The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20

eastern end of the State. about midway
he, ween the Ohio River and the southern
boundary and TO the southwest ward Of a
sp,lr of the Cumberland Mountains that
reaches UP from the southeast and. having
performed the useful purpose Of dividing
Breath county from Wolfe and Magof{in
counties on the north, continues through
Ire and Els, i'll counties on the west.
1t is the real thing in mount ain country.
and it's population. somewhere about 1900,
i. well scattered. jackson, it's capital or
court house town. was. until the railroad
pierced the country. as isolated as any OF
the remote hill towns, like Manchester,
CLAY county, not far away.
The people are very like all the hill people
Of kentucky, hospitable to tho stranger,
If he be not a revenue officer; contenLed
to live without schools, II they must be de-
pended upon to provide them: not worried
because the women wear one-piece frocks
and sunbonnets and rub SNUFF into their
gums, like their mothers before them; will
ing to be interested in the outside world
but not anxious to get into Il; with native
standard OF morality that is not just that
of the blue grass lands below the foot hills
and so strong In their likes and dislikes hat
he men will fight 10 the death for friend
or pursue a foe NTH a relent lessness that
will not wear Q1t.
The casual visitor who should drop ir to
jackson or any OF the other smaller settle
ments Of the county would live there for
months before he would lose The impression
that it was only a peaceful little village
wi h a railway connection direct TO Frank
fort or Louisville bringing the two places
wi hin a day ride Of the mountain town.
If the visitor wants 10 know about Jack
sons reputa ion as the capita al Of the Hareis-
Sewan Cockrell feud. he will I've surprised
10 find that the people are not only not
averse to discussing ii. but actually will
ing, il not anxious. to go into all The de-
rails OF the contention that ia described as
having begun when William Sewall OF Jack
son married Virginia Britton Of Virginia In
1852.
Of this marriage there were two sons
Thomas j. and William, and two daughters
one of whom was married to Hiram Jet
Curts Jet was child of this marriage.
When William Sewall died, his widow
was welded to John s. Hargis. There was
a big family Of Hargises Henry A.. James
John G., Benjamin and Ebert; and II there
were any daughters they are not talked
about. The mother Of these sons was
the grandmother Of the Curtis Jet who
is now in State prison.
The interests Of the Sewall brothers and
the Hargis brothers, sons OF the same
mother. became identical for the bitter
purposes that presently arrayed the family
against another family.
According to the local accounts, the
troubles between the Hargis and Cockrel
families began between boys. Thomas j
4 sewall and Buck Coombs played together
'They quarrelled. Sewall shot COMBS
He was not killed. but his shooting did the
business.
A latent spirit of dislike. possibly tingec
with jealously and rivalry for leadership
in mountain society, burst into flame
Coombs was the nephew Of Tom Cockrell
Cockrell loudly proclaimed that the in
jury to his family must be atoned by th'
blood Of the Hargises.
That was many years ago. and IN tn
course Of the intervening years the enor
to make the menace good, and the determi
nation Of the other side to be even will
the Cockrells, have led to some slaughter
The score shows greater activity by thu
Hargises, but the Cockrell shooting ha'
been the more accurate and fatal
1t was not a constant, open fight. Vi
the surface Breathitt county was not Away
q turbulent region. From time to time
sometimes by accident and again by de
sign, not infrequently from the securit,
Of ambush, q Cockrell would slay Hargi
or a Hargis Cockrel.
The record, AZ made up at jackson recently
showed the account to stand as follows:
THE sEwALl-HARG1s SCORE.
Buck Coonbs. wounded by T. j. Sewall.
Judge Csrdwell, wounded by T. j. Sewall.
Thomas Dunbar killed by T. J. Sewall.
Jerry South, wounded by William sewall
Fillmore Brown, wounded by william
eewall
Henry Barnett. killed by Ebert Hargis.
Sally Hayes, killed by John u. Hargis.
Charles Everett, wounded oy Ben hsf1s
Samuel Lentztord. wounded by Ben Harsis
Tom Cockrell. wounded by Ben Harg1s.
Henry Smith, shot by County Judge Harris
Or. Cox. killed.
John cockrel, killed by Curtis Jet.
James B. Marcum. killed by Curtis Jet ant
Thomas White.
Willis Gabbsrd. killed by JET stapleton.
Granville Prster. killed by George Bar
nett. Jr.
Hiram Miller. killed by Reuben Lsndrun
George Smith, killed by Charles Byrd.
THE cocKRELE SCORE.
John u. Hargis, killed by Jerry Cardwell
Ben Hargis. killed by Tom Cockrell
A. F. Bullock. killed by A. Cockreu.
B. Davis. killed by Tom Cockrell.
Elkanah Smith, killed by Bud Bohanon
bud Allen, killed by Joe Haddix.
Susan Barnett. killed by Robert Sales
Reuben Landrum, killed by Hiram Miller
J. W. Noble, killed by Jacob Noble.
Irvine Newgate. killed by Jerry Noble
Daniel Hays. killed by Wesley Cox.
This record of eleven victims to the re
sentiment Of the Cockrells and ten slain b.
the Sewall- Hargis faction to the feud. a
since about 1870, in addition to person
wounded in notable encounters, does no
take account of manifold conflicts that re
suited in wounds not mortal or serious
When Thomas Sewall. intent upon dis
charging a duty that hill etiquette trans
rerred to him, shot Judge Cardwell In tn
back something like public spirit asserte'
itself, and he fed TO Madison county, furthe
west. but not far away. On Muddy Cree
he encountered Thomas Dunbar. a kins
man OF the Cockrells. and hilled him.
For this attempt to maintain the ven
delta he was arrested, and his trial re
suited in sentence to imprisonment 10
lifa He saryed for twelve Years whom h.