shot was fired at the boy. His punish
ment was to see his relatives die.
After the shooting the Hatfields started
back for West Virginia, but they hadn't
gone far when one of them objected to
leaving the boy Randolph alive. 1t was
dangerous, ne SAID, as the boy Knew every
one of them and might send them all TO
the Rallows.
go back. them" said Devil Anse."
And this man went back and blew the top
of the lads head off with shotgun. Back
in West Virginia Devil Anse" gathered
his men around him and made them all
swear n solemn oath never to reveal the
nights Goings under penalty of death.
The most remarkable thing about the
feud as it stands today is the unwilling
ness of the West Virginia authorities to
punish any of the Hatfields for their
crimes, fearing TO reopen the feud.