USA > Kentucky > Garrard County > A history of the feud between the Hill and Evans parties of Garrard County, Ky. The most exciting tragedy ever enacted on the bloody grounds of Kentucky > Part 8
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When the court heard of this affair, it immediately ordered out a writ for the capture of Dr. Hill and Joe Murphy, or rather, sent the sheriff to take them. The sheriff went, but soon returned and said that they would not surrender, and that their number was so great he could do nothing with them. The Doctor told the sheriff to tell the judge to let his boys loose and they would soon trot the defaulters up to justice. The judge sent word to the Hills, by the sheriff, that if they did not surrender, he would turn the Evanses loose on them. This piece of intelligence breathed a spirit of submission into their hearts. This fatal affair caused intense excitement and wild confusion, so much so that the court adjourned, and had no trial on that day. People were running to and fro in breathless excitement, and scarcely knew what they did, heard, or saw.
The Hills, in this action, shot at May and Gordon in particular, for they were the principal witnesses in the pending SuIt. But they did not succeed in their design upon Gordon.
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After this event the sheriff admitted that the Doctor knew more about the wiles and tricks of the Hill party than he did, and consented to let the boys return home to attend the funeral of May. He furnished them with rifles, accompanied them home, left them there in perfect freedom, and went about his business.
On the following Monday, the sheriff returned and the whole party went to town with as many arms as they could carry. The trial came up on that day. Information was received the next morning before court convened that the Judge had deter mined to throw the boys in jail till the next court. When this was made known, the Doctor asked them if they would go to jail.
" Yes," replied they, "if the judge says so." They were accordingly put in jail.
The reader cannot fail to notice the injustice practiced here. In a similar case, when the Hills killed Sellars and Chrismon, they were allowed bail and permitted to go at large. But now, as the Evanses were in custody, there was no law to give them bail. The assigned reason for this partiality was, that the officers, prior to that time, had not done their duty, but that thenceforward they intended to do their duty rigidly. I am of opinion that it is a poor set of officers that will swerve from their duty under any circumstances. But they were not so much to blame in this particular case, for the whole country was in such a fever of excitement that scarcely any one knew right from wrong.
Thus the Doctor was left alone to carry their herses and arms back home. He asked some of his neighbors to help him, but. they had justly grounded fears and declined granting such a dangerous favor. Finally, he succeeded in getting two, Joo Ray and Robert Collier, to assist him. His friends tried to persuade him not to return home that night, for they feared he would be killed on the road. He replied that he would return to his family or die in the attempt. When the shades of night became sufficiently dense to afford the Doctor a protecting ob- scurity, he mounted his horse, and, with a few scared friends, went up the Richmond pike a short distance, to deceive the
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Hills, should they be watching, then turned across the country and arrived safely at home.
Dr. Hill and Murphy were now in custody ; but, as the sheriff had allowed the Evans boys so much liberty, they claimed the same as a right. . Their trial came off the next day before two justices of the peace, and as they both claimed the honor of killing May, both were sentenced to jail. Now, they wery about to get into a terrible condition - about to be put into the same room with their deadly enemies, or down into the lightless dun- geon. But they got out a writ of habeas corpus. and, by some ingenuity, put off their trial from time to time -and, in the mean while, tried to find some law to put themselves into an- other jail, but could not succeed. Dr. Hill said he was afraid to go in with the boys, and would pay any expense incurred in putting himself into any other jail. In virtue of the writ of .habeas corpus, and the former leniency of the sheriff, aided by the desire of the community not to put the two parties together, they were still permitted to stay at home with their arms, till one morning they were numbered among the missing. As soon as the Governor was informed of this fact, he offered a reward of $200 for the apprehension of each of the runaways.
