FAMILY FEUDS

Evening Post, Volume LXIII, Issue 87, 12 April 1902, Page 7 (Supplement)

FAMILY FEUDS

Among the diversions of the hardy Americans who dwell in the mountains or on the foothills of tho AUeghany range are bloody leuda that are carried over from one generation £""> another. Many of our ■ friends abroad (writes uu American correspondent) who are familiar /With the social phenomena of our West'cm plains and mountains would find the history of these feuds in tho hilly parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and the Carolinas an interesting study. Mark Twain's . story of a feud, in "Huckleberry Finn," is scarcely an exaggeration of the truth. But the scene of his feud i» nlao«d in tin lowlands of the Mississippi, where the customs of tho mountaineers sometimes are thus honoured by those who have left tho hills to gain a living more easily in the fertile- valleys. The mountaineers are a .simple-minded and religious people. Indeed, the centre of action in a feud is quite frequently the church edifico. The religion of the southern hills is marked by a singular austerity and strictness.' For example, the Rev. Ira Stcpp, who had been for fifteen years the pastor of a Baptist church at Inez, Kentucky, was expelled from the ministry a few weeks ago because he hod violated the rules of the church concerning baptism. His daughter, bedridden and about to die, asked'him to baptise her. Of' course, it wa* not, practicable to baptise her by immersion, and therefore /be father pourod water on her head. This was a' few minutes before her death. In spite of tkese circumstances, which were set forth at the hearing, the father was expelled, because he had baptised by sprinkling, and not by immersion. The latest outbreak of the old fend between the Chad wells and the Morgans, in Tennessee, occurred a few weeks ago, at the Baptist Church in the little settlement of Big Springs. There had been no hostile meeting of the families sinoe Christmas, 1900, when seven were killed in a pitched battle. On this occasion the two factions were largely represented at the church services among the 600' persons in attendance. For some reason a battle -was expected. One of the younger Morgana went from tho church to a neighbouring spring for a drink of water. There he ' was shot and killed by. a Chadwell, lying in ambush. Reinforcements speedily arrived from 'the church, and at the end of a half-hour's engagement three Ghadwells and four Morgans were dead. The oheriff, who unwisely interfered, got a bullet in. his leg. By-and-by wo shall hear of this 'feud again. It is thirty years old. The feud of the Wall and Brooks fami* lies is another that has recently been brought to the attention of the public by the killing of one of the Walls, tho sixth of this family to die. To restrain the warring factions in this case the State militia were culled out. Last week, in the feud of the Fenningtons and the Odoms, two on each side were killed. A disturbance of a similar character took plac» two weeks ajfo in the hill settlement of Robbing, State of South Carolina. At a dance, to which the agriculturists came from miles around, ono Hobbs trod on the foot of a, mau named Dunbor, He promptly- apologised, Jjut Duubar's father at once began to shoot. His first bullet mortally w«ftioded Fletoher Brunett. This stricken man, lying on the floor, and resting on one elbow, >shot the elder Dunbar through the heart, and then killod in quick Huecession Dun bar's sons, Harry and Arthur. Their mother also received a mortal ,wound from his revolver. When her nephew enmo to^the rescue, BruneA's weapon was empty, and the nephaw put two bullets in bis brain.