The Hatfield McCoy Feud
The
Hatfield–McCoy feud (1863–91) involved two families of the West
Virginia–Kentucky area along the Tug Fork, off the Big Sandy River. The Hatfield's of West Virginia were led by William Anderson "Devil
Anse" Hatfield while the McCoy's of Kentucky
were under the leadership of Randolph
"Ole Ran'l" McCoy. Those involved in the feud were descended from
Ephraim Hatfield (born c. 1765) and William McCoy (born c. 1750). The feud has
entered the American folklore lexicon as a metaphor for any bitterly feuding
rival parties. More than a century later, the story of the feud has become a
modern metaphor for the perils of family honor, justice and vengeance.
William
McCoy, the patriarch of the McCoy's, was born in Ireland
around 1750 and emigrated to Doe Hill,
Virginia. The McCoy's, led by
Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy (grandson of William), lived mostly on the
Kentucky side of Tug Fork (a tributary of the Big Sandy River), and the
Hatfield's, led by William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield (son of
Ephraim Hatfield and Nancy Vance), lived mostly on the West Virginia side. Both
families were part of the first wave of pioneers to settle the Tug Valley
(also called the Grand
Horse Valley).
The majority of the Hatfield's living in Mingo
County (in what would eventually
become West Virginia)
fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. The majority of the
McCoy's living in Pike County,
Kentucky, fought for the Union
Army. The first real violence in the feud was the murder of a returning Union
soldier, Asa Harmon McCoy. He was killed by a group of ex-Confederate Home
guards called the "Logan Wildcats". Devil Anse Hatfield was a suspect
at first, but was later confirmed to have been sick at home at the time of the
murder. It was widely believed that his uncle, Jim Vance, a member of the
Wildcats, committed the murder.
The Hatfield clan in 1897.
The
Hatfield's were more affluent than the McCoy's and were well-connected
politically. Devil Anse Hatfield's timbering operation was a source of wealth
for his family, but he employed many non-Hatfield, and even hired Albert McCoy,
Lorenzo Dow McCoy, and Selkirk McCoy.
Asa Harmon McCoy was murdered on January 7, 1865. Jim Vance,
the uncle of Devil Anse Hatfield, despised Harmon because he had joined the
Union Army during the American Civil War. Harmon was discharged from the army
early because of a broken leg. He returned home to a warning from Vance that
Harmon could expect a visit from Devil Anse's Wildcats. Frightened by gunshots as
he drew water from his well, Harmon hid in a nearby cave, supplied with food
and necessities each day by his slave, Pete; but the Wildcats followed Pete's
tracks in the snow, discovered Harmon and shot him fatally.
At first, Devil Anse Hatfield was the prime suspect. Later,
after it was determined that the Wildcats' leader had been confined to his bed,
suspicion of guilt focused squarely on Vance; but in an era when Harmon's
military service was widely considered by many of the region's inhabitants to be
in and of itself an act of disloyalty, even Harmon's own family believed that
he had brought his murder upon himself.
Eventually the case withered and no suspect was brought to trial.
The second recorded instance of violence in the feud
occurred thirteen years later, in 1878, after a dispute about the ownership of
a hog: Floyd Hatfield had it but Randolph McCoy said it was his. The pig was only in the fight because some of
the Hatfield's believed that since the pig was on their land, it was theirs. Some
of the McCoy's objected, saying that the "notches" (markings) on the
pig's ears were McCoy marks, not Hatfield marks. The matter was taken to the
local Justice of the Peace, and the McCoy's lost because of the testimony of
Bill Staton, a relative of both families. Presiding over the case was Anderson "Preacher
Anse" Hatfield. In June 1880,
Staton was killed by two McCoy brothers, Sam and Paris, who were later
acquitted on the grounds of self-defense.
The
feud escalated after Roseanna McCoy began a relationship (courtship) with
Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield (Devil Anse's
son), leaving her family to live with the Hatfield's in West Virginia. Roseanna eventually returned
to the McCoy's, but when the couple tried to resume their relationship, Johnse
Hatfield was arrested by the McCoy's on outstanding Kentucky bootlegging warrants. He was freed
from McCoy custody only when Roseanna made a desperate midnight ride to alert
Devil Anse Hatfield, who organized a rescue party. The Hatfield party
surrounded the McCoy's and took Johnse back to West
Virginia before he could be transported to the county seat, Pikeville, Kentucky,
for justice the next day. Despite what
was seen as a betrayal of her family on his behalf, Johnse Hatfield thereafter
abandoned the pregnant Roseanna, marrying instead her cousin, Nancy McCoy, in
1881.
