El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-05-05
Murder WhereIt
Is Thought To
Be Right Thing
Kentucky NJ ountaineers
ShllLive By Eighteenth
Century Code.

n
a Virginia mountaineer has expressed
his opinion Of the law by walking
into courtroom and shooting down
a magistrate Again the whole coun-
try is shocked.
It is curious how much attention
these mountain murders always at
tract. The reason for this is the
strange character OF these mountain
EiIIiugs-their utter difference from
the usual crimes Of CIVILIZATION MOST
OF our uurderers these days are de-
generates. and their crimes are char
acterized, above all else, by coWarolce-
Rur the mountain murders are O4leA
committed by substantial citizens VINO
display great courage, and seem 70
believe that they are doing right u rs
strongly suggests that the mountain
GERS have a code Of honor and a point
OF view entirely different from those
Of other Americans
Their Characteristic
This. according OF those who know
the mountain people, is eAae.-y ~
truth. According TO Horace kepnarl,
writer who spent three years in the
Great Smokey mountains OF Tennessee
for the purpose OF studying the noun
taineers. they differ from the rest OF
US chiefly in two ways
ing in the 18th century. II was in
the 18th century that these people
came to the mountains, and large
part Of them have been out Of touch
with progress ever since When you
learn that many Of the Allegheny
bama, have never seen railroad
train. you realize that the above state
ment is not exaggerated
Now. in the 18th century, human life
was not valued as highly as at pres
ent When a man considered himself
injured by another. blOodshed was the
only adequate reparation- All Of the
good bottom lands in the Allegheny
mountains are now occupied, but they
are so few and scattered that large
part Of the mountain people still live,
as the pioneers did a century and
more ago. surrounded by woods on all
sides. and out OF touch with other
people. This sort Of life breeds SELF
reliance and a fierce independence
The chief characteristic OF men who
live in a wilderness anywhere is this
intense fndividualism. which VIII
not brook being bossed or interfereo
with in any way.
such is Nj. Kephart's explanation
Of the mountain character. and the
murder OF Sullivan by Norris GER
tainly seems to be evidence that 81
is correct
According TO the most reliable ac-
counts available. Sullivan was a
mountain magistrate who. in the opin-
ion OF Norris. was too jealous in seek
ing 10 prosecute the latter In fight
at a mountain dance. Norris shot and
wounded q man Sullivan had Morris
arrested and made out case against
him Morris. whose father got him
out OF jail on $500 bond obtained a
change OF venue on the ground that
Sullivan was preiudiced against him.
rrates In the courthouse OF Standards
vile. Va Morris's claim that SuIli-
van had IL in for him" seems 20 be
supported by the fact that sullivan
appeared at the trial and after the
two MAGISTRATES had rendered a decls-
ion. rose and made lengthy protest
against the lightness Of the sentence
they imposed on Morris
Dfd II Calmly.
Il was this which incensed Morris.
He walked Up 20 within ten feet OF
Sullivan. who was reading from a
the MAGISTRATE five times
His departure from the scene OF the
crime. as described by the bow who
was with him. was just as deliberate
as his method OF committing IT, He
walked out OF the courthouse with his
reviewers in his hands. and down the
road toward the mountains He met a
number Of the neiEhbors along the
way. and told most Of them what he
had done.
Il Just shot son Sullivan up at the
courthouse. he said He won't be .
botherinE me any more. Hes been I
troubling me long enough"
None Of the people tried 20 arrest /
him. and most Of them did not express ]
much curiosity about the matter In /
the mountains mans feuds are his
own business. and II would be bad
to ask many question. Some I
OF the peoule that Morris met along 4
the road did 20 so far as 10 ask
whether anyone besides Sullivan had 4
been hit
Norris went on Up into the noun /
-ains, and By the time q posse was or
ganized for his capture. he was we'll I
hidden. He is said to have stated that 3
be would Kill himself before he would /
submit 10 arrest HIS chief regret d
was that he had been forced TO jump
his bail making his father. a Door
nan, liable for the $500.
A Deluded Murderer.
This certainly has all the appear
lnce OF a deed committed BY a man
who had deluded himself into the be-
iet that he was doing right Morris
apparently considered that 70 would
be unmanly for him to submit TO any
.urther persecution from Sullivan.
since sullivan was a magistrate. he
RAD the law on his side. Morris. there J.
ore. oeclded 10 take justice into his
lWn hands His open method OF COM
hitting the crime. his telling OF ev-
.ryone he met that he had killed Sui
ivan and why, his regret over the
lecessirr Tor jumping his bail, and his
'esolve 20 die rather than submit 10
-rrest- all 90 TO show that he consid-
red himself TO be actuated by high
lrlnciple
These mountain folk are often re-
erred % as being Of inferior stock
ms. according TO kephart and other
tudents or the region, is by no means
rue Of the majority OF them T5sv
re descended from the best Scotch
M Irish blood that came TO America.
r I'm dash Of Dutch that has moved
outh from Pennsylvania The fsoIq-i
Ion IN which they have lived alone {
Nplalns the failure Of these. people 10 ]
we Up 10 the standard Of civilization. Z
ALLEGES NURSE PLANNED
TO FORGE NAME To WILL
Prescott, Arfz 1Ta,- Cs--s. 7