by Dean King
“Inaugural Address of Governor Henry D. Hatfield.” Mar. 14 [sic], 1913. Compiled by the West Virginia State Archives and located at the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Charleston.
Kentucky. Arrest warrant for Anderson Hatfield et al. Sept. 20, 1884. Original located at Big Sandy Cultural Center.
Kentucky. Birth Records, 1852–1910. Ancestry.com.
Kentucky. Court of Appeals of Kentucky. “Hatfield v. Commonwealth.” Southwestern Reporter 55 (Feb. 19, 1900–Apr. 16, 1900): 679–81.
Kentucky. Court of Appeals of Kentucky. “Hatfield v. Commonwealth, Mayhorn et al. v. Same.” Southwestern Reporter 12 (Aug. 26, 1889–Mar. 10, 1890): 309–11.
Kentucky. Court of Appeals of Kentucky. “Mounts v. Commonwealth.” Southwestern Reporter 12 (Aug. 26, 1889–Mar. 10, 1890): 311–12.
Kentucky. Kentucky State Penitentiary (Frankfort) Register Book. Entry for Valentine Hatfield, committed for murder, with death date of Feb. 13, 1890. Kentucky Historical Society.
Kentucky. Lawrence Circuit Court indictment against Anderson Hatfield, Johnson McCoy, Wm. McCoy, et al. for grand larceny of a cart of dry goods. Oct. 13, 1865. Kentucky Historical Society.
Kentucky. Order Book Lawrence Circuit Court. Oct. 13, 1865. Kentucky Historical Society.
Kentucky. Petition and Amendment: George Hatfield v. Peter Cline and others, 1866. Kentucky Historical Society.
Kentucky. Pike County Circuit Court Cases 2177 and 2183. Public Records Division, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort (KDLA).
Kentucky. Pike County Will Book B, pp. 271–72. “Last Will and Testament of Frank Phillips.” July 6, 1898.
Kentucky (Pikeville). “Confession of Ellison Mounts.” Nov. 5, 1888. Reproduction of confession given in the presence of county attorney J. Lee Ferguson, found at Depot Museum, Matewan, West Virginia.
Kentucky Senate. Tuesday, Mar. 6, 1888. Legislative Document No. 2, including the Report of the Adjutant General of Kentucky of Feb. 6, 1888.
“Last Will and Testament of Jacob Cline.” Transcribed by Cindy Nichols. www.clinefamilyassociation.com/will/of/jacob/rich/jake/cline.
Logan County Courthouse Law Order Book B, 1878–1886.
Mahon v. Justice. Appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Kentucky. No. 1411. Argued Apr. 23–24, 1888–Decided May 14, 1888.
“Plaintiffs Bill of Exceptions: Court of Kentucky vs. Anderson Hatfield and other defendants.”
Ridenour, Martha. “Perry Anderson Cline.” n.d.
Scalf, Henry P. Henry P. Scalf Papers. University of Pikeville.
Spivak, John L. John L. Spivak Papers. West Virginia Collection, West Virginia University Library.
———. Nov. 10, 1929. “Interview with Reese Chambers.”
———. Nov. 10, 1929. “Interview with Smith Hatfield.”
———. Nov. 11, 1929. “Interview with Cap Hatfield.”
———. Jan. 22, 1930. “Letter from J. S. Cline to John L. Spivak.”
———. n.d. “Anse Runs an Election.”
———. n.d. “Anse Goes to Law.”
United States Census. 1870. FamilySearch.
United States Census. 1880. FamilySearch.
Unpublished journal in possession of Hester Keatley.
West Virginia. Deaths Index, 1853–1973. Ancestry.com.
West Virginia. Logan County Court. “Last Will and Testament of Jacob Cline.” Transcribed by Cindy Nichols and published at www.clinefamilyassociation.com/will/of/jacob/rich/jake/cline.
West Virginia. Logan County Court. “Warrant Issued by Justice J. M. Jackson Against Frank Phillips, et al., and Returned by J. R. Thompson, a Constable of Said County.” Papers of Governor Simon B. Buckner, Kentucky State Archives.
West Virginia. Marriages, 1853–1970. FamilySearch.
West Virginia. Requisition from Governor E. W. Wilson to the Governor of Kentucky for the arrest and return of Frank Phillips and the men wanted in Logan County for the murder of Thomas Dempsey, and appointing Alf. W. Burnett as the agent to receive them. Jan. 23, 1888. Papers of Governor Simon B. Buckner, Kentucky State Archives.
West Virginia. Requisition from Governor E. W. Wilson to the Governor of Kentucky requesting the release and return of Valentine Hatfield, Thomas Chambers, Andrew Varney, and others unlawfully jailed in Pike County. Feb. 25, 1888. Papers of Governor Simon B. Buckner, Kentucky State Archives.
West Virginia. West Virginia State Supreme Court of Appeals. “Ellison v. Torpin et al.” Report of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia 44 (Nov. 11, 1897–Apr. 16, 1898): 414–28.
A mountain still, purported to belong to the McCoys.
