Days of Darkness: The Feuds of Eastern KentuckyAmong the darkest corners of Kentucky’s past are the grisly feuds that tore apart the hills of eastern Kentucky from the late nineteenth century until well into the twentieth. Now, from the tangled threads of conflicting testimony, John Ed Pearce weaves engrossing accounts of six of the most notorious feuds—those in Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Perry, Pike, and Rowan counties. What caused the feuds that left Kentucky with its lingering reputation for violence? Who were the feudists, and what forces—social, political, financial—caused the conflicts? For years, Pearce has interviewed descendants of feuding families and examined skimpy court records and often fictional newspaper accounts to uncover what really happened and why. His story brings to light new evidence, questions commonly held beliefs about the feuds, and puts to rest some of the more popular legends. |
Contents
What This Is All About | 1 |
Choose Your Outlaw | 11 |
The Turners Meet the Howards | 15 |
The Trap that Didnt Spring | 25 |
Almost a Romantic Journey | 31 |
Captain Strongs Last Ride | 41 |
The Last and Bloodiest Feud | 45 |
No Romeo No Juliet No Heroes | 57 |
A Legacy of Violence | 139 |
The Fatal Clash on Crane Creek | 151 |
Trouble on the Burying Ground | 163 |
The Best Men in the County | 172 |
The Turtle Calls for Bad Tom | 180 |
Bloody Time in Frankfort | 187 |
The Feuds Wind Down | 196 |
Surcease | 209 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abner ambush arrested asked attorney Baldy George Barbourville Boone Logan boys Breathitt County brother Buckner bullets burned Caleb Powers Callahan Captain Cawood clan Clay County Cockrell Combs Courier-Journal court courthouse Craig Tolliver Crane Creek Democrats deputy Devil Anse Dickey election Eversole father feud feudists fight fire Frank Frankfort French-Eversole Fult French Goebel governor gunmen Hargis Harlan County Hatfields Hatfields and McCoys Hazard Hazel Green horse Hotel indicted Jackson jail James Jesse Barrett Jett Jim Howard John Baker Johnse Judge jury Kentucky killer later Lewis Louisville Manchester Marcum Martin McCoy Morehead mountain murder night Perry County Philpot Pikeville pistol prison Randal Republican rifle road rode Rowan County sent sheriff shooting shot and killed street Thena told Tom Baker Tom's took town trial tried troops trouble Turner violence walked West Virginia White William William Goebel Wilse Howard Wilson wounded