Though the sheriff knew not their whereabouts, they did not leave their old range, but laid around Dr. Evans's during the night, and kept dark at their forts in the day time. Thus they proved as much annoyance to the Doctor as ever. They laid around and shot at the house till they became weary of that sport, then they tried their skill upon the cattle and other stock in the fields. This state of affairs continued several weeks, and the Doctor thought they would kill him anyhow, notwithstand- ing his great precaution. But all human action is destined to have an end. One morning, after they had made their balls rattle upon the house with more than usual vigor, one of the Doctor's_little boys, about ten years of age, and the only one left at home, was out in the yard cutting wood. He was seen to become suddenly restless, as if driven almost to desperation, while from his eyes flashed a reckless passion. It was known that the oppressive wrongs endured by his family, had wrought his soul to the highest thegree of intensity, and that ne was
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determining upon a plan to avenge himself. His mother was watching him. He disdainfully threw down the ax and walked off around the house, whistling a careless air, as if to conceal the emotions that agitated his mind. He was observed to slip slily into the house and get the large Mississippi rifle, then slip out again cautiously toward Bill Hill's, as if he wished no one to see him. Soon a report of the rifle was heard. IIe had gone down to Bill Hill's and concealed himself in ambush to try his skill in the arts of war. He had not been in this covert long, before a man, supposed to be Bill, came out of the house and went into a workshop near by. As he returned to the house and stepped to the door, Doc, for that was the little boy's name, let old Mississippi loose on him and tumbled him into the floor. When he fell, the women ran out with great alarm, cry- ing " Lord amessy ! Lord amessy !" Doc went back home, cautiously put the rifle into its rack, and went to cutting wood again as calmly as if nothing had happened. Mrs. Evans told the Doctor that Doc had been doing something, that she saw him slip off with the rifle. The Doctor went out to the wood- pile and asked -
" What have you been doing, son ?"
" Oh, nothing much ; - I've just been down to Will Hill's."
" Did you shoot ?"
" Yes, sir."
" Did you kill anybody ?
"I don't know ; - I shot at a man as he went into the house. When I shot he fell upon the floor, and the women all ran out crying."
" Are you not ashamed to do so cowardly a trick as that ?"
"No, sir. They slip up and shoot at us all night, and I thought I would pay them back a little this morning in their own coin."
It is not certain that the wound proved fatal, but not many days after that one of the Hill party was buried. This little incident cured the IIills of the habit of lying around the Doc- tor's house. It taught them that they were not safe, even if they were in a fort. Joe Murphy thought he would profit by the lesson and leave the country. Accordingly, he left his war- like clan and wound his way to some point on the Ohio river.
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Dr. Evans learned this fact and sent William May, William Hogen. and Barnes Pendegrass, to bring him back. They caught and tied him, and delivered him into the county jail -- thus securing the $200 reward offered by the Governor. There was only one room in the jail, and that the Evans boys occu- pied ; hence he had to take the dungeon.
About this time, Mrs. Rus Hill came before the public to per- form her part of the tragedy. She went up the creek one morning. telling every person she met that one of Isaiah and another of Fred Hill's boys had been shot dead in the yard, and that several shots came in at the door and wounded two or three of the little children. There was not a particle of truth in this. But she desired to raise a breeze, and, if possible, ex- cite public feeling against Dr. Evans. She went to town and swore out a warrant against Dr. Evans and some thirteen others. One of the men named in the warrant was in Owen county at the time and never had any hand in the feud. They refused to go to Lancaster to have the trial, for they believed, as the neighbors affirmed, that it was a stratagem played to get a chance to kill the Doctor. To accommodate them, and to save the shedding of blood, Justice Ray held their trial in a little school-house near by, since known, from this fact, as 'Squire Ray's court-house. The accused were acquitted without any trouble, for the Hills had no evidence whatever to substantiate the accusation. When the sheriff went down to get Mrs. Hill to appear at the trial, he examined into the facts of the case and found it utterly false. The two boys were not killed, nor were the children wounded. Sam HIill had a small sore on his arm, which was believed to have been cut by Dr. Hill in order to give the woman's tale some shadow of truth.
