The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-05
"REMINISCENCES OF THE
 MOUNTAINS OF KENTUCKY
BY ARTHUR s. HusT.

Leaving Coon Hollow on the Knoxville branch of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, one finds the home of the Ken lucky hill men. Like the country, rough and picturesque, so are the ponulace, primitive in many ways and refusing a- bor-saving devices in the development of home and land Here one enters and leaves the bloody feudaI ground.
 Born In Kentucky I had no objection to working as agent and telegraph operator for a railroad in this section, especially with my union card to introduce me. This, in a mining district secured me a home. "Scabs" are not tolerated and many an unfortunate is forced to leave with fireworks urging them on.
 My room. or I should say our room. had six cots on eitherside of the parei- tlons. and never was a room less bur dened with too much furniture. A. she head of each cot was large wooden peg. Anyone desiring to use that article fer a wardrobe would have been called "ciiy chap" For the most part they held large calibre revolyers at bed time.
 Induction Into Office.
 My induction into office was anything but assuring. as Sid Worth, the rcticng agent, did not mince words and sent a chill up my back in a few phases. Sid was going across the line into Tennessee to take an important station. having hasn promoted for good and faithful service. My business having been stated Sid looked me carefully over and said:
 Kid. can you use gun? If you cant, dig right out of here. Never sell ticket unless you get the right fare, or the and itor will check you short"
 never felt more homesick in my life. but as the case was urgent and 1 needed the work the transfer of agents was scon made. Left alone, 1 nearly collapsed, as all I could remember was that gunnng proposition. Understanding my inability in this direction. l started my campa!ya in making friends. and, so others tell me, there never was such an obliging agent at K office. If any one imagines that one dies from ennul in this country they are greatly mistaken. I soon learned to play poker for small amounts and whack In for wildcat whskey.
 Hatfield and Mccoys.
 Of the celebrated feudists I met several members of the Hatfield and Mccoy fac tions. Of the former there was a strik- ing similarity. the absence of any growth of beard. With compilations that any society woman would envy. they looked anything but the desperate men they were The McCoys, on the other hand were great brawny men, quick in tenn per, piratical in appearance. and on the slightest provocation ready with their guns The members of either family at this time, twelve years ago. admitted that at one time amity existed between the two families. but the other side of the famous family feud. never learned.
 During my tenure as the 'obliging agent" a strike was inaugurated at one of the mining towns. Both sides being ob- durate and neither relaxing a point of their demands. crowd of sympathizing and brother miners some distance up the road bodily took switching engine from a crew and came down to take hand in the fight With barely enough knowl- edge to run an engine. even without tel egraph orders to protect other trains they rushed to the aid of the strikers From this time on riots were precipitated in the entire mineral district and the governors of Kentucky and Tennessee found it necessary to call out the state troops Many acts of bravery and dar- ing were witnessed on both sides but one which especially remember was that of Granville Sevier. a captain of the Tennessee troops. With a fusilade of bullets from ambush, he led a machine gun detail straight into the hail of lead successfully routing the strikers and practically ended the trouble. l after