The
escalation continued in 1882 when Ellison Hatfield, brother of Devil Anse
Hatfield, was killed by three of 
Roseanna
McCoy's young brothers: Tolbert, Pharmer, and Bud. Ellison was stabbed 26 times
and finished off with a shot during an election day
fight that took place in Kentucky.
The McCoy brothers were initially arrested by Hatfield constables and were
being taken to Pikeville for trial. Devil Anse Hatfield organized a large group
of followers and intercepted the constables and their McCoy prisoners before
they reached Pikeville. The brothers were taken by force to West Virginia to await the fate of mortally
wounded Ellison Hatfield. When Ellison finally died from his injuries, the McCoy
brothers were themselves murdered in turn as the vendetta escalated. They were
tied to pawpaw bushes, where each was shot numerous times. Their bodies were
described as "bullet-riddled".
The feud reached its peak
during the 1888 New Year's Night Massacre. Several members of the Hatfield clan
surrounded the McCoy cabin and opened fire on the sleeping family. The cabin
was set on fire in an effort to drive Randolph McCoy into the open. He escaped
by making a break for it but two of his children were murdered and his wife was
beaten and left for dead. The remaining members of the McCoy family moved to
Pikeville to
escape the West
Virginia raiding parties.
Between 1880 and 1891, the feud claimed more than a dozen
members of the two families, becoming headline news around the country, and
compelling the governors of both Kentucky and West Virginia to call up
their state militias to restore order. On one occasion, the Governor of West
Virginia even threatened to have his militia invade Kentucky. In response, Kentucky Governor S.
B. Buckner sent his Adjutant General Sam Hill to Pike County
to investigate the situation. Besides nearly a dozen who died, at least 10
people were wounded.
In 1888, Wall Hatfield and eight others were arrested by a
posse led by Frank Phillips and brought to Kentucky to stand trial for the murder of
Alifair McCoy, who was killed during the New Years Massacre. She had been shot
after exiting the burning house. Because of issues of due process and illegal
extradition, the United States Supreme Court became involved (Mahon v. Justice,
127 U.S. 700 (1888)). The Supreme Court ruled 7–2 in favor of Kentucky, holding that even if a fugitive is
returned from the asylum state illegally instead of through lawful extradition
procedure, no federal law prevents him from being tried. Eventually the men
were tried in Kentucky
and all were found guilty. Seven received life imprisonment, while the eighth,
Ellison "Cottontop" Mounts, was executed by hanging. Thousands
attended the hanging in Pikeville,
Kentucky.
Valentine
"Uncle Wall" Hatfield, the elder brother of Devil Anse, was
overshadowed by Devil Anse's ambitions but was 1 of the 8 convicted to end the
feud. He died in prison of unknown causes. He petitioned his brothers to assist
in his emancipation from jail, but none came for fear of being captured and
brought to trial. He was buried in the prison cemetery, which has since been
paved over. William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, the younger and
more militant brother of Valentine Hatfield, led the clan in most of their
combative endeavors. Doc D Mahon,
son-in-law of Valentine and brother of Pliant, was one of the eight convicted
to end the feud. He served 14 years in prison before returning home to live with
his son, Melvin.
Pliant Mahon, son-in-law of
Valentine and brother of Doc, was one of the eight convicted to end the feud.
He served 14 years in prison before returning home to rejoin his ex-wife, who
had remarried but left her second husband to live with Pliant again.
Fighting between the families eased following the hanging of
Mounts. Trials continued for years; the trial of Johnse Hatfield was the last
of the feud trials in 1901.
A section of the floodwall along the Tug Fork in Matawan, West
Virginia, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, depicts the Hatfield–McCoy feud.
1865: Former Union
soldier Asa Harman McCoy killed January 7, 1865, probably by the "Logan
Wildcats" led by Jim Vance.
1878: Bill Staton
(nephew of Randolph McCoy – not shown on family tree) was killed in 1878 as
revenge for testifying on behalf of Floyd Hatfield in his trial for stealing a
McCoy hog. Shot by Sam McCoy-nephew of Randolph McCoy Sr.