Some thoughtless persons may look upon the conduct of Mrs. Hill with admiration, and deem it heroic and chivalric. Now, I am not prejudiced against Mrs. Hill, for I am acquainted with her only so far as her deeds have made her known. I have ever been an enthusiastic admirer of woman, that is, so long as she keeps within her proper sphere. But in the present case, I must confess, I do not see much to admire. Women naturally espouse the cause of their husbands, families, and friends, and often do valuable service, as did the women of tho
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revolution, when they clothed and fed the naked and starving army that was fighting for liberty. In that instance we have much to admire, and much to tune the poet's lyre. Had they taken up arms, entered the field and fought for their country's rights, not only we would have sung their praise, but history would have shone with the splendor of the heroism till the end of all time. But suppose in the stead of thus feeding and clothing the destitute army, they had busied themselves in engendering and spreading false reports about the enemy's cruelty and wanton acts of violating chastity, to urge their husbands and brothers to atrocious deeds and unmitigated vengeance, the world would have ever detested them, for such conduct could leave only a stain upon history's page. We may admire Mrs. Hill for espousing the common cause of her party, but the manner in which she did it can but call down our bitter detestation. Had she become a modern Amazon, and defended herself and party with open arms, or by more equitable means, the ready pen and willing ink would have been glad to record her deeds ; but since she wielded only the blackest falsehoods and deception, they delineate with the slow solemnity of pity and commiseration. As advocates of morality, and enemies to vice, we should ever praise the one and denounce the other. She and her party would have more nearly accomplished their object by adhering to a straight-forward and honorable course. But " anything is fair in war," seems to have been their motto.
From that time, Dr. Evans began to stir about - before, he was afraid to leave home, for no one would have been there to protect his wife, had an attack been made. But there was little danger now, for the Hills had nearly all dispersed, and Dr. Hill was afraid to show himself. Though Dr. Hill was missing, he was not many miles distant, for one of his friends told Dr. Evans that he laid concealed in an old barn near Lancaster, and was fed by a negro.
The boys had quite a jolly time in jail. One day, to have a little sport, they showed the jailor where they could get out. He, to keep his prisoners safe, got some workmen with their sledge-hammers and went into repairing. While they were hammering away, creating a very disagreeable dust, one of the boys asked if they were going to close the window. They
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unthoughtedly replied in the affirmative. One of the boys then' said, " Well, I'm going out of here !"-at the same time taking hold of the door, and pulling it open. The jailer jerked the door, and they had a desperate struggle. He struck at Jack May with a knife, but Sam Evans drew a pistol and told him if he dared to cut Jack, that he would shoot him down. When they saw the pistol, the boys let loose the door and seized Sam, and all hallooed, "Don't shoot ! don't shoot !" Quiet was soon restored, and Sam gave the pistol to the jailer. Before the trial was over, Tom Evans put the pistol into his ' boot-leg, and when he went to jail they did not search him on that part of his body, and he did not feel accommodating enough to inform on himself, so he carried italong. After they finished the repairs, the boys went to a log, raised it up, and showed another place through which they could cscape, but the jailer thought they were safe enough as long as they remained thus honest. Some people believe they did this for mere sport, but others are of the more plausible opinion that the boys really intended to make their escape. I coincide with the latter, for about that time the Hills were committing great depredations on the Doctor's farm. This attempt to escape gave the Hills a fine theme for gossip, and aided by the influence of the Saulter family, they induced the jailer to send to the Governor for forty or fifty muskets and a strong guard to guard the jail. The Governor readily sent the guard, for it was represented to him that a mob was threatening to pull down the jail and take the boys out. There was a good deal of truth in this, for the people, not only in Garrard county, but in adjoining counties, talked seriously of demolishing the jail, for they believed it unjust to keep the boys thus imprisoned while Dr. Hill was roving at large. Many of the ladies too (God bless them) began to fire up with indignation at this apparent injustice, and said if the gentlemen did not pull down the jail that they would do it themselves. But Dr. Evans persuaded them not to be guilty of such a rash deed. lIe told them that the trial would soon come off, and the boys would then be free again ; that since the opposite party had resisted the law in every instance, he had resolved to pursue a different course ; that he feared nothing but the law, for it could not protect him, and pre-
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vented him from protecting himself. But the boys had quite a fine time, even if they were confined by double bolts and grating hinges. They employed their time principally over books, cards, newspapers, etc. The ladies, ever ready to soothe the sorrows of man, kept them well supplied with the dainties and luxuries of life, and not less with presents that fill the heart with gladness, and stir up the tender emotions of the soul.