A winter portrait of the Hatfield family. (Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield Collection, courtesy of Dr. Arabel E. Hatfield)
A late-nineteenth-century flatboat, or push boat, used for traveling and hauling logs on the Guyandotte River. (Courtesy of F. Keith Davis)
Doc and Plyant Mahon in later years. (Courtesy of Wilma Steele)
Sam Mahon. (Courtesy of Wilma Steele)
Devil Anse and Vicey with their daughter Rose (in dark dress) and her children (and two unnamed women, thought to be domestics), circa 1915. (Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield Collection, courtesy of Dr. Arabel E. Hatfield)
Devil Anse and Jim Vance hunting with Auk Damron (left) and Bill Borden (right). (West Virginia State Archives)
Devil Anse on his favorite horse, Fred. (Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield Collection, courtesy of Dr. Arabel E. Hatfield)
Cap Hatfield and stepson Joe Glenn. (Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield Collection, courtesy of Dr. Arabel E. Hatfield)
Locals await the results of a 1929 election in which J. D. Hatfield ran for sheriff of Logan County. (Courtesy of F. Keith Davis)
The Hatfield clan, 1897. On the ground: Tennis, Vicey (Johnse’s daughter), Willis, Yellow Watch. Seated: Mary Hatfield Simpkins with daughter Vici; Devil Anse; Vicey; Nan (Cap’s wife) with son Robert and daughter Louise; Cap. Standing: Rosada; Troy; Betty; Elias; Tom Chafin (nephew); Joe; Auk Damron (hired hand); Shephard, Coleman, and LeVicey (Cap’s children); Bill Borden (store clerk). (T. F. Hunt)
The Hatfield clan, 1897. Seated: Tennis, Devil Anse, Willis. Standing: Auk Damron (hired hand); Elias, Troy, and Joe Hatfield; Tom Chafin; Bill Borden (store clerk). Background: Vicey and daughter Rose. There are no known photos of the McCoy family; it is said that Randall McCoy burned them in order to avoid dark memories of the feud. (T. F. Hunt)
Devil Anse with his pet bears. (West Virginia State Archives)
Joe, Troy, and Elias Hatfield, circa 1915. (Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield Collection, courtesy of Dr. Arabel E. Hatfield)
A Matewan watering hole. (Courtesy of F. Keith Davis)
Willis Hatfield (Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield Collection, courtesy of Dr. Arabel E. Hatfield)
Cap’s son Coleman A. Hatfield. (Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield Collection, courtesy of Dr. Arabel E. Hatfield)
Contents
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
Author’s Note
The Hatfields: A Selective Genealogy
The McCoys: A Selective Genealogy
Prologue: The Fate of Cotton Top Mounts, February 18, 1890
Part I:
Bad Blood,
1854–1882
Chapter 1: War Comes to the Big Sandy, 1854–1862
Chapter 2: Un-Civil Warfare, 1863–1865
Chapter 3: Timbering the Sublime Forest, 1865–1877
Chapter 4: The Importance of Razorbacks, 1878–1880
Chapter 5: Moonshine and Love, 1880
Chapter 6: The Wages of Love, 1880–1882
Chapter 7: Tumult on Election Day, August 7–8, 1882
Part II:
The Rage and the Outrage,
1882–1887
Casualties, 1864–1882
Chapter 8: Mountain Justice, August 9–10, 1882
Chapter 9: Life After Death, 1882–1884
; Chapter 10: Taking Names and Keeping a List, 1884–1886
Chapter 11: A Double Whipping, 1886
Chapter 12: The Enforcers, Spring, Summer, and Fall 1887
Chapter 13: Diplomacy Failed, Fall and Winter 1887
Part III:
The January Raids and Their Aftermath,
1887–1888
Casualties, 1864–1887
Chapter 14: A House Burning, December 31, 1887–January 2, 1888
Chapter 15: The Death of a Soldier, January 1888
Chapter 16: Bad Frank and the Battle of Grapevine Creek, January 18, 1888
Chapter 17: Disorder in the Courts, February–May 1888
Chapter 18: The Lawmen, 1888
Chapter 19: Yellow Journalists on the Bloody Border, February–October 1888
Part IV:
The Hunters and the Hunted,
1888–1898
Casualties, 1864–1888
Chapter 20: The Trial, 1888–1889
Chapter 21: The Bitter End, November 1889–February 1890
Chapter 22: After the Hanging, 1890–1895
Chapter 23: The Last Murders and Manhunt, 1896
Chapter 24: The Last Dance: Cunningham Gets His Hatfield, 1898
Coda, March 4, 1913
Epilogue: Mine is the Vengeance
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Dean King
Newsletters
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Photos
Map
Copyright
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by Dean H. King
Cover design by Allison J. Warner
Cover illustration © Bettmann / CORBIS
Cover copyright © 2013 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
littlebrown.com
twitter.com/littlebrown
facebook.com/littlebrownandcompany
First ebook edition: May 2013
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591.
ISBN 978-0-316-22478-9