Evening star., 1935-12-06
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

lie NdNeS Ol GdIk t1OllOH dIe
splitting frewood and waiting on the
sheriff
Sheriff T. E. Lillard Of Madison
County, Va, is waiting, with eight
eviction warrants returnable today in
his desk. on Circuit Judge Lemuel
Smith of Charlottesville
Judge Smith is waiting for the
Caves Of Dark Hollow to evacuate
their picturesque retreat at the head
waters of the Rose River in the Blue
Ridge Mountains, in obedience to the
warrants he has issued.
The Commonwealth Of Virginia Is
waiting for the drab shanties at the
foot of one of the most picturesque
waterfalls in the Eastern United
States to be vacated so the land can
be turned over free of encumbrance
to the national Government.
Nothing Certain.
Such was the status last evening of
the Dark Hollow situation. with no.
body knowing exactly what will hap
pen-least of all the blond and buxom
kinfolk of Rev. Gurd A. Cave. pos
SCISSORS for generations of One of the
loveliest mountain pockets between
Maine and Georgia.
Sheriff LIZARDS eviction warrants
are returnable to the clerk of the
court of Madison County today. Yes
terday was the last day for serving
them. They were not served. After
all, dragging eight families with 10
or Is small children out of warm
shanties in mountain Winter and
setting them down on a county road
with nowhere to go and nothing to eat
raises some questions which kindly
Sheriff Lillard is not disposed to an
swer on his own responsibilities
gardless of the inexorable machinery
of the law and the somewhat exas-
perating attitude of the Cave clan in
the past.
Nobody in Hurry.
The shelf is confident that peace
full solution will be reached without
taking anybody-he speaks with some
scorn in his voice-"to the nearest
county road and leaving them there
to shift for themselves"
The Caves themselves seem to feel
much the same way. They think their
children. coupled with the inclement
weather, constitute a hand which will
top that of the law on a showdown,
which remains to be seen in the
next few days. But nobody seems dis
posed to hurry them, or to hurry Sher-
iff Lillard.
The writs of possession In the hands
OF the sheriff were issued by the cir
cult judge after all efforts to get the
Cave family of their rocky and 5
acre farms In Dark Hollow by other
means had failed.
All through the Summer, efforts
were made to have them sign up for
new homes provided by the Govern
ment on one of the Virginia resettle-
ment projects, the damages awarded
for their Dark Hollow property to be
credited as payment on the others.
This settlement was accepted by more
than 80 per cent of the dwellers in
the Blue Ridge hollows included in
the the Shenandoah National Park
area. The Caves, however, refused.
The offer expired. The only step left
was for them to take their money-a
generous price, all agree except the
Caves-and get out. Otherwise it
would be necessary to put them out.
Hard to Deal With.
Just why the Caves refused is not
so clear. They claim the Government
didn't make a sufficient allowance for
their gardens and scraggly orchards.
They were quite hard to deal with
when Sheriff Lillard first visited them
with his warrants.
The time is up. Last week the
sheriff visited them again. He read
them the eviction notices. He found
a humble and chastened group. Their
pat iarch, Rev. Gurd A. Cave, who
breaches in the little Methc list
Church he built himself at the foot Of
the waterfall, and which boasts a
ships bell IN its squat belfry, allegedly
donated by former President Hoover,
already had signed up for resettle-
ment project, barely in time. 1t was
too lat for the others.
They agreed, however, to get out
If they could. If the government would
provide any sort of home for them. or
If they could find any for themselves.