The sun., 1902-03-09
MURDER IS A PASTTME HERE.
BARBARISM IN WEST VIRGINIA
LUMBER CAMPS.

small boy Of apparently 10 years stepped
| with the briskness Of one about some i'm
portant business. We were going up to
the lumber camp whence the boy had come,
the writer and the superintendent Of the
Damp, one Of the biggest camps In Clay
county, W. Va. which is noted for it's vast
timber outings and it's murder record.
Hello, Billy judd tho superintendent
hailed the lad In friendly greeting.
'Howdy, Mistah Blair said the urchin,
In the soft mountain drawl.
where are you Of to. Billy, this busy
time Of day2'
Jus down the road q piece
What's the matter with your headf'
A neat white bandage circled Billy's
head in the place where his hat should
have rested.
'Sib Turley,' said Billy aconicaly.
You and Sib been fghting2'
want no fghtin' to It, Mistah Blair
Sib snook Ipast tense Of sneak up benin
me an beat me up right peart with black
Jack. Ben abed foh nigh onto week
You're up now. why aren't you at workf'
Jus heard that Sib was down to the
river explained the boy. I'm goin' TO
git him II he is
What would your father say to your
knocking of work like thisS'
PAW Oh. he give me his gun there
Billy produced a revolver half as long as
his arml an he says: II you don git Sib
Turley III bu st the other side Of you head
in,' he says"
That boy was legitimate product OF
the West Virginia lumber camps. Along
the hills Of the Alleghanies' western slope
there lives and works barbarian race, TO
whom murder Is an ordinary occurrence
and vendetta the only law worth con-
sldering.
Men who have been in ell parts Of the
country, who know the slums OF the great
cities and the wild frontier towns OF red
eve liquor fame, say that for sheer bru-
tally and ferocity the lumbermen Of the
little mountainous State ore preeminent.
II Is a fact that Clay county, the great
lumber centre. has a record Of more brutal
murders mile for mile than any other To-
cality In the United States. 1t is also
fact that up to the present winter no con-
viction for murder was ever obtained IN
The lumberman Of that district Ia unlike
his brother OF the great Northern woods.
He has no taste for the craft. He Is an
Indifferent workman and draws Indifferent
Generally his apprenticeship is due TO
one OF two things: Either he Is a fugitive
from justice on account OF some killing IN
which he has participated In neighoorng
State or county, or the lumber camp has
established itself 30 near 70 his home that
he has been drawn into II by a natural
tendency TO do what every one else about
him Is doing.
with the minimum amount OF work and
blow In his accumulated wages on grand
spree When he ia drunk he wants to kill
somebody; mostly he succeeds. sooner or
later,
IL beautiful because lavish nature covers
eyetything on those verdurous slopes with
her lovely fancies Of climbing vine and
blowing flower. Rut intrinscally the camp
is as hide and hopeless and bare spot
ward expression Of it's inhabitants
To see il in its rue aspect one must 20
there In winter. Picture 10 yourself mar
row-gauge railway, the private transpor-
tatiOn plant Of the out fit. twisting and turn
ing through a hilltop clearing.
At one point In it's course there is little
cluster OF bare, one-storv buildings sur
Rounding larger shack. This large build
ing is the centre Of the town. the compary's
store the focal point IN the life Of the place
From II, as far a. the eve can SEQ along
the track ia either direction, stretch the
| wretched little houses, sometimes only
few rods apart sometimes divided by
quarter Of a mile Of vacant space. Enter,
one Of them and you will find Two small
rooms: In one q huddle Of rags for bed.
in the other tumbledown stove, table,
and a few battered and greasy utensils.
From the platform of the store you would
guess the population Of the settlement TO
re perhaps 100 or l25 souls in reality. 1t is
from sOn TO 200 Thoae wooden novels
extend for Eve miles in both directions,
and some Of them harbor incredible families.
The writer has seen one house Of two rooms
inhabited by father. mother and eleven
children OF all sizes and both sexes, not TO
mention several dogs.
Their mode Of life is absolutely without
amusement or change except on sundays.
when they get together for drunk or n
church service, the chances being in favor
of the former, as liquor seems 20 be always
attainable. though the country Is no-'icense,
whereas IL ls not oncc n month that wan
dering preacher comes within walking d's-
tanCe ~ the camp.
In all that settlement you will hardly
find half a dozen persons who would not
be considered barbarous by the dwellers
in Cherry streets toughest tenement
The half dozen would be made up of a
superintendent, the head foreman, the
lumber inspector and the store men.
These are always In peril OF their lives
from the jealous hatred Of the lunberrnen
who recognize their superiority But they
are fearless lot, and, on the whole, II
trouble ensues they are rather more likely
10 kill than to be killed.
Where the enmity is openly avowed they
can take care Of themselves. but the lum-
herman has a puerile habit Of fancying
himself offended at some trivial thing and
of treacherously planning the death OF the
offender. Two years ago mountain store
keeper told one OF his customers that he
was all out OF certain brand OF tobacco.
Later in the evening he found, on back
shelf. some OF the brand and sold II TO an
other man. The first customer, finding
this out. conceived the theory that he had
been insulted and that night when the
storekeeper went out TO put up his dog
he was mortally shot. This is a typical
case.
The owner Of large tract Of timber
! land in that region told the writer that
one Of his minor settlements was entirely
made UP OF fugitives from justice. The
storekeeper Of that camp entertained the
writer one evening with a running COM
mentary on the customers who came in.
Ii sounded like a string Of fancies at the
/ time, but later enough WAS verified 10 con-
vince the most skeptical that it was all
/ true,
sHere comes Turner and his three boys
said the st ore man. All sober tonight. I'm
! always glad 70 have my gun in reach when
] Il. .Va