I -
Heard
And
Seen
By POP
Glory Ridge, a beautiful 30-acre
camping facility with a magnificent view, a
few miles from Walnut, was alive last
Saturday night when more than 100 boys
and girls, men and women from far and
near, enjoyed a delicious barbecued pig and
chicken picnic supper... the Rev. George
Moore, whose dream several years ago
became a reality, was host at the delightful
gathering... Roger Wood, local postmaster
and excellent barbecuer, was chief chef,
assisted by Allen Stines... these two guys
started "fixing" the supper at 3 a.m.
Saturday and were still barbecuing at 7
Saturday night when supper was served...
and, of course, Linda, Roger's wife, helped
the entire time. In addition to the "local"
crowd, a group of campers from Warren,
Ohio, also enjoyed the occasion. The
religious service on the mountainside
following the picnic supper was most im
pressive... group singing was enjoyed with
George Moore leading and Mike Cody and
his guitar added much to the ceremony...
the Rev. John Singleton delivered a brief
message and the "mixture of
denominations" had a great time together.
ii - \ ;r_ _r
Mrs. Moore iMozexxe;, wue ox VTWige,
also kept the crowd happy with her warm,
enthusiastic personality. Many other ladies
helped out by furnishing beans, slaw,
desserts, etc., as well as serving the large
and hungry gathering... much has been
added to Glory Ridge in the past few years,
thanks to the untiring efforts of George
Moore, members of the board of directors,
and many volunteer helpers... Glory Ridge
is located in one of the most magnificent
spots in Western North Carolina... if you
haven't visited the 30-acre facility, you
should.
Apologies to Ethel Wallin... her name
was inadvertently omitted from last week's
list of Lionesses who helped serve food
during the recent horse show on the Island...
did you watch Montage over WLOS-TV
Sunday night?... the show featured Mar
shall with several "key" people interviewed
by Bill Stroupe... one person told me he
learned a great deal more about Marshall
he didn't know although he's been here for
years... congratulations to all those who
appeared on the show... the passing of Jake
Drake has taken another fine person from
the Mars Hill area... he had been a devoted
treasurer of the Mars Hill Lions Club for
many years and was for years one of the
oustanding school bus drivers... my sym
pathy is extended to Maymee and the entire
family... horse lovers, don't forget to attend
the Mars Hill Lions Club annual horse show
in the elementary school grounds this
Saturday at 1 and 7 p.m. The Byard Ray
Festival will also be held at Thomas Wolfe
Auditorium at the Asheville Civic Center
this Saturday night from 6 to 11:30.
Fiddle This One Started Hatfield - McCoy Rift |
By DORIS BL'RRELL
A grisly stabbing and three
revenge shootings started by a
50 cent debt triggered the
famous feud between the
Hatfields and the McCoys 1
The debt owed was over a
fiddle one of the McCoys had
sold to a Hatfield Before the
guns were silenced ISO people
had lost their lives in the
Kentucky-West Virginia
>attleground
Howard Watson of Canton
telieves he has the fiddle
vhich the dispute was over,
ie has made six trips to the
irea to verify it. The fiddle
:ame into his possession about
MR* ? H" *
four yean ago in a trade-out
when he was learning to play
the instrument.
Watson, who says he hopes
his research doesn't start
another Hatfield-McCoy feud,
held the fiddle with care this
week, recalling that its
previous owner had said
something about some writing
on a slip of paper inside the
case.
"I didn't think any more
about it for two or three
months and then one day, just
looking it over, I saw the
writing on the inside," Watson
said. Curious, he looked more
closely and read the words:
"Jessy G. Hatfield-Peaks
Mill, West Virginia ?
presented by Governor H.D.
Hatfield Feb. 9,1921."
In his research of county
records, and in talks with
interested in selling the fiddle.
I had become interested in
discovering if this was, in
deed, the fiddle which caused
the famous feud."
Watson spent a week with
the Dutch Hatfields at their
invitation and was introduced
to many more relatives of the
deceased families. He went to
libraries, county seats and
visited decendants of the
Hatfields.
The record shows that bad
feelings were created between
the Hatfields who lived on one
side of the Tug River on the
border of West Virginia and
the McCoys, who lived in Pike
County, Ky., on the other side
in a dispute over a sow hog
and her piglets, but it had been
settled and nothing of con
sequence had occurred
although the two families kept
their distance.
A 50-CENT DEBT over the fiddle Howard
Watson of Canton is holding is believed to have
started the famous 1882 feud between the Hat
fields and McCoys.
