Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-03-09
THE TOWN OF LONDON, KY.
"A Place That Has Attracted
Some Attention.

A New Yorker who is familiar
with affairs in Kentucky, and es-
pecially with the mountaineers, said
to a Aaa and Express reporter:
London" said he, sis in the heart
of mountains, Republicans and feud-
lists. The people of London are not
TO be feared, but it Is in the cen ter
OF a cluster of mountain counties
through which there is no railroad.
and all the rough men of those dis
trlcts come to London to do business.
Here is the center of the feuds. 1t
rs here that the ammunition for these
fights is ordered from Louisville or
CInclnnati; here arrive the boxes of
rifles or cartridges; here the fighters
meet to plan bloody battles in the
hills AID here, when the shooting
is over, they come to go through the
formality of being found not guilty.
Here, also, the militia leaves the
train to march into the mountains
on those periodical attempts to awe
the feudists.
Another feature of life about the
new capital of Kentucky is that the
Baker family, which is getting the
worst of it in the present feud. is
Democratic. The victorious How
ards are Republicans and officehold-
ers. The Baker followers allege that
the Howards are inspired with the
fanatical zeal to wipe out the already
hopelessly small Democratic minor
lty of the region. They say that
this is why the militia never comes
into Clay county, except at the re-
quest of the Howards.
"The fighting center shifts from
year to year, and for several seasons
now it has been stationary at Man.
chester, which is twenty-five miles
over the mountains from London.
1t is from London that all the news
OF the fighting is sent out to the
world. London is known chiefly
from having feud news dated there.
1t is peaceful village, strung aloug
one street, which is a good pike. 1t
has three small hotels, several little
stores and saloons, some churches,
two weekly newspapers and rail-
road station, very busy with the
shipment of clapboards and slabs.
The great logging region lies all
about it, and it is over the logs that
the mountaineers love to shoot one
another. The uplands would bring
good crops, if properly cultivated,
and some of them do raise wealth
of sheep; but the average mountain
eer would rather let his crop spoil
than miss good fight, so that these
fields arc not brought up to the
highest stage of cultivation.
"Scenically, London is one of the
prettiest towns of the East. 1t lies
in bowl of the mountains, and on
calm day seems to reek with soft
romance. The people speak with a
soft accent of the Middle South and
are hospitable, as all Ke1tuckians
are to strangers.
"Almost the entire population is
engaged IN star route contracting for
the government, and that there are
more star route contracts held in the
town than In any other place in
America, not even excepting the big
cities. There is money in this busi-
ness, and consequently some of the
residents are really rich. Why,
believe that a London contractor has
a contract for star route work right
here in Greater New York. The
way the business happened to become
so popular there was that all the
mountain villages about London have
to De served from there by star route.
Mail wagons leave London every
morning in all directions. The
mountain offices are strung along the
single road. AS the mountaineers'
houses are also strung along the
same road the mail driver, who is q
good fellow, and who likes to be
popular so that he will not be shot
by mistake in feud, often waits al
the postofiices while the postmaster
distributes the mail and then takes
as personal carrier, the mail fol
those families living along the road,
AS he passes each house one of the
family runs down to meet him and
get the mail-there is nearly always
some mail, for nearly every noun
taineer takes daily paper from Gin
cinnati or Louisville. The star
router gets little presents and treats
of moonshine and chicken and honey
that makes his lot not unpleasant
except when winter practically hold;
up the mails by making the road;
impossible. Then he goes on horse
back, if at all.
r London is great place to meet
and study these mountaineers, al.
: though they are not altogether al
z ease away from home. Yet they are
: nrond of their renutations ond vii