1882: Ellison
Hatfield is mortally wounded in a fight with Tolbert, Pharmer, and Randolph
McCoy, Jr. on August 7, 1882, dying two days later on August 9.
1882: Tolbert McCoy
tied to pawpaw trees & killed as revenge for Ellison Hatfield's
shooting/stabbing on August 9, 1882, the day Ellison died.
1882: Pharmer McCoy
tied to pawpaw trees & killed as revenge for Ellison Hatfield's
shooting/stabbing on August 9, 1882, the day Ellison died.
1882: Randolph McCoy Jr. tied to
pawpaw trees & killed as revenge for Ellison Hatfield's shooting/stabbing
on August 9, 1882, the day Ellison died.
1886: "Jeff
McCoy" killed in fall of 1886 following his murder of mail carrier Fred
Wolford, shot by "Cap" Hatfield.
1888: Alifair McCoy
killed January 1, 1888 at Randolph's
house by nine attackers led by Jim Vance. The attackers failed in their attempt
to eliminate witnesses against them.
1888: Calvin McCoy
killed January 1, 1888 at Randolph's
house by nine attackers led by Jim Vance. The attackers failed in their attempt
to eliminate witnesses against them.
1888 January 7: Jim
Vance killed by Frank Phillips.
1888 January 18: Bill
Dempsey killed by Jeff McCoy and Frank Phillips.
1890: Ellison Mounts
was hanged on February 18, 1890 for Alifair's murder.
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Virginia
Murdered Caught
Publishers Press Dispatch Williamson, WV, July 20, Deputy
United States Marshall Dan Cunningham, with two detective aids, late on Monday
night, on Poplar Creek, in this county, captured the notorious Johnson
Hatfield. Hatfield was taken by surprise and surrendered. He was hurried to Kentucky. Hatfield was
wanted for the part played by him at the time the McCoy home was burned and a
defenseless woman, Alafair McCoy, and a male member of the McCoy function (sic
faction) were killed by the Hatfield's in the time of the vendetta on News
Year’s night, nine years ago. Since then a charge of murder has stood against
him, and a large reward has been offered for his arrest. He had outwitted the
constables time and again. It was reported here this morning that deputies were
after Hatfield’s father, Devil Anse, and others of the clan, and that serious
trouble seemed imminent.
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New York Times March 12, 1900
Hatfield Must Go To Prison
Murderer of a Woman in a Feud to Serve Life Sentence
Special to the New York Times
Frankfort,
KY, March 11 – After ten years
Johnson Hatfield must go to prison for life for the murder of Alifair McCoy.
This marks another step in the Hatfield-McCoy feud, which created a reign of
terror in Kentucky
until ten years ago, and has broken out at intervals since, but only in the way
of individual killings. Most of the leaders have either been convicted or have
been shot to death. The case of Johnson Hatfield was affirmed by the
Court of Appeals yesterday. His victim was a woman. He was
convicted in Pike
County, and given a life
sentence and has fought the case desperately to the end. Hatfield was indicted
in Pike County for the murder of Alifair McCoy
in August 1888 and also was indicted for having previously conspired with
others to kill her. Hatfield had ten years of freedom before he was finally
apprehended. He was arraigned for trial the first time in
September, 1898, when he obtained a change of venue to Floyd County
on the ground of prejudice. Hatfield then appealed from the life sentence of
the Floyd Circuit court on the ground of errors in instruction. The Court of
Appeals in a decision by Judge Burnam sustains the verdict. The case is notable
as being one of the few successful convictions in the feud, yet of all the men
accused of murder not one has ever been hanged.
Note: Actually, Ellison "Cotton Top" Mounts was
hung for the murder of Alifair McCoy, February 18, 1889 and Valentine Hatfield,
Johnson's uncle, was convicted and sentenced to life in 1889.
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Washington
Post, April 22, 1922
“Devil Anse’s” Son Dead
Johnst Hatfield Served Term for Killing McCoy Clan Member
Williamson, WV, April 21 – Johnst Hatfield, son of the late
“Devil Anse” Hatfield, and an active participant in the Hatfield – McCoy feud
of years ago, died in his mountain cabin at Wharncliffe, near here, late last
night. When the feud was at its height Johnst, who was known as “Devil Anse’s”
right-hand man in the war on the McCoy's, was captured by Kentucky
authorities in West Virginia and hurried
across the Tug River. He was convicted in Kentucky of the murder
of a member of the McCoy clan and served thirteen years of a life sentence.