ACP
Reports
Needed
The Madison County ASC
Committee has set June 30,
which is just a little over two
weeks away, as the report
date for all ACP practices.
If for reasons beyond the
control of the farm operator a
practice cannot be completed
by this date, the operator
should notify the ASCS office
and request an extension in
time to complete and report.
Any questions regarding
ACP practices should be
directed to the Madison
County ASCS office, Box 487,
Marshall. Office hours are
Monday through Friday from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except legal
holidays.
Place-kicker Efren Herrera
of the Dallas Cowboys was born
in Guadalajara, Mexico.
21 SENIOR CITIZEN'S CORNER A
y?] HELPFUL IDEAS FOR SUCCESSFUL RETIREMENT W
Social Security Grows
The Social Security Act
became law on August 14.
1935 President Franklin D (
Roosevelt called it "a law
which will give some
measure of protection to the
average citizen and to his
family against poverty
stricken old age "
In the beginning, social
security benefits were for
retired workers only Over
the years, the law has been
amended so that now
monthly benefits are
paid to eligible retired and
disabled workers and their
families and to dependents
of deceased workers who
worked long enough in jobs
covered by social security
Social security benefits
are based on work and
earnings. The first month
ly payments went in 1940
to about 222.000 people
Hie average monthly pay
ment was about $22 to a
retired worker and $47 to a
widowed mother with two
children in her care
Today social security pays
benefits to about 31 million
people The average month
ly payment is about $202 to
a retired worker and $472 to
a widowed mother with two
children in her care
Under a 1972 amendment,
social security benefits are
now tied to the cost of living
The Social Security Ad
ministration administers
Medicare, which started in
1965. and the supplemental
security income program,
which started in 1974
Over 23 million people
have Medicare, which helps
pay the health care bills of
people 65 and over, of
disabled people who have
been entitled to social se
curity disability benefits
for at least 24 consecutive
months, and of many people
with chronic kidney disease
Hie supplemental security
income program makes
monthly payments to over 4
million people with little or
no income and limited
resources who are 65 or over
or blind or disabled
Homecoming
The annual home coming
and decoration service will be
held June 18 at North Fork
Baptist Church on Big Pine,
beginning at 10 a.m.
Lunch will be at noon and
there will be singing in the
afternoon. All singers and
listeners are invited to attend.
The Rev. Frank Plemmons
is pastor of the church.
Singing
There will be a singing at
the Piney Grove Baptist
Church this Saturday
beginning at 7:30.
Featured singers will be the
New Hope Quartet.
The public is invited.
GALLERY ACQUIRES
NEW LANDSCAPE
WASHINGTON (AP) - The
National Gallery of Art has ac
quired a landscape by the
Dutch artist Jan van Goyen.
The "View of Dordrecht from
the Dordtse Kil," signed and
dated 1644 is the first Van Go
yen painting to enter the Gal
lery's collection.
DR. FRED B. BENTLEY,
president, Mars Hill College;
Claude Gibson, athletic director,
head football coach; and Carl
Benfield, president, Golden "M"
Club; have announced the kick off
for the Golden "M" Club Athletic
Membership Drive for Mars Hill
College. Since 1972 the Golden
"M" Club has contributed $125,000
to the athletic scholarship
program ? this year's goal is
$25,000. The drive began on May
27 with a barbecue dinner at
which time $18,000 had been
pledged or contributed. Dr.
Bentley is anticipating that the
drive will exceed $30,000.
I
The News-Record
NON?PARTISAN IN POLITICS
JAMES I. STORY, Editor
Published Weekly
By Madison County Riblishing Co. Inc.
BOX 367
MARSHALL, N.C. 28753
Subscription Rates Subscription Rates
In Madison County Outside Madison Co.
12 Mos. $4 00 12 Mos. $8 00
CMos. $3.00 CMos. IC.00
3 Mos. $4.00
(Plus 4 percent u S Se?e? Ten)
Second Class Privileges Authorized
At Marshall, N.C. 2S7S3
7 always get this
funny feeling when
I hold the fiddle.'
. . ? __ # ?? - a t :i:~? at>nn(o^ oonnr^infl
relatives 01 me iwu minnica,
Watson discovered that the
fiddle, made in the 1700s of
curly maple on the back and
sides and spruce on the top,
was one of the items
distributed to relatives by the
governor who was acting as
executor for the estate of
Opt. Anderson, "Devil Anse"
Hatfield who was buried on
Jan. 9,1921.
After reading the words
inside the fiddle case, Watson
researched books on the
Hatfields and McCoys.
"I at first thought the
relatives of Hatfield might be
interested in knowing about
the fiddle and its
whereabouts," Watson said.
