Evening star., 1933-11-13
IS DEATHS COUNTED.
|NKENTUCKyVOT|NG.
Nine Directly Attributed to
Election RoWs-Five Held,
Two Others Sought.
By the Associated Press.

! By the Associated Press.
LOUISVILLE, KY, November l3.-
The impulse to settle the issue with a
bullet that cost Kentucky IA lives In
the August primary and l8 on Novem-
Der 7, election day, left five men in jail
on murder charges, two fugitives from
murder warrants ana two others uni
Identified and still at large today.
But there will be no trial In Kentucky
courts for the participants in the blood
lest clash CT the November election. All
five who took guns to settle their dis
pute near the little town of Layman in
the Harlan County coal fields are dead
They shot too straight. TWO died be-
fore the last shots were fired and the
other three succumhed that night.
Feudists Meet at PoI-s.
Careful checkup with county officers
today had disclosed that nine Of the
killings were believed to be directly
attributable to election quarrels. In
vestigation indicated the other nine
slayings were due to different causes OF
Cnly indirectly the result of the ballot
brought face to face in coming in from
the hills to vote settled old issues But
regardless of the causes. most of the
victims left widows and orphans.
Save for the Staying in Louisville OF
Hugh Childs, SO. colored, the fatal out
bursts of violence occurred in mountain
counties. mostly in isolated communities
where part of the heritage of pioneer
days is a passion for settling ones own
affairs. Many of the outbreaks were
not known here until next day or later.
While there was frequent minor dis
order in Louisville election day Childs
was the only person killed here. His
SLAYER fed, unidentified A colored girl
bystander said Childs was a Democrat
and had been "woofng at co,ored Re-
publicans all the morning" Finally an
other Negro aroused to anger by the
taunts, shot him.
Six Dead at Harlan.
Harlan County, scene Of violence dur.
ing the week of the August primary that
caused 200 National Guardsmen to be
ordered on duty after two lives had
been lost, men beaten and wounded and
a polling place dynamited. counted six
dead ON November election day. @. L.
Smoot, 25, Negro, was killed by a
bullet that went through the window
of his home. At the sheriff'S Office 1t
was said the election was not the cause,
The slayer escaped.
The five that died at Laymon in Har-
Ian County were 2. B. Blanton, Sc, and
his sons. Jesse, 26, and John, "a. and
H H. Hensley, 81, and his son, Zach. IS.
ByStanderS dove for any nearby cover
as one of the younger men started fir
ing and all five brought their guns
into action. None was left to be ar
rested
A fight near a voting place in Knott
County brought death to three men,
Ballard and Orville Hall and Alton Null
lins Four men were held on charges
of murder. An election row was blamed.
Floyd County, also in the mountains,
saw two election day killings. but off,
GERS said investigation showed neither
was due to an election quarrel. Arthur
Thompson was shot and two others
wounded in one fight, from which Clyde
Clark escaped as officers sought him
on a warrant. Dennis Spears, 18, was
slain IN the other fight, for which no
arrest has been made.
Walter Cole was slain in Letcher
County BY his son-in-law, Chester
Caudill, who then took his own life,
due, investigation indicated. to domestic
trouble. In Fleming County Watt
Dearing, 70, was slain, and his son. Jim,
48, was arrested and charged with the
killing. Officers heard they quarreled
ever the elder mans treatment Of his
sons children. The other killings were
said to have no connection with the
election.