Tag Archives: Logan

Nancy E. Hatfield Memories, Part 3 (1974)

11 Friday Jun 2021

Posted by in Civil War, Hatfield-McCoy Feud

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Howard B. Lee, former Attorney General of West Virginia, provided this account of Nancy Hatfield (widow of Cap) in the early 1970s:

“Mrs. Hatfield, your husband and his father bore the same given names: ‘William Anderson’. How did they get the nicknames of ‘Cap’ and ‘Devil Anse’?”

“It is very simple,” she replied. “Early in life Devil Anse’s name was shortened to ‘Anse.’ During and after the Civil War he was called ‘Captain Anse’. The son, because he had the same name as his father, was called ‘Little Cap’. As the boy grew larger, the word ‘Little’ was dropped. Also, because of their fierceness in feud combats, the McCoys called the father ‘Devil Anse’ and the son ‘Bad Cap’. The newspapers took up the names and they stuck. Devil Anse liked and cultivated the title; but eventually the word ‘Bad’ was dropped from Cap’s nickname.

“Was I afraid? For years, day and night, I lived in fear. Afraid for my own safety, and for the safety of my loved ones. Constant fear is a terrible emotion. It takes a heavy toll, mentally and physically.

“I now think that my most anxious moments, as well as my greatest thrill, came years after the feud was over. In 1922, Tennis Hatfield and another deputy sheriff went over to Pikeville, Kentucky, to return a prisoner wanted in Logan County. While there, Tennis visited the aged Randolph McCoy1, surviving leader of his clan during the feud. (Tennis was born long after the feud was over.) The old man was delighted to see Devil Anse’s youngest son’, and Tennis spent the night with him.

“The next morning, Randolph told Tennis that he was going home with him. ‘I want to see Cap,’ he said, ‘and tell him how glad I am that I didn’t kill him. I am sorry Devil Anse is gone. I would like to see him, too.’ Tennis was worried. He didn’t know how Cap would receive his old enemy. So he left Randolph in Logan while he acme up to our place to consult Cap.

“Cap listened to Tennis’ story, and said: ‘Does he come in peace?’ ‘Yes,’ said Tennis. ‘He comes in peace.’ ‘Does he come unarmed?’ ‘Yes, he comes unarmed.’ ‘Then I shall be happy to greet him in the same way. Bring him up for supper and he shall spend the night with us.

“My anxious moments were just before these two strong-willed men met. I knew how they had hated each other, that each had tried to kill the other, more than once, that each had killed relatives and friends of the other, and I was afraid of what they might do when they stood face to face.

“My thrill came when I saw them clasp hands, and heard each one tell the other how happy he was to see him. They talked far into the night, and bother were up early the next morning, eager to continue their talks. Tennis came about one o’clock to drive Randolph back to his Kentucky home. Cap watched them until they passed out of sight up the creek, and then remarked, ‘You know, I always did like that cantankerous old cuss.’

“Cap and Randolph never saw each other again.”

1Should be Jim McCoy, son of Randolph.

Source: West Virginia Women (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 152-153

Whirlwind News 04.12.1927

01 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by in Big Harts Creek, Harts, Logan, Spottswood, Twelve Pole Creek, Whirlwind

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An unnamed correspondent from Whirlwind on Big Harts Creek in Logan County, West Virginia, offered the following items, which the Logan Banner printed on April 12, 1927:

All the farmers are getting very busy in our vicinity, especially Wayne Adams.

Miss Unice Farley of Mud Fork was visiting her parents of Harts Tuesday.

May Robinson says she don’t know which one of the boys she loves best, Cole or Cary.

They are all taking a vote to find out which is the wisest man in town. Look out, Daniel, you’ll be the one.

Wonder why Jim Thompson didn’t want any pillow?

Wonder why Sid Mullins never visits Hoover any more?

Working is all the go among the farmers. Guess the men are getting plenty of chicken.

Daniel McCloud was calling on his best friends at Mollie Robinson’s on Sunday night.

Daniel and his sweet potatoes; Philip sowing oats; Edna going to the store; Ollie and his silk socks.

***

Sid Mullins and his oldest sister Miss Dixie Mullins went on a business trip to Logan Friday.

Charley Mullins was a visitor of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Adams Friday.

Tom Mullins went to see his mother on Twelvepole Thursday evening. She is very ill at this time.

Whirlwind News 04.08.1927

28 Sunday Mar 2021

Posted by in Big Harts Creek, Logan, Whirlwind

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An unnamed correspondent from Whirlwind on Big Harts Creek in Logan County, West Virginia, offered the following items, which the Logan Banner printed on April 8, 1927:

We are having some very fine weather at this writing and everybody is preparing for farming.

