The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-02-07
SON WAS DRINKING HEAVILY
AND QUARRELED WITH FATHER
Life Of Dead Man Was Series Of
Sensations.
He Had Been on Trial Many Times Tor
CompIicity In Murders, But se-
cured Acauittal ON All
Charses--selectea
Own Conn.

Louisville. Ky. Feb. GA spsciai
from Jackson. KY, says:
Former County Judge James Hsrgis.
for many years member of the state
Democratic Executive Committee. ac-
cused Of completely in many murders
and prominent figure in the fsuds
which have disrupted Breathitt County
for several years. was shot and killed
In his general store here about half
past three o'clock this afternoon BY his
son, Beach Hargis,
The son fred five shots In rapid sue
cession at his father. who fell dead
while the clerks were waiting ON GUS
toners. The exact cause OF the muir
der has not been learned. but u 10
supposed to have been the result Of
differences which have existed between
father and son for some time. The two
men are reported TO have had q sewers
quarrel several nights ago, when the
father, it is alleged. was compelled 70
resort to violence 10 RESTRAIN his son
Young Hargis. It & said, has been
drinking heavily OF late. He came INTO
the store late this afternoon and Was
annarentIy under the Influence OK
li1uor Judge Hargis. II Is said, spoko
| ia hia SON about his drinking ana
| quarrel resulted. Father ana son
stepped behind q counter In the store,
when the son. after only Few Msn-
| utes conversation drew a rsyolver 49,
| fired five shots. -Four took effect ano
ths noted mountain character fell dead
/ The young lady stenographer and tns
/ custoraera in the store. rushed Tor tne
/ doors and fled in fright
Youn0 .iarRis was arrested by Town
| Marshais Goran smith and aroveI
Blantni1. and placed N jail. III 49,. 49,
I ravinw like . maniac and the ofpcert
were compelled to drag him 20 Jail
/ Judwe Hargis has been for years
1 nrosnfneut fiene In Kentucky, In poll
lies and criminal circles. he mas
| figured Ia the courts IN the mountains
| Tor years on account Of the murders 81
| Doctor Cox. Attorney Marcum anu . ss,o
| CockrilI Judge Hargts was the poilsi-
| cal leader Of the Democrats OF the
| tenth district and was the boss" o.
| Breathitt county.
On Trial aHany Ttmes.
He had been on trial at various times
/ for completely In the murder OF James
| B. Marcum. Jim Cockrili ana ". 10Y 10Y
CHARGES. He was recently forced 20
| pay a Judgment of $4,000 to Mrs. Mar
cum In connection with the death Of
/ her husband, q verdict having been
| found against him in the Circuit Court
/ at winchester.
/ this, the last of the numerous cases In
| which he had been involved by his con-
nection with the Hargis-C ockriIi feud,
| when he paid check Of over $1,000 to
| Mrs. Marcum. covering $4,000 damages
and her litigation expenses Mrs. MAI
/ nrrfa I'D satls -
for 100000, alleging that they caused
the death Of her husband. Though
Judge Hargis was acquitted Of the
charge OF having instigated the murder
| of Marcum, the winchester Jury award
ed Mrs. Marcum $1,000 damages against
him.
The Hargis-C ockriII feud. out OF
which grew the almost innumerabie
tragedies with which Judge Hargis's
name Is linked. had its inception IN ~
political contest. The Hargises had
| long been dominant in Breathitt C0un-
/ ty where they conducted a general
/ store, were engaged in the lumber busi-
| ness and were generally active. The
brothers, James. Alexander and Elbert.
| were good business men and Rccunu-
| lated what in the mountains Is q great
fortune.
The trouble with the Cockrills arose
| when the Cockrills opposed the HAIR
gises at the polls Feeling was bitter
| when one day. Ben Hargis. a younger
brother of Judge James Hargis. met
one Of the Cockrill boys in q blind
tiger near jackson. There was a gun
play and CockrilI killed Ben Hargis.
In tho fall of 1902 came the FIRST
murder in the feud. DIR. Cox. the
guardian of the Cockrill boys. was tho
victim.
Dr. Cox lived on the outskirts Of
Jackson. He was called from his hona
one night to answer a professional call
AS he entered his gate on the way honas
he was shot by assassins concealed
across the way.
Afterward John smith. John Abner
and others OF the alleged Hargis band
OF assassins, were accused % this
crime, and in a confession made by one
Of them. they asserted that Judge
Hargis hired them to kill Or, Cox.
Feud written In Blood.
From this time on the story Of the
HarRis.Cockrlll fsud was written ~
blood. The next to fall was Jim Cock
rill. the Town Marshal
One afternoon in July in 1908. Cock
rill was standing on the street GOT
nsr in Jackson across from the ma
ois store and the court house. ~
had been talking to some friends ans
started to turn away. when shots ra 7 3
out from the upper window OF tbs
court house. Cockrih Iyelled, M
God, they've got me az last Ana
turned to run. while the unseen nluF-
derers continued to fire at him. one
bullet tore through his throat. an
cher through his chest. Cockrill ran
into an and fell dying. He was placed
on a train a=d rushed to Lexington
where an operation was performed but
he died In a hospital there the next
morning. 1t was because Of this that
the trials of those accused OF the muir
Ssr ~ lin CockrilI were held IA Lex-
ington. ,-4...
There was a perfunetory investiga-
ton Of this murder but amounted to
nothing more than that into the Cox
murder. II the tragedies had ceased
with this. there might have been none
, | hnf hua e.