Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-16
Remote Fastness Where
"Sparkin'" is Dangerous.
DOWN IN KENTUCKY
FEUDS ARE COMMON AND KILL
INGS NUMEROUS.
Cases Which Found Their Way Into
the Criminal Court at Ow.
ingsville.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

|
| OWINGSVILLE. KY. January Is, 1904.
| 'Sparkin'." as the mountaineers say il
| certainly strenuous enough for any one up
on Cutsin creek Leslie county KY Many
killings have occurred in that community
| of moonshiners, mountain outlaws and gen.
eral desperadoes in the last year because
! they have offered insult to the female mem
bers of some mans family. These noun
| taineers hold their women folks only
| second to the angels. and woe to the man
who offends them
One instance of this is the case of James
Jones, an orphan, and a plain, common.
everyday young mountaineer. Jones can
neither read nor write He was a devil
may-care, handsome fellow, though and
won the love of mountain lass as Hitter
ate ana unsophsticated in the ways of the
world as he. The two planned to get mar
| ried- Spencer Hollon, fifty years old a
married man and typical mountain des-
perado, declared the pair should not marry
| as he wanted the girl himself after his wife
was dead. Hollon made many threats but
| in spite of them the couple secured a license
ana were married by country magistrate
| Jones and his bride were both less than
twenty-one years Old, and after their we'd
dlng they tied all their earthly possessions
| IN a bedspread and started out walking
pared for the brides reception
Attacked on Their Way Home
On their way thither they were COM
pelled to pass Holon's home, which was
situated in dark hollow far away from
the public highway, and a narrow foot
path led past the house
Several men were at Hollon.s bouso .,s
when they saw Jones and his new-made
bride approaching Hollon directed a Young
man named Collins to meet the pair and
nre shot from his pistol under Jones feet.
ms ms Solilns proceeded to do, and Jones
drew his pistol to protect himself
AT this tuncture Collins cousin spranp
our OF the door and began firing at Jones,
VINO stepped in front of his wife and re-
treated occasionally replying IN Collins,
| fire. Hollon saw that Jones was about n
escape and came to Collins assistance with
an army musket. Holon pursued Jones and
attempted to shoot him. but Jones turned
his pistol on the desperate and shot him
twice through the heart killing him in
stantly. Jones then went to Hyden county
seat OF Leslie county and surrendered He
had money to employ counsel and the
circuit judge appointed CIeson X Calvert
formerly of this town. and two other at
torneys to defend Jones. The case was
tried at the term of-court just closed and
Jones was acquitted by the jury in less
than seven minutes.
A Similar Case.
a similar case was tried at the same term
VI court John Jones' a relative of the
Jones mentioned above. charged with
the killing of Lige Griffith. who was a des-
perate character a moonshiner and gem
eral outlaw. Griffith had been ordered away
from Jones home. where Griffith had been
going to see Jones daughter Griffith be-
came very angry. and. securing supply of
mountain dew" went to Jones' home with
companion with the avowed intention of
making Jones leave the neighborhood They
arrived there while the family were al sup
per: Griffith and his companion fired sew
eral shots at the door. and the Jones fam
lily ran out of the house Griffith's sweet
heart, the Oldest girl. picked up the eight
een-months-old baby of the family and
threw 1T over the garden fence behind some
large stones to prevent its being killed
All the Jones family with the exception Of
the elder Jones and his daughter fed to
places of safety. Jones went TO the des-
peradoes and implored them to leave Their
reply was a shot under Jones feet. The
girl cried out that she had been shot in the
hand. This seemed to arouse Jones' who
at once drew his revolver and shot Crit
fifth to death. His companion fed. Jones
was acquitted az his examining trial in the
circuit court.
Unusual Case in Same Court
An unusual case tried at the same term
of court. that of the commonwealth of
Kentucky agt. Eph Helton ard his son
John. charged with conspiracy to murder
Carlo Helton, Eph's brother Eph is sev-
enty-One years Cd. Inc HeltOnS were good
friends until a few years ago. when feud
arose in which the Heltons, CaldwelIs and
Towards were opponents. A store be-
longing to E. ]. Howard was burned. and
he accused young Jonah He,ton, Carlo Hell
toms son. of being the incendiary John and
Jonah Helton then had quarrel. and John
declared that he and Jonah had burned
Carlo Heiton's store house Jonah Helton
was tried on that charge but was acquitted
because of no evidence against him.
John Helton Wounded.
Shortly afterward John Helton walked in
the yard at his home one night A shot
was fired from the blu shes nearby. and John
Helton was carried into his home badly
wounded with ball through his lungs a.
and sent to the penitentiary. II later trans
and John Helton had employed Knuckles to
In his wrath and swore vengeance on his
brother Carlo and Jonah. Eph employed
Ben Caldwell and John Collins TO waylay
and kill Carlo The would-be assassns hid
themselves in the bushes. and when Carlo
came out of the house and was gathering
apples nearby Collins and Caldwell fired
on him with their .Winchesters. badly
wounding Carlo. The two assassins are
row in the peuitentiary- Seyenty-one-year-
old Eph Helton was tried and sentenced to
the peniteutiary, was hts son john John
had one sentence to serve for burning q
house belonging 10 Mat Belcher. a friend of
with such environments. Il n iittle wonder