People's voice., 1899-07-27

much to do with It's unSavory reputa-
ton. For many years the Bynums.
whose log farmhouse Of two pens and
u passage" was the only human habita-
ton in the small valley, had acted a.
go-between for the illicit distillers OIL
the mountain and their customers ir
Harmony valley. In consequence o;
this, the cove had been the scene of sev
eral encounters between the revenue
officers and the moonshiners; and al
though the Bynums had usually main.
tanned an outward show of neutrality
there was little doubt that they had al
ways given the secret aid to the
neighbors on the mountain. 1t wa.
during the life of Col. Latimer's fathe,
that the Bynums had first brough
themselves within the pale of the law
revenue officer had climbed the steeI
road leading to the cove one afternoon
and the next morning his dead body
was found at the foot of the declivity
with a bullet hole in the skull. 0lt
Squire Latimer was justice of tn,
peace at the time, and he was especial
iv active in pushing the inquiry whic!
finally fixed the crime upon one of tn,
Dynums. AS the evidence was mostl,
circumstantial, the murderers got of
with a life sentence; but for tn,
squire's part in the prosecution tn,
Bynums declared war upon the Lati.
ner family, instituting a series of per
secutiOns which eliminated in the
burning of the manor-hOuse in the val
ley. The eX-Virginian was law-abid
ing man, and, although there was lit.
tie doubt as to the identity of his enc
mics, he refused TO retaliate in kind
With each fresh depreciation he re
doubled his efforts to obtain proc
which could be produced in court; bu
his prosecutors were shrewdand crafty,
and he was never able TO get conclusive
evidence against them. After the
burning of the manor-house the squire
built THE Laurels" on the plateau OF
Murphy mountain; but he did not live
long to enjoy his new home. The
plateau farm was reached by road
which climbs the face of the ascent
from Tregarthen. Beyond the Lati-
mer estate it 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 it comes out upon the
edge of an abrupt precipice command.
ing view of the cove, &
rife-shot rang out, and the fright
ened horses galloped riderless back tc
"The Laurels." When the searcher
found him a short time afterwards Oh,
squire was quite dead; and before nool
John Bynum was in jail at Tregarthen
charged with the commission of the
crime. At this distance of time ther'
appears to be at least a reasonabl,
doubt of his guilt. He was seen in tn
village, and in fact was arrested there
within two hours of the time when th'
murder was committed; and while tn,
distance from the head of the cove t,
Tregarthen by the road leading pas
"The Laurels" is only three miles, it j
six by the way he must have gone t,
avoid meeting the searching party
This, and other facts, might have beer
brought out in trial, but the Bynum
were unpopular and their feud with tn
Latimers was we'll known. The new;
of the squire's death spread rapid.
through the valley during the day, ant
at night an armed mob broke into tn,
Jail and secured the hapless prisoner
who was hurried to the Sene of th'
murder and hanged to the nearest con
venient tree.
With the death of John Bynum tn
feud smoldered for several years. Hi
only brother, Jed, who was absent a
the time of the lynching, moved L
Texas q short time afterwards, an
thase were left only the widow and he
four children on the small farm in tn
cove. 1t is to be supposed that tn
woman, who was Bynum by blood a
well 40 by marriage, did not fail :
teach har children the catechism o
vengeance; but, however this may b,
hostilities were renewed as soon as tn
boys were old enough to follow in tn
footsteps of their elders.
Col. Latimer, the squire's son an
i,eir, inherited little of the peace-lovin
temper of his father. The first time h
found his fences thrown down and III
cattle in his fields, he armed himseI
with a heavy riding whip and wen
about nursing his wrath till his oppol
tunity should arrive. Meeting Je
Bynum in the street of Tregarthen, Il
indignant colonel proceeded to met
out to the younger man such measur
, Of chsstisement as he thought the cas-
l qemanied, paying for his satisfactio
-" few days later with broken arm
+ shattered by the bullet of an ambushe
enemy. This incident was conduci'
to another interval of peace, for tv
Teasons-it taught the colonel that u
less he were willing to adopt the u
scrupulous tactics of his antagonists
{ vas likely to lose his life in an unequ
! contest; and the Bynums were r
d strained from further immediate a
e gressions by fear of some such cons
y quences as had overtaken their fatht