The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1911-09-22
IN SELF Defense.
Native Of Big Sandy Takes the Courier
journal 10 Task.

~ lHS EuilOi VI thc CC"iANi 1oNi
nal:
Your editorial of yesterday IAN
Important Conference" impressed
and distressed me very much. Per-
NIT me to say with all due def
erence and respect that you be-
tray the same woeful ignorance of
conditions prevalent II the noun
tains of Eastern Kentucky and of
utter disregard of the vital inter
ests of her people that have char
acterized the pages of the yellow
journalism of the East for the
past fifty years.
You say. There has been too
much bloodshed in the Kentucky
Mountains and too little regard for
property rights
That is true and exactly the
same is equally true as to Louis
vile, Lexington, or any other prin-
cipal town or section of the State.
If you and the other distinguished
journalists of the country do not
know, 1t is high time yen were
knowing, that there are not now,
nor has there ever been, any more
''bloodshed. and too little regard
for property rights among the
mountains of Eastern Kentucky, ac-
cording to population, than exists
right in the midst of civilized Lou
isville. Indeed statistics war
rant the statement that you have
more crime and disregard for prop
erty rights, according to population,
than we have. The only difference
is this; when crime Is committed
in the Mountains, you parade 1t
before the public in great flaming
headlines and harp" on 1t for a
month and descant at length on
"feuds" and 'feudists.,' as If. all
the mountain counties were infest-
ed with these pestelential distem-
pers simply because Breathitt coun-
|
same magnitude is committed in
Louisville, it receives casual no.
tice only. The fact is that crime
Is so common down there, we pay
scarcely any attention to it when
it is committed. unless. indeed. il
is such revolving crime like the
unthinkable inexpressible and dia-
bolical rape, decapitation and mu-
tilation OF the body OF poor, inno-
cent Alma Kelner whose spirit, 'like
the ghost OF murdered Banquos"
still hovers over your boasted city
Snd mocks and derides your great
into everlasting shame
Scrsl We hHre not yet been
/ guilty al All, crtinsswthat has
ssoeked and horrifie9 eyeiy ron
tinent ai $40 civilized globe. Also
the crime o. August Ropke and OF
the man who recently hacked his
wife to pieces are recalled mere
ly because of their glaring and un-
! precedented enormity. If these
: crimes had been committed in the
Mountains, we should have been
: veritably overrun with missionaries
t and evangelists to teach the
mountain heather of the error OF
} their way" and to lead them from
the power of Satan unto God." To
J such little incidents in your city as
where citizens are sandbagged,
black-jacked, stabbed, robbed and
: murdered, we of the mountains pay
little attention because they oe-
cur with such frequency and regu-
= larity.
Now. don't you really think that,
when that Jackson Conference ad-
Jurors. 1t should do SO to reconvene
Immediately in the city OF Louis
vile. You surely wouldn't object
20 it. God knows you need it.
You are fair enough to say. much
of this (reputation for feud etc.
is undeserved'; but you are unfair
enough to repeat that age-long her.
esy and unwarranted accusation I;
"but 1t must. be confessed with
shame that there is enough of
basis for it to cause men OF other
States to hesitate before investing
in Kentucky, etc. Your latter
statement IS not warranted by the
facts. Let the world take notice
that is not ''feuds mobs and muir
ders' that have kept capital from
our midst and thus retarded the
deses, pment and progress OF our
section SO long; but 1t is the un-
|, warranted, unfounded ana infam-
Y ,us attacks upon our ciyilI1a''g
Vellow journalism and r.
press and the silly writ
lthe habits and conditicf