The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-10-02


by the sSewall: IA Hargis fraction TO the
feud !, all since a bout 4 S7O IL In Sad itions
to persons. wounded & In Snota bley ems
manifold conflicts that resulte In
wounds not mortal or serious.
When Thomas Z SeWall, intent, upon
dlseharging o duty that hill e tiqnette
transferred to him, shot Judge Card
weli;in the back, some thing like public
spirit asserted itself, and he fled to
Madison county, further west; but not
far away On Muddy creek he ems
countercd Thomas Dunbar, q kins-
man OF the Cockrells, aud killed him.
For this attempt to maintain the
vendetta he was arrested, and ahts
trial resulted in q sentence to i'm
prisonment for life. He served for IL
years, when he was released Shy the
governor. His conviction and i'm
prisonlnent did not detsr his brother,
William SewalI, from leng gthening the
family record OF crime. Jerry South
and Lillmure Brown had been witness
es Of the murder Of Dunbar, William
Sewall shot, but did not kill, both or
these men. He was not even tried
for the crimes.
There we're days and months ut the
tine when no hostile shots we're fired.
Breathits wore an outward air Of
peace, but at the same time the feud
was becoming more intense and was
enlisting on one side or the other q
widening circle Of persons connected
by birth, marriage or sympathy with
the COckrells and fIarglSes.
The Hargis family enjoyed an adj
vantage over that Of the C0ckrells In
being the more numerous, and If it
was more acLive the record shows that
the CockrellS pointed their guns more
accurately and shot more fatally:
The feud spirit grew So strong as to
assert itself superior to the tradition
that In Il feud fight women and chill
dren were always immune from the
assussin'S violence. Such controversies
were to be carried on by men only,
and women need never be at all anx-
ious about their cHn safety.
A Hargis violated this unwritten
law. Eibert Hargis shot and killed
Henry Barnett, whose offense seems
to have b, ell that he had become
known as an adherent, for sympathetic
reasons, to the CockreN family and It's
resentments. Sally Hayes was an eye
witness to the shooting. Not long
after she was Shot and killed by John
G. Hargis.
The response was speedy and fatal
Jerry Cardwell, the brother Of Judge
Cardwell, who had been wounded by a
shot in the back from Tom Sewall,
revenged the murder Of Sally Hayes
by killing John G.. Hargis. The shoot
ing OF Charles Everett, another Cock
rcll sympathizer, by Ben Hargis fol-
lowed, and not long afterward the
same Ilargis shot and wounded. but
did not kill, Tom Cockrell's brother
in-law, Sam LenlzrJrd.
At this time the fcud occupied all
the time and thoughts Of the parties
to it, They sought in many ways to
secure advantages over each other,
often by trick and device.
Tom Cockrell was especially offen-
sive to the Hargis party as the leader
OF the opposing faction, and it was, de-
sirable to get rid of him. Ben Hargis
laid plan to get Cockrell into q sa-
loon and kill him. Cockrell fell into
the trap, but in the attempt at assas-
oIllduiOl Dcu Ildlb 10 WSo hIllCO duO
Tom Cockrell was only wounded.
James HargiS WINS county judge.
His 1ilice was to maintain the peace,
but the feud spirit inspired and in
furated him, and he shot and killed
man named Smith who had become
member Of the Cockrell family by
.marriage.
Business and general affairs were
not generally disturbed in the county
by these occasional encounters OF the
two factiOnS. Elections went OIL, the
nominations for local offices being
more or less affected by the feud.
The Cockrells were not numerous
enough to control In the elections, aud
they did not enjoy being outvoted by
the Hargises. Judge james HargiS
election, as we'll us that Of Sheriff
Callahan, was protested by james b.
Marcum Of jackson, Callahan was
iargis's broLher-in-law.~ DR.. Cox
openly expressed his participation In
the protest and for this offense was
shot and killed.
But other victims were soon to be
sacrificed to crafty the resentment OF
the Hargis faction. Curtis Jett shot
and killed John Cockrell. Not long
aftcrward James b. Marcum was shot
and killed in the court house ut Jack
son. Curtis Jett and Thomas White
are now serving life sentences for
committing this crime, which has
brought the Cockrell- Hargis feud
prominently into notice
1t has taken so years Of this sort OF
strife to deaden the moral sense OF
Brcathitt county to the lawlessness
that the Cock rell and Hargis differ
ences have brought about. Those on
either side who have become attached
to the one or the other have learned
to regard the feud as a matter quite
outside Of the law, matter to be set
tied, us their own private affair, be-
tween tile two families. 1t does not
appear that at any time ain arbitra-
tor has arisen, moved by u spirit OF
peace and lOatlling for murder to bring
about an agreement to settle the ven
detta that can only be terminated, IL
pacific settlement is not reached, by
the death Of the last male survivor OF
one Of the families.
Yet these people move with appar-
ent uncUncern about the streets and
along the roads, the children some
times attend the same school, and
Cockrells and lIargises have been
known to gather in the same
churches. But the poison is moving
In the blood all the time.