"I didn't know all about this
famous feud until I got into the
research."
Watson made a phone call to
the operator in Matewan,
W.Va., and asked about the
Hatfields. He was told there
were more Hatfields there
than anyone else.
"The operator put me in
touch with a Dutch Hatfield
and he at once told me just to
ship him the fiddle up there,
and he would pay my asking
price when he found out about
the writing," Watson said.
"But I told him I really wasn't
1 lie 1CUU CI upivu, UVVUi u.uf,
to records, on Kentucky's
election day in August 1882
when officials were being
elected and a school tax was
being voted on. The polls were
opened early in the hollow
near the Jerry Hatfield home.
Voting was by word of mouth
and all who could wanted to be
around to watch the voting.
Forty-seven-year old
"Preacher" Anse Hatfield
was on hand as one of the
election officials. Relatives
had arrived early from West
Virginia. Already the drinking
of white liquor by those
standing around was well
under way. It soon became
evident that some of the men
from the two clans were
holding grudges. Tolbert
McCoy, Randolph's 31-year
old son, picked a quarrel with
Elias Hatfield over the small
sum of SO cents still owed by
Hatfield for a fiddle he had
bought from McCoy. Backing
Elias were his younger
brother, 19-year-old Phamer,
and 15-year-old Randolph Jr.
The appearance on the scene
by Preacher Anse seemed to
calm the quarrel, but as soon
as he returned to his official
duties it was taken up again,
egged on by those standing
?bout.
Tension mounted ?> the day
wore on. Elliaon Hatfield had
been asleep in a meadow and
had gotten up and come by the
election table. He wore a
straw hat which had a brim
larger than that usually seen.
Several took note of the hat
and began to taunt him.
Ellison laughed and replied,
"Boys, I just brought yog
some roughness for your
cattle." The remark evoked
laughter, but others took of
fense Tolbert McCoy stepped
out from among the group and
retorted angrily. He clenched
his fist and struck at Hatfield.
The brothers joined the
fracas, and when it was over
moments later, Hatfield had
been stabbed 26 times and had
been struck by a bullet. He fell
to the ground in a pool of
blood.
Hatfields standing around
gathered as a clan. They
picked up the wounded Ellison
and carried him to the house
of Anderson Ferrell in Warm
Hollow. It didn't seem that he
could last very long.
The three McCoy brothers
were taken into custody by
civil officers and were to be
taken to Pikesville for trial,
but they never reached their
destination. The Hatfields
gathered in large numbers,
appeared before the civil
officers and requested that the
prisoners remain in the
district where the fight had
begun. The Hatfields had
taken the upper hand. The
prisoners were taken to an
abandoned schoolhouse, their
hands tied, to await the out
come of Ellison ? whether he
lived or died.
Tne Doys moiner, neanng
her three sons were prisoners,
hurried to the schoolhouse and
begged for their lives. It was
rumored that their father was
gathering McCoys together to
attempt a rescue. Tension
mounted.
When word came that
Ellison Hatfield had died from
his wounds, the three brothers
were taken from the
schoolhouse and down to the
river. There they were found,
hands still tied, cut to pieces
from a fussilade of bullets.
The youngest, Randolph, had
been struck by a single blast
from a rifle which had taken
off the top of his head.
The night of Aug. 9, 1882,
became an infamous date to
the mountain folks living
along the Tug River. On that
terrible night, a grudge was
fostered which left, over a
span of time, many dead.
Finally, there were not enough
menfolks remaining on either
side, the Hatfields or McCoys,
to continue the feud.
Today, the descendants still
live in the mountainous
country of West Virginia and
Kentucky. They're at peace
now.
Horse
Show
Saturday .
The Mars Hill Lions Gutt
will host the 10th annual
Charity Horse Show on thd
elementary school grounds
this Saturday afternoon and
night. The afternoon show
begins at 1 and the night show
begins at 7.
There will be 41 classes, and
the show is sanctioned by the
Racking Horse Breeders
Association of America.
? *
inh,ll, cuininii<LiLi, oi Miami, ria., ueiu ana
George Bowman, of Route 6, Marshall, are
pictured beside the 1929 Model "A" Ford 2
door sedan in which Mr. and Mrs. Connell
made the 900-mile trip. They are spending
several days as guests of Mr. and Mrs.
Bowman and family. (Photo by Jim Story)
BYARD RAY
FOLK FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, JUNE 17
THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM
ASHEVILLE CIVIC CENTER
6 PM to 11:30 PM
ADULTS $2.50 CHILDREN $1.00