Oral History: A Double Murder on Beefhide
By: Ira J. Bates
Tags: Family History, Crime, Coal Industry

The Double Murder on Beefhide Creek

The following is a story as it was told to us.

Joel was the first son of Samuel, (son of Joel and Susannah Wright) and his wife, Elizabeth “Bessie” Adams Wright. Samuel Wright (Joel’s father) gave them ground to live on (as he did with all his children). Joel Wright and wife, Margaret Elmira Greer Wright lived in the head of Beefhide, Ky.

The couple was religious, going to church often. Margaret Elmira was a “public prayer” which was very unusual in that day and time. Normally men were called to do prayers in public and in church. Women did not participate in these services although they attended church. Margaret must have been extraordinarily gifted or had a “special calling” if preachers permitted her to speak and say a public prayer during services.

During this time (1880–1915) large outside investors began investing in Eastern Kentucky by acquiring thousands of acres of land in Letcher, Pike and Knott counties. Their practice was to engage land agents to buy the “mining rights” to coal on those properties along the surveyed coal seam so the engineers could follow the coal seam and make plans to remove all the coal.

Devil John Wright (their first cousin) was hired as a land agent and began working on those living property owners at the head of Beefhide Creek. The usual procedure to obtain the land was to offer small amounts of money to sell their rights to the coal. Often, for those individuals who could not read or write, these documents were signed for them, if they could not write to their name.

With little cash available elsewhere, many land owners accepted the deal that was offered. However, the amount of money was small and it usually would be doled out with a small amount for a first payment and the rest in two payments later. But more often those payments did not always happen. Only the first payment was received because the land was sold twice. After the property had changed hands two times, the original agreement did not hold up in court and the first owners were never paid.

Old Sammy Wright (the father) refused to sell his property holdings and told his children to hold onto their land. But other residents on Beefhide Creek saw that “not to sell” was very dangerous and signed anyway.

One day Old Sammy heard that his oldest son’s life was in danger.

“He told Joel to leave out of the head of Beefhide and don’t let anybody in (your house) unless you knew they could be trusted.”

Joel and his wife moved to a place where they felt they would be safe. One day, a nephew that Joel thought he could trust visited their new home. When he opened the door, both Joel and Margaret were killed.

“No one knew whether the nephew or Devil John had killed them.”

There was a creek across from the place with small bushes enough for hiding. We never learned the nephew’s name.

Years ago, we went back to the place where their home had been when they were killed. Many very high bushes had grown up and my brother Orville, although it was very hot, began crawling beneath those bushes. He was trying to find stones or a partial wood beam where their house had been. He found nothing.

Last year, Jeff Wright and his wife, Susan came from Virginia and asked to be shown where his ancestors, (I think, fourth great grandparents,) lived and had died. We went and showed him exactly where the house had been, Nearby on a sloping area near a fenced cemetery, we found where descendants of Devil John, the Calhouns, the Greers and others from Beefhide were buried.

“Did blood kin take advantage of their relatives for a “kick back” from the coal company? The coal company couldn’t have done it so easy without a turncoat.” “It is an example of the Golden Rule- Whoever has the gold rules.”

This chilling story raises a number of questions about Bates Family culture, lifestyle and traditions. The desire to “take care of family” by sharing parent’s resources (mainly property rights) is a tradition practiced by generations of Bates family members. The generosity of parents and grandparents is readily apparent as they shared and cared for their families and protected their children from the world-at-large. They did not trust outsiders and it was difficult for an outsider to enter into their culture. In this story trust was won and then betrayed by a member of their own family.

The story certainly documents the nefarious practices of large outside investors who acquire the rights to coal though economic advantage: control the courts; bribe the politicians, and hire the law enforcement. It is a textbook example of how to invade and conquer a region thorough use of money and political influence to build railroads and extract valuable resources.