The Dickenson County herald. [volume] (Clintwood, Va.) 1927-1930, 1927-11-03
OUTLAW STORIES
ARE plain BUNK
Former Marshal Tells of
Past Of Hunnewell, Old
Cow Town.

newell, little town four miles SOuth
OF here, just half-mile from the
Oklafoma line, was a bad place In
the early days. But "Miny" Edwards
says that's mosly bunk.
MIny,' whose initials are T. NJ. and
whose nickname is pronounced with
long IL was there when HunnewelI
arrived on Santa Fe freight train
one sunny June day back In 1880
and he has been there ever since.
Moreover, he was marshal of the
town in the days when it was re-
puted to be tride rough. SO when
'Miny" Edwards says the lurid sto-
rles folks tell about Hunnewell are
mostly bunk, one must lend beliey-
ing ear.
Romance Blasted High.
The debunking of Hunnewells his
tory occurred the other afternoon on
the shady side of the street here.
'Mlny'' sat on bench on the curb.
gazing out at the prliries that he has
seen change from the open cattle
range OF % years ago to yellow wheat
nelds. newspaper man, "Minys"
audience, sat Oh the fender of truck
and listened sadly while the romance
OF the COW country was blasted kite
high.
You can hear some of these
Younger fellows tell about the way
the cowpunchers used to kill each
other Off down at Hunnewel," the
early day marshal eXpostulated. "But
there's nothing to it,"
ION, sure, the boys used to shoot
up the town every little while, but
they didn't mean anything by It,"
You know, sort of kept track of the
folks shot to death in Hunnewell and
us near as | can count, there were
only -. Others got injured, but only
ID were actually killed"
After this declaration about the
peace and quiet in Hunnewell back in
the unromantic SOS, the old marshal
and cattle man lasped into silence.
Ills audience ventured to tell a story
ne had heard about a shooting scrape
in the big old hotel that still stands
~ the Santa Fee tracks in Hunnewell,
a weatherbeaten cid ghost of the
)oom days. But "Miny" said briefly
the yarn couldn't be true, and again
lapsed into speechlessness. obviously
If there were only ID persons slain in
early-day Hunnewell, you couldn't
have dozen or so getting killed In
one evenings jollifcation.
prlSnntlu ho aY.,xy n l,a1 10
came more loquacious. He told about
great open cattle range that
stretched mile after dreary mile down
through the Indian country, the land
that is now Oklahoma, on through
the ranges Of Texas to Old Mexico
and the gulf. Edwards used to ride
those ranges and he knows the rigors
of the old cattle trail from Texas to
the rail points in Kansas.
Saloons Were Plentiful.
In the spring of 1880 the Santa Fee
railroad pushed its line down as far
as Hunnewell. Freight trains puffed
in, bringing the town. Overnight
city of tents sprang up and every
other tent was a saloon or a gam
bling joint. Within a few days the
freight cars began to unload timber,
and frame buildings arose. Within
two weeks a town of 500 population
with several rather substantial frame
buildings had risen where before there
was nothing but the bare sweep of
the buffalo grass.
Up the long, dusty trail from the
Indian country and Texas came the
believing herds of longhorns to be
loaded onto the cars at Hunnewell.
And with them came the singing,
shootin', happy go-lucky punchers.
Edwards ran the stock yards at
Hunnewell a time, back in the days
when there were Is loading chutes,
when the old hotel was full CT punch
ers day and night.
Then in 1888 he became the marshal.
But he didn't have Il particularly bad
time, he says. "Miny" would have
the world know that the law was en-
forced then just as well as-perhaps
better than now.
"What did you do when bunch of
town."
ARRESTED them, of course" "Miny"
Edwards is il small man, but he has
way about him even now, nearly
half century after those stirring days.
1.-The thing that made Hunnewell
BOOM" said Edwards, was the ship
ping of cattle. And when the wheat
,a11
best days were over" "N1iny" in
sisted upon discussing prosaic things.
"Were there many outlaws at that
time down In the country that is now
Oklahoma?" The newspaper man was
thinking of the many hair raiIing
yarns that he had understood centered
about Hunnewel.
Nprohohlv M moro than thpro are