The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-10-02
BLOODY life ENDS
IN BLOODY Death
Tom C0ckrill Crushed to
Death in r. R. Yard.
HE That Liveth by the Sword
Must Die by the
Sword"

After having inaugurated, with the
',"killing'' of Ben Hargis, at Jackson.
the bloodiest feudal war" that the
Kentucky mountains mas known, in
which the deatn roster includes the
names of Jim Cockrill, DR.. B. d. Con.
James b. Marcum and others, bad"
Tom Cockrill met death Saturday night
by being ground under cut of freight
cars on the K.& |. tracks at Thirty
first and ST. Xavier streets, and died
some four hours later at st. Mary
and Elizabeth Hospital.
Cockrin was returning from a visit
10 mis- brother, Mckinley Cockrill in
Oklahoma and was TO leave this morn
ing for Frankfort TO attend the Fed
.eral Court as witness.
He went 10 the Portland-avenue car
barn and saw a friend and started TO
visit another acquaintance. He started
down the X. & |. tracks with Harry
Rawlings. They were walking south
on tire right-nand track, wnen they
saw an approaching b. & o. freight
train and stepped 10 tine next track.
A cut of freight cars was being back
ed down, and in the noise from the
more rapidly moving freight train
they did not hear it approach.
Young Rawlings says that the
switching cut of freight cars was with
out lights. Rawlings also says that
neither of them knew of the approach
ing cars until he was struck aud lost
consciousness. Three freight cars rad
passed over MIN. When ne regain
ed consciousness ne threw out mis- arms
. and caught the axle of a passing car,
being dragged along SO as to escape
the wheels. His cries were heard and
the cars stopped. When dragged
out young Rawlings said, Find the
other man." He had sustained a frac-
ture of the left leg.
The crew Immediately began a
search and Tom Coclxrell was found
terribly mangled from tine thighs
down. He was at once taken TO SITS.
Mary and Elizabeth Hospital, where
the physicians decided that the frac-
lures so high up that amputation
would do no good. Cockrll died at
l O'Clock.
After Coroner Charles /. Graves had
viewed the body it was removed to
the undertaking establishment of Gran
W. Smith, Eighth and jefferson
street where a few friends who mad
been fellow 'railroaders" dropped in
to view the remains. Word was sent
to Mrs. Cockrill at Indianapolis The
body was sent TO Jackson last night
by the G. & o. railroad.
Tom Cockrill shot and killed Ben
Hargis on the night of February 21,
1902. Until that time the Cockrills
and Hargises had been intimate and
close friends. After that the famous
feud was waged between tine two fac
tions.
the beginning was in a blind tiger
saloon in Jackson, Breathitt county:
the end was probably on the X. & l..
track since the leaders on both sides
are dead and the members of the sur
viving families scattered.
Tom Cockrill was himself shot
three times in the affray that start
ed the feud. In quick succession jim
Cockrill. Toms brother; DR.. b. ID. Cox
his guardian, and James b. Marcum,
his attorney, were shot to death in
jackson.
These murders caused the charges
to be brought against County Judge
James b. Hargis of oreIaiirg MUIR
der syndicate, and Curt Jett testified
in the Marcum murder trials that ne
was paid by Hargis 10 kill Marcum
from the court room window of the
Courthouse.
Tom Cockri,l had sworn vengeance
on Hargis and Ed Callahan, tine Sheriff
and County Judges ally. and had not
Hargis met death at the hands of his
own son, 1t is probable that "Bad
Tom would have carried out his oath
As 1t was. the men met only once.
That was on railroad train. when
1argis,, who went in mortal dread of
Cockrill, was sitting with Callahan,
The car door poened and Cockrill came
in. Instantly Callahan was ON his
feet with his revolver drawn. Cockrill
also drew, and for a moment the men
: stood facing each other, then Cock