The boys had their trial at the sitting of the November court. Before the trial came up, the Hill party and friends made a violent effort to adjourn the court, reporting that cholera had broken out very malignantly in town. But in spite of this effort the court continued - the boys were tried and acquitted. During the trial it was proven that Bedster had been hired to fight at fifteen dollars per month, with an extra pay of five dollars for every scalp taken from the Evans party. Bedster's mother threatened to sue Dr. Hill for his pay for services in this unholy war, but he went to see her and COMPROMISED the matter.
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VARIOUS SKIRMISHES.
CHAPTER XII.
Sam goes to town - Rencounter with Dr. Hill - Dr. Hill's fight - Hills besiege Sam - Dr. Hill and Sam in Lexington -- Hill's besiege Jack May's house - Evans boys help May - Ilills retreat and Evanses pursue - Hills secure themselves in Fred Hill's house - Evans attack it, and Hills break through the back side and run away - Hills conceal themselves in drift- wood on the river - The river overflows and drives them from the covert -- Mrs. Fred Hill again appears - The Evans boys begin to cut their oats --- Ilills parade and attack the boys - Hills retreat into Bill Hill's house - Evanses storm the house - One of the Hills shot - The council of war -- Hills evacuate the house and retreat - Narrow escape of Hill party - Mrs. Dr. Hill's night trip.
THE reader will perceive that Dr. Hill and Joe Murphy were left in rather an awkward position in the last chapter, one in the dungeon, and another concealed in an old barn; but from preceding events it could be well supposed that they were tried and readily acquitted.
From the fact that the Hills had been lying pretty close at Dr. Hill's for some time, Dr. Evans thought they had taken up their bivouac at some of the lower forts. Being thus persuaded, he anticipated little danger in sending Sam to town to see about some law-suits that were soon to come up. But to use a little precaution, Sam went late in the evening, with the intention of staying all night with his uncle Jesse," who lived a few miles on the other side of town. From his uncle's, he could return to town, sce his lawyers, and get away before the Hills were in the habit of going in. But as he was going into town that evening, he met Dr. Hill and David Russell walking on the pike a little distance from Hill's gate. As soon as Hill recognized Sam, he drew his pistol - Sam jerked his out instantly and fired. Dr. Ilill, as if struck by the ball, jumped straight up, ran through the gate, gut behind the gate-
* This was the only brother that Dr. Evans had in the country. But the Doctor would not permit him to participate in the fight in any manner what- ever, his motto being - " The fewer the better."
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post, and fired back at Sam. Sam ran his horse up to the post, and Hill ran away toward his house, under Sam's fire. He ran about sixty yards then turned and fired again.
This is a miniature specimen of Dr. Hill's brave running. HIe was certainly practicing for the future, for these pages will certify that he arrived nearly to perfection in the art. In his youthful days he doubtless imbibed and appreciated the senti- ment : --
"' Tis better far to run away, And live to fight another day."
Sam rode on through town, and met Mr. Werret and told him what had happened. As Sam wished to return the next morning, he requested Mr. Werret to keep a look-out and let him know if the Hills made any preparations. He returned to Lancaster soon in the morning and stopped at the tavern, and there learned that the Hills were collecting all their forces. This piece of information was enough for him to know that it would be dangerous to venture homeward alone ; hence, he remained till he could get aid from home. He wrote a letter to his father, requesting him not to come to town, for if he did, he would have to fight his way through. But notwithstanding this, the Doctor. with three of his sons and William Murphy, set out with their rifles during the night. They returned with Sam and passed Dr. Hill's house about daylight. The Hills saw them and ran to give battle, but from some unknown cause paused and went back.
