Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-04

Il 10 related in the history Of the
Hatheld.McCoy feud, which burst out
between neighbors over . stray pig,
and claimed its toll Of lives through
half . century, that ono Of the Hat
field girls wrote ON . white pillar ut
the front Of her often bereaved house:
There 10 no place like home" The
sequel tells that . cynical traveller
passing that way reflected on the an
mails Of that dwelling and added in
postscript: 'Leastways not this side
Of hell"
The story Of tho Hatfield Mccoy
feud IL in many ways that Of other
wars" which have made OF the roof
tree Of the eastern divide land be.
leaguered and unique.
In the war between the Haveys and
the McBriars there was more than the
forgotten episode Of stray razorback
which was not surrendered to its law
full. owners. They had for decades
hated and killed each other with a
fidelity Of bitterness that made all
their truces and intermarriages fail of
permanent peace.
Between the territories where they
had originally settled stretched bar
rier OF hills broken by only one gap.
Tho McBriars had made their first
habitations east Of that ridge and gap
whore tho waters ran toward the SEQ.
The Haveys had set up their power
to the west. where the creeks and
springs fed the rivers that went down
to the BLUEGRASS and to Tennessee.
Had tho two clans been content to re-
main respectively on the sunrise and
sunset slopes Of the backbone. they
might never have clashed. but there
were bright-eyed women to tho west
: and east. Feminine Havey eyes lured
McBriar suitors, and McBriar girls
seemed to the Havey men worth any
dare that fate might set. So 1t has
been since young Montasues and
Capulets ignored deadlines-and long
before. Smoke went up from cabins
on both sides that housed men and
women Of both clans. Hatred scat
tered and set up new points Of infec-
ton all along Tribulation and beyond
it, headwaters.
In Civil war and subsequent politics
a line Of fierce cleavage had yawned
between them-and each faction had
: been . power.
It was to the Leadership Of such .
clan that Bad Anse had succeeded
when hardly twenty-one by the death
of . father whose end had not come
,,,o,, b%AA ~ flInaaa
Il was to the herding of such flock
that he had ridden away from the
cabin OF F1etch McNash on the night
when the girls scornful taunt fol-
lowed him.
It was an unfortunate thing that
Cal Douglas should, on February
afternoon. have shot to death his
brother-in.law, Noah Watt, even II, Is
Cal earnestly assured the jury. he
was fest otleeged an beholden ter do
It," All the circumstances Of the af-
fair were inopportune for his kinsmah
and the kinsmen Of the man who died
with . bullet through his vitals.
Cal bore . name for surly character,
and even in . land where grudge-bear-
ing is . religion he was deemed ultra
fsnatical In tanning the flame Of ha.
tired. Noah Watt himself was little
loved by either the Haveys. into whose
family he had married, or the McBri-
ars. from whom he sprang. Neigh.
bors told Of frequent and violent bick-
erinRs between the man and his
shrewish wife. who was the twin sAs-
ter OF Cal Douglas.
Gal Douglas an Noey Watts wom-
IN air % much alike es two peas in .
pod" went neiEhborhood pronounce
ment. "They air both soured on
mankind an they Elories in human
misery"
Had the fight on that winter eve
ming ended in tho death Of both par
Elephants, McBriars and Haveys would
alike havs'called It . gentle radiance
and dropped the matter where it stood.
But since . Havey had slain . Nc.
Briar and the Havey still lived It
could not. in honor. be % dropped. 1t
left an uneven score.
Since tho mountaineer has little to
do in the winter and spring save Cos
sip, the affair grew in importance
with rehearsing. and to each telling
was added new features. It was sig
nificantly pointed out east Of the ridge
that Noah had incurred the displeas-
ure OF Bad Anss Havsy By tho suspi.
cion OF tale.bearing to old Milt Mo.
Briar. It was argued that the partiqIA
lar wife.beatinE which led TO the trag.
edy might have passed % uneventfully
@ several similar episodes heretofore.
had not tho heads Of the Haveys made
It pretext for eliminating McBriar
Who dwslt in their midst and carried
news acru55 tie ridge to his own
people.
FOR several years the feud had
slept, not the complete sleep Of death.
but the htful. simmsring sleep Of eau
tious amnesty. But neither clan felt
10 overwhelmingly strong % to court
an issue Just yet and. realizing the
desperate quality Of any outbreak.
both Milt McBriar over yon" and
Anse Havey over here had guarded
the more belligerent kinsmen with
Jealous eye. They had until now held
them checked and leashed. though
growing.
For these reasons the trial Of Cal
Douglas had been awaited with .
aense Of crisis in the town OF Peril,
where It might mean pitched battle.
O. II had been awaited, too, up and