The Washington times., 1919-04-23
Jesse JAMES MAY
Be HIDING IN MINE
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lice force. Citizens. however, have
resented the presence Of troops, and
they have demanded an explanation
Of Sheriff Malone.
II developed that Judge Fishburne
several days prior to the opening OF
court here Monday received a number
Of letters Of warning. Some were
signed. some unsigned. Some warned
that Norris and his "buddies," as his
followers are known in the noun
tatns, were going to shoot up" the
court and oUtdo the Allen raid on the
Hillsville court in 1912.
Aliens Killed Judge Massic.
Judge Thornton Massie. Of Hills
Vile, got just such letters.' Sheriff
Malone explained. He refused TO
take them seriously. He got killed, so
did half a dozen others in the court
room, when the Allen gang showed
up"
The sheriff realizes that he must
use considerable finesse to handle the
situation here Politically speaking
he is between the devil and the deep
blue sea
It happens that the sheriff was
elected last year on a tie vote. He
tied with the Democratic candidate.
A convention of citizens met on the
courthouse green and the two candi-
dates drew straWs TO determine VINO
would preside over the office. This
election indicates how evenly divided
are the Republicans and Democrats.
People up here in the hills take
their politics and their religion Sc
riously, very seriously. Politics and
religion have rent the county asunder
periodically for the past generation.
How Two MOrmOns Fared-
Back in the eighties two Mormon
elders visited this section and made
their way up into Bacon Hollow, the
home Of the Shiffletts and the Nor
rises They had several hundred of
the inhabitants in readiness TO ac-
comp2uy them to Utah when the
conservative element interfered.
Fifty and odd persons were injured
in the inter-family rows.
The elders were taken TO the peak
of q precipice, and told they could
either return to Utah forthwith and
alone or else
No Mormons have been seen in the
mountains since Sthen.
Throw Blame on Preacher.
Sheriff Malone charges that the
G pEG6GuE lEOuDle LudL Is dS ANGAAllS
Green county was precipitated by the
: Rev. D. 81. willard, the Dunkard min
( lister who has been having trouble
with Edgar Norris for more than a
I year.
willard has been abusing Edgar
: for q year" the sheriff told The Times
, representative. Some time ago he
! hit him with q rock and Edgar got
sore. / know Edgar is a bad man, but
! picking on him as that preacher has
sdone only made matters worse.
''It was because willard made him
. sore that Edgar got into trouble at
Willard's church. That is how he
came to be in court here. Had it not
been for willard, Edgar would not
shaFe come to town on that day and
Son Sullivan could not have been
killed.
Parssa Armed To Teeth
"This preacher was here Monday
with two pistols. He has no permit
10 carry them.
While searching for Edgar up in
the mountains last week, ! did not go
TO the home of his friends. I knew
they would protect him 1 went 10
WilIaFd's cabin.
II knocked on the door and after
being asked who I was 1 gave my
name.
willard peered through the peep
hoIe-they have them in all the
mountain cabins-and said, IT'S a
good thing you spoke when you did,
for almost put IS bullet through
you
He finally opened his door and
faced me with two pistols, one in
each hand. or course he told me all
sorts of stories about Edgar.
Later, when 1 started to his home,
/ met him walking down the road
carrying a rifle in his hands and a
pistol in his pocket.
That sort of business is going TO
ret him into trouble yet"
Last summer the Rev. Mr.. willard
was one OF the leaders in a move to
organize a law enforcement league
in the county. The move, however,
came to naUght, because the noun
taineers became suspicious one Of
the other.
The minister. however. was not con-
tent. He wrote a letter to the attor-
ney general at Richmond, complain
ing of alleged lawlessness in the
county.
The attorney general, however. re-
turned the letter to the county. TO
Commonwealth Attorney Reuben 3
Thomas. the seventy-seven-y year-old
prosecutor. There was an exchange
Of words between the minister and
the prosecuting attorney. so the min
ister's standing in that office is nil.