The next rencounter between Sam and Dr. Hill happened in Lexington. It was on the memorable day of Henry Clay's funeral. Sam went over on Friday and stopped at the MeGowen House --- the funeral did not come off till Saturday. On Friday, Dr. Hill went down to some of the lower forts and learned that Sam had gone. He ordered out his picket-guards to watch the river at the crossings for Sam's return, which was expected on the next evening. After making these arrangements, he went back to Lancaster that night and hired a hack to take him to Lexington in the shortest possible time. He arrived there about the middle of the day on Saturday, and took lodging also at the McGowen House. ITis friends advised him to put up at some other house, for if he stopped there he might get into a difficulty with 7
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Sam. He replied that he did not care for that. When he arrived, Sam had gone out to the cemetery, and not expecting to see an enemy, carried only his famous little revolver, leaving the large pistols in his saddlebags at the tavern. While at the cemetery, Sam was informed that Dr. Hill had arrived with several of his party, and would certainly give him battle. This did not at all please Sam's fancy, for he was not more than anxious to meet two or three well armed men, while he had only a small revolver. But, however, between two and three o'clock he concluded to go back to the tavern, even if it was occupied by a well armed enemy. When he arrived within about half a square of the tavern, he saw Dr. Hill, in company with two or three others, walking on the side-walk, and at the same time drawing his pistol. Sam instantly jerked out the little revolver, ran up and fired at his breast. The ball struck him but would not enter deeper than his clothes, on account, it is supposed, of an iron breast-plate. When Sam fired, Hill staggered back a few paces, then ran around a carriage which stood near by, then back on to the pavement. Sam snapped at him twice as he ran around. Hill ran down the pavement a short distance, but the dense crowd turned him into the more open street. Sam was in hot pursuit. When Dr. Hill got into the street, he fired a large pistol over his shoulder at Sam. The ball perforated a carriage and passed between a gentlemen and his lady. Dr. Hill inade good use of his well trained legs, and according to the testimony of by-standers, ran faster than ever did the world-renowned " Grey Eagle," even in his prime. After running a considerable distance, Sam stopped and went back to the tavern. Hill got into his hack and started for home instantly, perhaps through cowardly motives, or to warn his stationed guards to be on the watch, but more probably to keep clear of the police. Sam got into a carriage with some of his friends and set out too, in a short time. Hill stopped on the road at Brown's to get his supper, but Brown told him that he expected Sain to be there in a few minutes to take supper. This was enough information for Hill, so he put off in post haste. He had just left, and had scarcely got out of sight when Sam drove up. Sam stopped at Brown's and took supper ; then drove on. Hill went as far as Miller's then put up for the
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night. Though Sam knew he was there, he called at the house for a drink of water. It is very likely that the guards were sleeping on their posts, or lying in the ditch drunk, for Sam passed the river and arrived safely at home that night.
Now, reader, you will, doubtless, acquiesce in my former pre- diction, that Dr. Hill was training his legs at Lancaster for the glories of a future race. He won the race beyond doubt, and acquitted himself with a fame the least enviable. But, can you blame him, reader ? Would you stand before a six shooter, even if it were in the hands of a strippling, and your breast plated over with impenetrable steel ? I am inclined to think that some of us would feel a palpitation in the neighborhood of the left breast, and be strongly tempted to try the virtue of our legs. ' Dr. Hill was a very athletic man, and well knew how far to depend upon his physical powers. But being so well armed with large pistols, and protected securely by an impenetrable breastplate, it could have been hoped that he would have evinced more bravery and stood his ground before such a mere boy as Sam Evans was, and more so when he went there de signedly to make the attack.
Dr. Evans and his wife were very uneasy about Sam, for they had learned the movements of Dr. Hill. According to an agreement with the boys, he was not to return by the way which he did, but to cross the river at the mouth of Paintlick creek, and stop at Gun's chapel, where a protracted meeting was then being held. The boys were also to meet him at this church, and keep a guard at the river to see if the Hills ex- pected to waylay him there. This was about the time the peo- ple were trying to make a compromise between the two parties, for which reason the boys did not carry their rifles, as had been the case for some time. On Sunday morning, Dr. Evans sent a runner to tell the boys where the Hills were concealed in am- bush ; but the messenger never found the boys, nor returned, being afraid of the opposite party.
In the evening of the same day, a man went, in post haste, to get the boys' rifles at Dr. Evans's, and told the Doctor that the IIills had attacked Jack May's house, and dared him out to give them an open field fight. May unfurled a piece of red flannel to the breeze, and replied that he would give them an
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