The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-02
BECAME A HERO PERFORCE.
Il KENTUCK Y MILITIAMAN DRAG
GED TO GLORY BP Il MULE.

When show of Arms Seemed Power
! less to Avert u Bloody battle the Per
versity OF Animal Nature Came I'm.
| expectedly TO the Fore and Made til,
Man for the Hour.
"These Kentucky feuds are, indeed
terrible affairs" said the old Kentuck-
ian, but deplorable though they may
be in reality, they are often exaggera-
ted in the description. In depicting
one of these mountain tragedies the
narrator lays on the colors with such a
lavish brush that the hatred animatinS
the two opposing factions is represented
as Unborn and eradicable, whereas it is
in truth, often only a surface passion
capable of being infamed by petty de-
tails that would produce but the faintest
glow in legitimate antagonism. This
counterfeit animosity is frequently en-
gendered and fostered by a sort of
walking delegate who to crafty some
selfish desire of his own, allies himself
to one of two mildly opposing forces
and panders to their native vices and
works upon their credulity and pas
sions until he whips them into very
frenzy. If only these agitators could
be suppressed, IN time it would be pos
sible to avoid untold bitterness of feel
ing, physical suffering, and even blood
shed, for with the removal of constant
and conscienceless irritant the superb
cial hatred is pretty sure to subside and
give place to tolerance and even friend
illness.
Il speak very earnestly in this mat
ter, and know what I'm talking about
too, for |, myself, have acted as peace
maker at the most critical point in the
history Of the tiercest quarrel that was
ever waged in the Cumberland Noun
tains. The combatants in this warfare
We're two families named Wheeler and
Hawkins There were extensive rami-
fications to each of these family trees,
and by the time all the distant relations
were enrolled under their respective
banners 1t was found that fully four
fifths of the people living near the head
waters of the Licking river were en-
broiled in the feud. The controversy
began, as usual, over mere tritie, but
as, time passed the rancor became more
pronounced, and for fifteen years the in
habtants of the towns to the west and
north kept hearing reports every little
while of the slashing the Hawkins men
had given the Wheeler tribe, or the
drubbing the Wheelers had admins
tered to the Hawkinses. Nobody gave
more than passing thought to these
rumors' however, for 1t was we'll known
that such fights were common occur
renee among the mountaineers, But at
last &there came report that made or
gained society look at the matter seri-
ously. The mayor of the chief town in
one of the mountain counties had noti-
fled the governor that the quarrel had
reached crisis. Both factions had
banded themselves into mob of despe-
radoes that knew neither law nor right
and respected neither life nor property,
and it was necessary that body of mi
litia be sent down at once to quell the
riots. | had become a member of the
militia a short while before
the call for protection came, and when
the governor issued his message order
ing us to proceed to the scene of the
/ was one of the first to
declare himself in readiness for action.
We had quite little difficulty in pre-
pairing for this trip. There were but
few railroads then, in that part of the
state, and 1t was necessary to make the
greater part of the journey on horse
back. 1t was winter time, and to pick
up lot of horses on such short notice,
hat could make the trip across that
uncutivated country at
he required rate of speed, gave us no
end of trouble. However,, we were
inally equipped after a fashion, al
hough there was much heart-burning
md jealousy among the men over the
of our Announcements. I
to this day how mortified and
indignant / felt because the poorest
'addle and the only mule in the compa-
~ We're assigned to me. / afterward
lad occasion to experience a radical
hange of heart toward that mule, for
lie caused me to be looked upon as a
inc hero
During the two days consumed in
making the preparations for our CAM
'aign, we learned the particulars of this
atest and most serious phase of the |
Vheeler-Hawkins feud. The central |
gure in the riots was the chief of the |
Wheeler faction, one Absalom Hodge.
lodge had been the ringleader in all |
he raids since the inception of the feud |
1t last it seemed that he was about to |
leet punishmet for all the suffering |
hat had fallen upon Others through |
is Vaccinations. The indirect cause of |
is present predicament was his wife.
Irs. Hodge had died suddenly. She
ad been buried with equal suddenness.
indeed, so rapidly and unostentatiously
ad these vital events in human history
cen hurried along that the very quick
ess and quietness of the thing caused
even in that unsentimental
istrict. Soon casual comment devel-
ped into positive suspicion. AS re-
llt of these grave doubts an investiga-
on was ordered. Mrs. Hodges body
as accordingly exhumed and it was
)und that her death was due to poison.
-odge was Immediately proclaimed as
lie murderer. He made innumera BILE
"a Elements in his own defence the gist
which was that if Mrs. Hodge had
any poison she had done so
ithout his consent, either by mistake
of her own volition, and that it
asn't fair to hold man accountable
n his wife's inexplicable prediction
II rats bane or strychnine. But the
lthorities held a different view of the |