The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-20
ANSE HATFIELD FEUD SURVIVOR
 TO DIE IN BED Belief That He Would Die i'll Pistol Fight With Foes,
 Unlikely. HE IS 84 YEARS OLD AND SERIOUSLY ILL Lead Band That Shot Three Enemies-His Son Killed
 Mccoy Girl.

Old timers in Kentucky and West Virginia and the thousands who have
 followed the famous Hatfield-McCoy fued in the newspapers are wonder ing whether Devil Anse" Hatfield,
 one of the most famous of the fight ing mountaineers, is to die in bed Recent despatches from Whitefield, Ky, says he is entering what is like ly to be his last illness at the age
 of S4 years.
 Devil Anse" led his four sons in defyLng the authorities for many years. Long ago, when the fued was at its height, it was predicted that
 some day Devil Anse" would die violent death In the years which have intervened the feud has died down, and no 1t seems likely that the famous leader will die with none
 to disturb his last days s-re per
 haps his memories.
 Start of tl-N Feud. A few days after a pistol duel at Canneltown, ". Va, October, 1911, in which two of his sons., Troy and Elias, were shot and killed, Anse
 Hatfield embraced religion and was
 baptized declaring that he wished to lead an upright, Christian life. The Hatfield-McCoy feud, known
 as the most bloody of all the Ken lucky mountain vendettas, began in
 1880 when Floyd Hatfield. who 1iv-
 ed on the West Virginia side of Tug Fork, a tributary of the Big Sandy
 River, drove half a dozen hogs out
 of the woods into his pen in String town.
 Randolph Mccoy, from the other
 side of the creek, happened to ride
 through Stringtown one day and rec ognizing the porkers as belonging to
 the McCoys, accused Hog Floyd of
 stealing them. Bad feeling was caus-
 ed but the affair was settled peace
 ably in the court.
 Another Killing. Some .months later members of the rival factions met by accident and after the passage of a few heated remarks a skirmish took place in which Sam Mccoy killed Stapton Hat field. The case came to trial and Mccoy gained his acquitta1. Little by little bitterness and hat red grew until 1882, when a friend and relative of both clans ran for
 office in Pike County, Ky. Hatfields and McCoys gathered on election day
 to boost their candidate. All SGt'iiFu DedCtlul anu NtilluChy
 "moonshine" flowed without stint. Suddenly a Mccoy walked up to a Hatfield and demanded payment of an old debt.
 Fight nt Election. Dark an threatening glances pass ed between the enemies. In one in stant pistols gleamed and a pitched battle ensued. Ellison Hatfield was fatally wounded.
 Devil Anse" taking the law in his own hands captured three McCoy's, and assisted by a gang of followers made off with them to an old hut
 safely hidden in the woods. Here he held his prisoners awaiting report from the bedside of his wounded
 kinsman.
 When after three days news came of Ellisons death a mock trial took place and the helpless defendants, none of whom was really guilty, were taken out, tied to paw paw bushes and made the targets of twenty-three rifles.
 After this occurrence Mccoy
 was prepared to kill a Hatfield on sight and the feud ragged furious
 ly. Matters were by no means inn proved when Gov. Wilson of West 1 Virginia refused to honor requisi-
 tions made out for the capture of Hatfield and his sons of Gov. Buck ner of Kentucky.
 "Six feet of devil and 1S0 pounds of he'll" was the description given the eldest son of old Anderson Hat | field by his enemies. It was Cap who, at the instigation of his father. burned the Mccoy house to the ground and killed old Randall Me Coy's daughter.