Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-03-29

Writing under a Hillsville date lint
Alfred B. williams, editor OF the Roa-
noke Times, in something over a page
story for his paper has this to say, 1T
part, of the Allen clan and the Carroi'
county horror:
To understand the full story we mus'
go back a good many years and try to
get the surroundings clearly In nina
The father of the Aliens, the orlgina-
tor of the family, was Jerry Alien
Some of the oldest people in Hillsville
have been consulted regarding the
family descent, but nobody seems 70
know II further back than Jerry Allen
Judging from his name and from some
of the family characteristics, he was
of Scotch ancestry, but 1t seems I'M
possible to ascertain when he came
into this country or from what section
or whether he was born here. He was
a man of excellent character and
Confederate soldier who served
through the war faithfully and brave
lv as a private. In civil life and In the
county he was known as a man OIL
very quick temper and fighter, prob
ably the champion of the county, but
always using his fists. He was not re-
rocious or savage, but he was ready to
take offense OH small provocation or
To accent anything that could suggest
itself to an eager mind as challenge.
In a cove of the mountains he brought
I'D seven bows and two girls. All these
sons and daughters of his grew up to
be thrifty, Of very much quicker mind
than their average neighbor and given
to battle. All of them seem to have
prospered abundantly according to the
standard of their section. All the boys
acquired land and homes and proved
themselves to be good business men.
Naturally, they established strong ana
wide influence. They had the COM
bined force of brains, unusual courage
and aggressiveness and strong fam-
ily or clan feeling which held them to-
eether. and enabled them to act prac-
tically as an organization. They were
proud to be known as the fighting
Aliens. They would fight singly;
when it became necessary to maintain
their family tradition Of supremacy
they fought together. On occasions
when their tempers. which they SEEM
ed rather to cultivate, broke over all
bounds they would fight each other.
A Battle of Brothers.
A few years ago Floyd and Jack AL
len, brothers, became involved in some
dispute and Jack shot Floyd through
the body. Floyd fell insensible or
fainting and Jack, in a fury of rage,
beat him about the head with the bar
rel of a revolver until actually the
blows on his skull or the flow of blood
revived the wounded man, and with
some weapon. knife or pistol, he
wounded Jack desperately. Floyd Al
len did not recover from his wound in
many months, and he and his brother
were regarded as at deadly feud. Ev-
erybody expected that they would kill
each other. One day they met in the
court house yard at Hillsville. One of
them Immediately drew his revolver,
but the other quietly beckoned him
aside and they held a conversation in
undertone: the final result of which
was that they became firm friends.
Backing Moonshiners.
Nobody knows positively, so far as
can be learned here, that the Aliens
engaged directly in moonshining. 1t
was suspected through the county,
however. that they were the hackers of
MANY small Illicit distilleries, helped
the moonshiners by giving them pro-
lection and warning and in placing
their product and took considerable
shares of the profits. Sidna Allen, for
instance, owned a thousand acres OF
good land, has a handsome country
home-although imaginative corre-
spondents have exaggerated its value
very largely-and a store, supplying
the neighborhood with goods. 1t is
said he has a number of tenants on his
place and that he has lent money and
advanced goods to many of his poorer
neighbors.
Naturally these conditions make him
not only powerful, but popular. He is
q kind of a king of little principality
with his dependents bound to him by
obligation and affection; for he is a
good and kind If imperious neighbor
liberal and hospitable. his home and
bounty always ready for those he does
not dislike.
Homes of the Aliens.
Floyd Allen, oldest Of the brothers
and apparently regarded as the head OF
the family. lives six miles west OF
Hillsville in a beautiful section of the
country, near the foot of the Blue
Ridge mountains and the entrance to
a gap through the mountains known as
Fancy Gap. His brother, Sidna, lives
near the top of the mountain on fer
tile plateau Jack Allen lives on the
other side of the mountain near tn!
western end of the gap. One of the
Misses Allen married an Edwards
Other members of the family are scat
tered in the county. but in the same
general section. Victor, who is said to
he a licensed preacher. is a man OF
substance. who also has a store and a
comfortable home.
What HilIsville Is.
Hillsville, the capital and court house
seat of Carroll, is a little more than &
hamlet. 1t is twelve or fourteen miles
from the nearest railway station
Most Of the roads are fearful in the
winter time, although winding through
SUGGESTIONS of picturesque and wilc
mountain scenes. It's only direct com
munication with the outside world dur
ing had weather is through mail car
riers and one telephone line built anC
managed by a local organization, will
willing but unframed operators, and
wire. cheaply established in the first
place and subject to many Interrupt
tions i'm bad weather. Incidentally, thi:
last fact accounts for the confused
fragmentary and frequently contradic'