Evening journal., 1908-07-29
Mr.. HUKILL TELLS OF A
BLACKBIRD HUNDRED FIGHT
Letter No. z.

Letter NO. q
In 1910, some owners Of real estate
got an order for new road in what
was known as Gum Bush. in Blackblrd
hundred, and leading from Blackbird
to Taylor's Bridge. The road was sup
posed to run down the line between my
fathers land on the East, and lands
then owned by two brothers, COM
monty known as the Townsends, Sam
and John. For some unknown reason
there were some manipulations of al
fairs that worked a great hardship to
my father Gideon Emery HukilD Tor,
instead OF running the road with the
limo dividing the land of the different
parties in the centre of the road and
taking equal parts of the land from
each of the owners, when they came
to my fathers land they started, as
II We're at a needle point, and ran
slightly diagonal the entire distance,
nearly a mile. BY the time they left
my fathers land on the other side of
the tract, the strip taken off was about
35 or 40 yards wide, throwing all nis
fence on the side Of the other parties.
My father had considerable wood
land, and made a business of cutting
and shipping cordwood out of Black
bird creek, which required him to go to
Philadelphia occasionally, which to do,
meant several days, or a week perhaps,
as the only conveyance was by stage
from Blackbird to Wilmington, at least
Those who were steering the affair,
made it convenient to go through that
portion of fathers land covered by a
cornfield while he was away. That
corn was in roasting ears, which they
cut off and threw in piles what thei
did not feed to the horses of the road
men. Leaving the outside fence down.
where they went through they exposed
his cornheld to the mercy of the forest
cattle of which there were many. s.
The afternoon my father came home
he walked from the stage at Blackbird
till he came to the opening in the
fence, where he found mother minding
the open fence to keep the cattle out
The sight of the destroyed corn, and
his wife minding the gap in the fence,
very naturally put him IN a bad humor
and the first thing he said was for her
to go to the house, that he would a.
tend to that job. l think they Went
to the house ogether, for he had TO got
out of his Sunday clothes before he
was ready for business, and / heard
mother say his coat was little tight
Anyway but 1t seemed to be tighter
that afternoon than ever before, con-
sequently he tore it of, and hurried
back to put the fence up. Just about
the time he got his fence in tack again
the road men quit ork for that day
and came down to where he was, as
that was the only way for them to GO
home. heard my father tell what hap
pened about them, as follows: The
road overseer, was a little man by the
name of Matthew Durham, but PLUCK
to the core. My father opened the ac-
tion with, well, you're carrying on
nigh here, while I was away Now
have just finished putting up that
fence and I will lick the first man that
lays hands on rail" That's the kind
of man 1 like to meet" said Durham
and suiting the action to the word, ht
grabbed the rail, and father grabbed
him, and perhaps struck him once, foI
l know his eye was black the mex
morning. He threw him across a ditch
with his head between two stumps ant
then all the rest of the road men ran
and when Durham called on them {,
come and help him. and found then
running he broke out with this ex
preston, "Oh you cowardly whelps I,
run away while one big Davie kills
little one" For my father was a big
able man and did not scare worth
cent That ended the performance TO
that day, but when they appeared OF
the scene the next morning the,
brought their teams and commence,
moving his fence over on to the Ian,
Of the other parties. and my fathe
and all HIS force left the breakfas
table to get their teams to haul al
they could to save IT, He never go
his fence back or pay for his land t
the best OF my knowledge. and it lef
sore and bad blood between him an,
the Townsends, and will tell you hov
1t terminated in the next article.
William Andrew HukilI.