Tucker Hensley of White Oak was a visitor to this creek Saturday.

Ireland Mullins was calling on his best girl on Hoover Saturday.

James Thompson has returned from his honeymoon trip, and everybody is wondering why he is looking so blue.

William Mullins was the guest of Daniel McCloud Saturday afternoon. The whole family were glad to see him back after his long absence.

We are listening for wedding bells to ring on Buck Fork. Hurry up, Fred.

Jesse Carter of Monaville was visiting relatives on Hoover Saturday.

George Adams is attending to business at Logan this week.

Howard Adams was visiting on Hoover Sunday.

Strange Miners in Logan (1913)

13 Saturday Mar 2021

Posted by in Coal

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From the Logan Banner, of Logan, WV, comes this editorial about unionization, dated March 21, 1913:

STRANGE MINERS cannot get work at all in the principal Logan County mines, it is said, and even in the smaller mines an applicant has to run the gauntlet of a series of “family-history-cross-examination-questions” that would stagger a Philadelphia lawyer before one gets a job–and then like as not get turned down because he is not of Logan county. The precaution is fully warranted. The United Mine Workers hope to control the Guyan Valley field, if they ever DO–and THEY NEVER WILL–by first “organizing” the smaller, isolated mines by “smuggling in” an agitator or two now and then and finally with one “grand sweep” capture the big works. If the labor leaders actually KNEW certain conditions and “inside workings” now effective even in the small works half so well as they THINK they know them, they’d give up as a bad job their idea of “organizing” Logan county and go to honest work shoveling coal for a living themselves. During the past year, more than one “undesirable miner” has been shipped “bag and baggage” out of the valley because he let his agitation fever break out too strong, prematurely spoiling his little game. In another column will be found a news item of the shut-down of the Ramage works of the Spruce River Coal Co. We predict that some of Logan’s mines will turn off their power and “lock out” their employees before they will let the United Mine Workers conduct their business for them. So far as the corporation’s finances are concerned, the U.S. Coal & Oil Co. can shut down all of its Island Creek mines, burn its tipples, and dump its cash into Guyan river. And that’s what would best suit the competitive coal operators of other States! Likewise the miners’ union agitators and leaders! But there’s another side of the story–the miner and his family need the work in the coal-bank, the merchant needs some of the money he earns, Logan county needs its merchants and the outside world needs West Virginia coal–the BEST that “old mother earth” ever produced!

The Hopemont Blues: A Poem (1922)

11 Thursday Mar 2021

Posted by in Logan, Poetry, Women's History

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The following poem appeared in the Logan Banner of Logan, WV, on July 7, 1922. The author was Sally Godbey, who gave her address as the “State T.B. Sanitarium, Hopemont, Terra Alta, W.Va.”

THE HOPEMONT BLUES

When the golden sun is sinking

Behind the hills of old Hopemont,

When of home and friends I’m thinking

That “what-might-have-been” is not.

When the night birds’ soft notes falling,

Melodies sweet float on the air,

Then my thoughts go back to Logan,

And the friends that I left there.

When the sighing night-winds moaning,

Groaning through the old oak trees

and the strain of “Home Sweet Home”

Carry softly on the breeze,

Then is when my thoughts go roaming,

Filled with memories old and new

Days of gladness, days of sadness,

Nights so happy, nights so blue.

Though there’s many miles between us,

Little town I love you yet,

And I long to hurry back,

For I’m homesick and regret

That I ever left you Logan,

But I had to, so they say.

I’m lonesome for the old home town,

And I’m coming back some day,

They say that you are a dull little town,

They spell it with a capital D.

They wish that they could get away,

But you are all the world to me,

And though the world is a very big place

My home has always been with you.

And I find you quite a nice little town,

With friends both kind and true.

The Banner prefaced the poem with this: “The Logan Banner is the recipient of a constant chain of poems which would fill our columns if we even dared to publish them. People will never learn that poets are born, not made. However, we have just received one which is from a former Logan girl and now a patient at Hopemont. we are pleased to give this publicity and for genuine beauty of expression and sentiment it far excels many of those we see in the public print today. The author is Miss Sally Godbey and she calls the poem “The Hopemont Blues.” We will refrain from further comments but pass the beatufiul lines on to our readers with the request that they write Miss Godbey, care of State T.B. Sanitarium, at Hopemont, W.Va. and tell her what they think of her literary ability.”