Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-27
THREE FIRM TO CONVICT
Nine Accepted Defense of Justifable
Homicide.
BOY KILLED HIS OWN FATHER
Ended Reign Of Kentucky Baron
Bloody and Infamous.


In the case of Beach Harg1s, charged with
the murder Of his father. Judge James
Harsis. this afternoon reported inability
to agree and was discharged.
The jurymen stood nine for acquittai
and three for conviction.
Boy Killed Own Father.
Beach Hargis had been drinking heavily
few days before the killing of Judge
Hargis and had finally been brought back
to Jackson. For some days the neighbors
declared that Judge Hargis had been
dragging the boy through the streets OF
the wild little mountain town.
AS told in the trial Beach entered his
fathers store and after few words with
the Judge engaged in a grapple with him.
They fell to the floor. Beach on top. With
the judges own pistol the boy fired sew
eral shots into the body Of the prostrate
man.
The state in the trial of young Hargis
cont ented itself with the facts of the
case ending it's testimony at the point
when a witness testified that Beach dur
ing the course Of the day of the murder
said:
I'm getting wild, and I'll do some
thing desperate before night
Defense Justifies Killing.
Counsel for the defense, one of whom
was United States Senator>elect William
o. Bradley. former Governor Of Ken
lucky. based its strength on the testi-
mony of the boy and that Of his mother,
Mrs. Louellen Hargis. Mrs. Hargis testi-
fed that her husband had early taught
the boy bad habits. and when Beach was
a child had given him whisky and buckled
a pistol on him.
Beach, or Beauchamp, his rightful
name. Is twenfy-threa years old and has
always been what in the Kentucky noun
tains is termed 'feverish." He had given
his parents much trouble.
The only other Hargis child is Mrs
Evelyn Hogg of Jackson. who married one
of the bitterest Of Judge HargIS polltlca
and family enemies.
Judge James Hargis was as admittedly
a baron In Breathitt county, and even ir
| the tenth congressional district, as was
ever any medieval lord. His adherent:
occupied all the county Offices, he was
himself democratic committeeman and
was the chairman Of all the district con-
ventions.
Bloody Rule of Hargis.
Men rose up to question his rule and to
make personal attacks on him. These mer
suddenly were QOne away Will D. n
Marcum, the head of his family
walked the streets OF Jackson fol-
months with a baby in his arms to
| avert the assassination which finally over
took him. The Cockrills and others dis
puted the rule of Judge Hargis. They
paid the penalty with their lives.
This summary and violent rule bred the
school of murdererS and bad men who
gave to their county the world-knowr
title of Bloody Breathitt.''. One of them
Curt Jett, is serving a life sentence IL
the state penitentiary, some are dead and
others have fled the state or are living
quietly since the death of their chieftain
Slain in His Own Store.
| Judge Hargis had vast mineral interests
| In this country in addition to a genera
store at Jackson. 1t was in this store
| that he was killed
| One of the strange incidents about the
death of the feud leader was his purchase
| of a casket in Louisville week before his
| death. He saw silver-handled coffir
valued at 81 100 which struck his fancy
and ordered It.
| 1t was to be sent on Mrs. Hargis' re.
quest. When Judge Hargis met his
death eight days later Mrs. Hargis wired
| for the casket.