Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-04
r WAS IN THE BLOOD
Feudist Noted ne Crack
shat

Ny work which kept me in eastern Ken
lucky for more than year. with occss-
ional "details into The mountains Of eastern
Tennessee and western Virginia. made II
quite clear &c me why the deniEens % those
businesses take 50 easily 10 ''moenshining-
or illicit distnlinc ans why the death-deal-
ing fsuds thrive SO IN such environments.
According to the best Information have
been able to obtain these people are the
descendants q the -cunvicts that were eol-
oni1ed in the Appalachian mountains by
Great Britain before the war q the rev-c-
luton They have never ooTne tn contact
with the world. and are amazingly ignorant
a anything which happens outside their
immediate neighbufhood I have seen ola
men who had never been half . mile swsy
from their hones-Srhose whole lives hao
been passed IN the creek bottom where
they had been born There are few
schools, TO he sure. but the territory IL 30
extensive and the schools are 10 few that
a relatively sman number Of children ever
see a book.
There is comparatively little communities
ton between the different parts OF the
country. Only the more prosperous own
horses or mules. In Eorne sections travel
by horseback lie impossible. Although the
mountains are not high the country is prob
ably the toughest IN the United States.
meadow is a rarity, and the land it too
precious for pasturaEe. Here and there
few scrawuy COWS are to he seen, but they
belong only TO the comparatively rich. ana
they are forced TO shift for themselves by
grazing along the creek beds and under
brush with pastoral life out OF The aues-
] tien the inhabitants resort 20 agriculture IN
4 the most primitive and limited way.
Patches Ct corn, seldom excee2fng I'VE
acres In extent. are cultivated on the sides
! Of the hills where the slope is frequently
al an angle Of Is degrees. The land is tiiled
/ by the hoe, for no horse could drag paow
over such ground.
The best shots in the world are the Ken
lucky rnountaineers- The west has moth
ing TO compare with them. When II comes
to pulling a gun quickly and shooting
accurately the most expert Of frontier bad
men would appear slow and clumsy by the
side Of many Of these mountain outlaws.
! They learn 10 shoot almost az soon az they
| graduate from the cradle. Many Of their
| sports relate to shooting. The proprietor
! Of the crossroads store has shooting gal
/ lery In his establishment where in other
/ localities yuu might find slot machine. In
one store ! saw q wheel about half the size
! OF q spinning wheel with pieces OF card
/ board containing numbers on the different
| spukes The charge was 'nipence " 90
cents) a shot, and the participant picked
/ his number. The prizes ranged all the way
from a box Of cartridges 10 a bag OF corn
meal or q side OF SOW bosom" according
4 to The size Of the piece Of cardboard
lected. The wheel was given a swift whiri
by the storekeeper, but Judging from the
shooting sAw could not ind out wherein
ne derived any profit from the contrivance.
Probably the most respected citizen in
eastern Kentucky mountain districts o. OLD
shanklsfurd who lives al the head OF Poor
Fork creek, In Perry county. ShRckleford
is getting old now-he must be about 20.
but there is no adventurous, fire-eAt1ng
youth who cares TO try conclusions with
him Too many have attempted that and
died He has record Of thirty-eiEht Kill
inEE" to his credit. q record that 10 western
desperate from Las Vegas to the Canadian
line has ever equaIed. He has been shot
from ambush, but ne has survived his
wounds. although this much cannot be said
Of the man that shot first. His neighb0rs
stand in awe OF him, and he iE said 70 bear
charmed life. His cabin is decorated with
coon skins, and over the front door lie nailed
the skin Of the biggest rRttlesnake ever
killed in the Kentucky mountains. shaclrle-
ford's most dreaded Antagonist tn a fight
was his wife. and be killed her several
yeArs ago in a domestic brawl The milf
tant old woman was given an imposing rest
ing place She was buried on the top Of
Harlan peak and her grave was dug eight
feet deep. Shackleford has directed that
he he buried Just above her when he dies
Il want folks to know that come out on
top" he said in giving mis- Instructions
Outing magazine.