The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-15


feud country last year by mountain
GERS who are brave enough when it
comes to facing bullets in the open
or in ambush, but who incontinently
turn tail and streak along rocky trails
whenever a man with a camera comes
along.
Consider the typical case of Seen
eral" Ben Butler Souders and Thomas
Jefferson Henderson, old and bitter
rivals in the Bell county feud that has
cost thirty lives to date. Putting
aside their hatred for the time being,
they had met on the banks of ''Yaller"
Creek, within sight of the notorious
Quarter House, and had just consum-
mated the sale of a brindle COW to
their mutual satisfaction, when cam
era man Strolled along. The Cen
eral" was the first to spy the black
boxed instrument, and the instant he
did so that instant he stood not on
the order of his charging fun speed
down the mountain sic. Thomas JEFF
ferson stood his ground until, few
moments later, he became acquainted
with the cause of his old enemy's pre-
to his heels in the direction marked
out by the General"
Only the latters venerable father,
Squire Souders, stayed to face the
camera.
yes, see," ENORMOUSLY explained
the Squire, 9TH General is right SUI
perstitious about them picter- drawin'
boxes. The General hev fit some day
an time an he amt lool1in' fer no
trouble no more. They amt better
man nor he be, an if he's had KILN
ter do, hit were bekaze they warnt no
one else in Yaller Creek good an hef-
ty enough ter do hit on'y him"
why Anse Hatfield Posed.
Only after an hours persuasion and
detailed explanation of the working of
the ''picter-d DRAWN box" would the
Squire consent to be photographed,
and it required all of two hours dip
lomatic eloquence to induce Thomas
Jefferson Henderson the next day to
pose before the camera. Praise of
the picturesqueness of his dilapidated
shanty and the beauty of his age
withered mother, sitting in the door
way churning, finally had the desired
effect.
"Well, reckon" said Thomas, eff
you all is agoin' ter make a DRAWN
o. tn old shack, hit pears I oughter
be in hit! but, durn it all, I'd ruther
hev a gun pintin' at me-"
The only leader in all the feud coun-
| try who showed no fear or backward
ness of the camera was Anse Hatfield
The possible commercial value to hin
of his likeness gave him courage t.
pose.
"You-all kin draw my peter" hi
said, IAN after hits drawed, you-aI
| kin write a history in book about
hit, an then Til tell you what veal
kin do. We kin take these hyah
dawgs, an thus hyah gun, an tn pic
ter at. you-all i'll draw, an tn book,
an we kin show everywhere in tn
kentry, an make a sight o. money
They's money en- these hyah feuds,
even If they is worry an divilmint
Why, / kin sell tn hide o. a bar fer
SD more nor hits worth jest bekase
hit were killed by ole Devil Anse.
An they amt a. tooth in tn jaws o. tn
varmint at 1 KANT sell fer 81 a tooth
fer tn same reason"
Cemeteries Like Deserted villages.
These same generosity dare-devils
of the mountains take particular de-
light in having their families and
their cemeteries pictured. They will
go to no end of trouble to induce 9TH
OF woman and 9TH gals" to pose by
their spinning wheels, which are still
universally used in this region, and do
anything to help in 9TH DRAWN o. tn
wimmen folk"
The typical feud land cemetery
looks like nothing so much as a de-
serted village of dollhouse proportions.
The dead-the majority of whom have
fallen in feuds-are placed in little
frame shacks, about six feet wide by
ten feet long, which boasts a door in
one end wide enough to admit coffin
and high enough to make a six-foot
mountaineer bend double when he
enters to place a body inside. No
fastening other than bit of revolving
wood, with a nail as pivot, is on any
door.
A Judges Remarkable Jury Charge.
The active participants in the fueds
are not the only people in their blood
despatched world who have rather
remarkable ideas of law and its en-
forcement. For the authorities have
their own peculiar ways of interpret
ing justice.
"If a civil citizen kills another citi-
zen and it is clearly in self-defense,
don't indict him." said a judge to a
grand jury in Letcher, one of the
fued counties, recently. "If a civil
citizens kills an outlaw, don't indict
him, no matter Whether ne Killed IN
self-defense or not. If one outlaw
kills another outlaw, indict him with
out questioning the motive for killing.
In such a case it would be well to
sentence the outlaw for life and so
get rid of him as well as his victim.
If a civil citizen takes bag Of pro-
visions on his back and pursues an
outlaw all week, and then kills him
as he would wild game, don't indict
him. If you want to do anything, give