The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-06-01

Marshal Potter was at the edge of
the winter cut of cordwood, Smith
with a tree between him and danger,
and Smallwood, from point to the
left, blazed away over stump.
There's no earthly use of being a
mountaineer if you haven't guns
aplenty and no use having guns with
out ammunition. Pike county knows
this rule, too. Three shots to the
minute was the average of fire from
both sides. Smallwood was not In
good shape, the deep wound in his
arm trickling blood at his finger
tips each time he raised his gun.
Growing bitter as the fight ad-
vanced, Bette Tackitt threw open
the door to the end that her aim
might be direct. A bullet from
without passed over and plunked in
to the cupboard. Bettie's gun was at
her shoulder in an instant. Before
Smallwood could lower his weapon
she pressed the trigger. The shot
went true. It tore the finger from
the hand that held the gun. A man
twice shot has the status of dead
man, so far as warfare effectiveness
is concerned. So Smallwood's rifle
became silent and the fight was now
two to two-men against women
and one wounded on each side, man
and a woman.
And so, for a full half hour, shots
from the open were answered. by
shot from the house. Marshal Smith
was inclined to belittle the bravery
of the mountainside garrison. He
wanted to take it by storm. Creep
ing out from his sheltered spot he
advanced with gun muzzle moving
like a side-playing pendulum to cover
both windows. He saw a girl at one
window and momentarily forgot the
other. A spit of fire was the answer.
Smith dropped and never moved.
Marshal Mart Pott didn't wait for
that He hurried down the gulch
and the fight was over. Later in the
day when the shadows had settled
on the mountain, he came back for
Charlie Smith, who was lying open
eyed and unconscious where he had
fallen. Potter dragged him on pine
bough along the bank of the laugh
ing brook and into valley civilization.
The country doctor did what he could
for Smith, which was nothing at all.
The rifle bullet had cut into the
muscles of his heart and there was
no hope and no need of drugs or
advice. The riddled heart pumped
on slower and slower for four days,
and stopped happily on Sunday.
Mountain folks have an abiding
hatred for revenues and, strange to
say, sort of respect for peace Off
GERS of county's choosing. Deputy
Sheriff Osborne and a posse went la
ter on to the Tackitt home. Charlie
Tackitt was not there. A sharp file
had cut the steel bands that held his
wrists together and he had become a
fugitive. But the girls were there and
ready to give themselves up. They
were taken to Pikeville and arraigne6
before County Judge Fud. The town
and country side turned out to see
them; some to applaud, none to con-
denim; for Pike county admires
bravery and has rude respect for
women.
The girls were bound in bonds OF
$4,000 each for appearance at court.
Freeholders stood ready to become
surety for them. The girls rode out
of town through thin lines of inter-
ested folks and back to their home
hanging on the clifside.
Famine, whose sixteenth birthday
will come on June IL, while she is
on trial for her life, is a mere child,
buoyant and happy. She doesn't quite
understand how the law views what
she is accused of doing. Possibly she
doesn't care.
81 don't suppose any one could
much blame us for what we did," she
said, sitting in the swing and with
little toe kicks swaying back and
forth. I'VE fought for our poor old
mother, who is lying in the house
now and we fought bravely, as girls
for their mothers should under the
circumstances. The revenues treated
her brutally. They beat her. Think
of it! They beat a poor old wo-
man! Why don't the revenues deal
with men? We want to live under
the law, like other people, but if the
law puts us in prison I don't know
what we might do next"
And these things she said as a
girl might say them-innocently and