The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-03-31
LORD Will PROVIDE
Remarkable Story of the
Mountains of Kentucky.
DYING OF STARVATION
How Jim Clark, Moonshiner
Made His Start.

you think, ma, smell live till sunuD?"
Before the mother could reply some
thing stirred on the bed Of straw in the
stall and high-pitched, childish voice
pitifully thin from weakness. ouavered.
Nanny, if I only had su' thin ter eatr'
Hush, dearie; hush, Rachel Ma1l
see in the mornin','' answered the moth
/ er. And, then with the unswervinp
faith of the Kentucky mountin woman.
she added to herself: THE Lord will pro
vide"
1t was early morning in the Clay coun-
4 ty hills The forest stood an army of
dark spectres," fast asleep. Here and
there darker patch on the hillside
| showed wheer a mountain cabin hung
The morning breeze, always first astir.
was trying hard TO shake the drowsv
| treetops into life. In the east the sky
| blushed family at the suns far off ap-
proach.
Through the open chinks Of a matched
log stable on the hillside thin CLEANS
| from a single candle flickered. Within the
| faint light showed a woman, a girl and
little child dying from starvation. Ref
ugees from feud, they were the last
remnant of the Hignite family. row hid
| den in a stable, starving and alive only
en- sufferance.
Three weeks before old man Hignite
! and his three boys had fallen, shot from
| ambush. without a chance TO defend
| themselves. They knew too much of GER
/ tain stills where pale liquor flowed. The
| night after the burial the Hignite cabin
/ in Letcher county, burned down and FL
! len Hignite, seventeen years old. her
mother and nine year old sister Rachel
were forced to fly for their Ives
Eff youUns go an don mex no fuss
we uns won't Go nuthin' mo- ter yer" So
ran the notice pinned on n tree beside
The spot where the cabin stood. and in
! obedience to it the woman, the girl and
! the child set out on foot to gain safety.
Mrs. Hignites people lived in Clay
county and there she decided to go in the
hope of refuge. For three weeks they
had wandered through the mountains,
slowly starving, because they could not
beg food for fear of betrayal Now they
had taken refuge in the hillside stable.
for nine year old Rachel could go no
further
The dawn came on. Little Rachel, "
ing on bed of stray, awoke again and
| cried for something to eat. Her mother
mite rose from her place at the other side
of the little girl and started toward the
door of the stable.
ELLEN, whar you goin'?' The mother
already worried beyond endurance, spoke
| sharply.
I'm goin' ter get su'thin' ter eat fer
Rachel"
The girl closed the door of the stable
Of Flro1 ~
path toward q cabin which stood almost
hidden in the thick underbrush over
little stream IN the winding valley
man, who had snatched up rifle at the
sound of footsteps, put it down when he
saw the girl.
"Skeered, WIZ yer Jim Clarke"
mo- answered the man, shortly.
well. Jim Clark, said the girl. with
mountain directness, L come TO tell yer
I'd sell that stuff fer yer.
The mans face lighted. I'll take the
blame eff anything comes on it. Ellen,
he said. But them boys'H buy ticker
off'n you bettern of9n ne"
Yer must gi' be su thin ter eat fer
Rach1 en- ma fust."
Within an hour the mother and the
starving girl had eaten their first square
Ellen Hignite sold five gallons of white
liquor
That day was the making of Jim Clark,
the moonshiner. Ellen had to keep on
selling so that her people could live. And
every man for miles about went TO Jim
Clark's still to buy liquor of the 'purtiest
gal in Clay county
Little Rachel got well and then Jim
- 4
when Ellen Hignite tried to stop, Clark
threatened to turn inforner.
One day Farmer Baker came from
Letcher county and bought whisky from
Clarz's still. That was the beginning Of
the end For three years. without avail
he had begged Ellen Hignite. the daugh-
ter of the powerful mountaineer to mar
~ him. But Ellen. the Ticker GAL he
yond the pale Of the law, seemed easy.
He quickly found his mistake.
I wudnt marry yer ef Their warn't en-
other man in Kaintucky" she told him.
hotly, when be pressed his suit. And. in
mountain fashion. Baker left her swear
ing vengea nee.
The federal grand jury was meeting
that week in Louisville. when its de-
alterations were concluded a deputy mar
with him a warrant for Ellen Hignite's
arrest on a charge OF retailing liquor
without a government license. Il was
an easy capture. jim CLARK got away.
On the last day al the February term
Of the federal court the room was crowd
ed Rumors, ike bees disturbed. had
been buzziug about eli day Something
was going 20 happen
~r~r al -
On trial. and ali Louisville society was
interested in clearing her. Robert "
Bingham. a rising young attorney and a
prominent society man. was her lawyer
Miss Alice Castieusn. the great Ken
tucky beauty famed st TIE Eew YORK
horse show. sat beside her INN diateiy
behind were Mrs. John 2. Castleman /
Mrs Samuel A. Miller Mrs. BASIL Dske
and other Louisville social leaders. In
front beside the lawyer. sat Two Old
soldiers 81 whom eli Esntucklaus are I
rroud-Gea Basil Duke. the great CeB- /
felerate raider 2foTgan's Tightaan1 man, (
anz Cen. John 3 Castieman. who IL
two wars ware aTst the gray aa4 ther I
the hI-e wfth hanor
There. beside fhe state besuty 81 fhs /
rrflst ~ au the grand fox was he md
est Itgla mountain gin. Ellen HErife.
ehzrFta5Ie Mrs Cas1emzn haa hcar8 4
nsr story from Zrs Hearty gre H
rnatron- and straiEht#sT nR3 l-treste
society IL che reservirg case Grs Mier +
BAD seen - Il thst her son-ir-zzw Ar
Ts.rchz7n had 9-8ertakI fhe sefsnse
u was alruost tfsae f7r courf - as
sa-n The 5usss isokea ~ ~ ere
s.e-s @Ars tAere arg nerer $3.50 A
hcre-
rl.rs aas sss- b ~ ,s rn