The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 3

in 1 1 GOOD PEOPLE Say They Will Leare Claj; A county. TOO MUCH TROUBLE. 8TSZ2TES3 13 BETUO DBIVEIT AW AT. 7 THE ORIGIN OF THE FEUD. Wholesale Murder Results From Business Transaction Involving Leas Than S40.

JtAjrcHxsTEa is SHtnmrED. The- question uppermost to the minds of the citizens of Clay county Is. has the Baker-Howard feud ended with the killing- of Tom Baker, or Is It Just beginning; Upon the settlement of this one way or the other, depends Clay county's future whether it shall become a rendezvous for armed men, waiting to commit murder upon the pen highway or from ambush, and thereby force, lawabldlng citizens to seek a more peaceful country, or whether those now engaged in strife BTTFTRirg BEVERLY P. WHITE. The bullet which killed Tom Baker was fired from Whits' house.

shall lay down their arms, settle their differences amicably, and return to their vocations without fear of molestation, and thus not only bring peace again to themselves, but to the county at large. Should It be determined that only the deadly Winchester and revolver can settle the issues between the factions. then not only wilLJ tennutnu, "Sre those ln- volved will also suffer for their acquaintanceship. 8om effort has been made to throw about this murderous outbreak the same deceptive glamour with which It was once the fashion to invest all Kentucky mountain feuds by carrying back the story for fifty year or more and making it something between a Cor. slcan vendetta and a quarrel of Highland clansmen.

In sober truth, there Is nothing about the Clay county feud. Just as there has been nothing about any Kentucky feud except unrelieved brutality. It Is as savage, as bitter, as brutal and as cowardly as the rest of them. All Its victims save one have been assassinated. Tour mountain feudsman shoots from cover, or with some equivalent advantage, or he does not shoot at all If he can help it.

The feudsman Is as much sneak as bravo, and nothing Is more absurd than the attempts that have been made- to find something romantic about this murder mania that lays hold at Intervals upon these shut-in. untaught, uncontrolled people of the mountains, and drives them to deeds that should shame a barbarian. All that can be said for them Is that In their ignorance most of these murderous man hunters absolutely do not dream of a better way of living. Beginning of the Trouble. A little over a year ago there was no ltn! miun hi ni him i nun hhi 1111 iniiiiiir TOM BAKER BEFORE THE GUARD TENT.

1 s. nieture of om Baker was taken Standing la froat of the guard tentalmost wm'iii. ii' "T1 1 i. i mi. niin hi tT THE COTTRTreR-JOTrnrv a Ti T.nmffvrrTj Avrvn xmn.

it ioo in clay county. The Bakers, the Howards and th nd were dally associated with one arl other. Up. on crane creek, twelve miles vm ancnester. A.

B. Howard and Tom Baker, were Interested In logging. This was in Fcbruw tnt -A little business transaction, involving 40. which Baker claimed Howard owea mm. caused a quarrel and a dis solution of their partnership ties, Baker remained at his home, and Howard continued logging up on the headwaters of the Kentuckv river.

Friends of Howard say that soon after me men partea Baker, accompanied by several members of his family, called to see Howard and abused him. They say that while the quarrel was being renewed on a raft out in the river Tom Baker Jlrew revolver, but. Instead of using It. struck Howard over that haul 4th an auger. An Attempt At Pence.

friends of the two men saw what the result of hostilities would be. and attempted mediation. It seemed for time that the affair would be smoothed over, and Clay county was breathing easy, when the spark of feudalism was kindled by the new of the killing of Burch Storrs and Wilson Howard, a son or A. B. Howard, and the shooting and wounding of the latter.

Th men were returning from work on Crane on April 6. when they were fired upon worn amDusn. Storrs fell dead from his horse. A. B.

Howard was shot twice In the back, but clung to his norse neck. The horse ran away, scared oy tne shots. Looking back, the elder Mr. Howard saw his son lvlne on the ground, wounded and trying to crawl out of the road. He claims to have then seen some of the Bakers run from ambush and a rain fire into WDnn Howard's body.

It is also said Wilson Howard made a dying statement tnat Be recognized the Bakera as his slayers. Howard was burled near where he fen. Such was the fear of men being amDusnea that two women had to finally volunteer to put the body In a and have It carried to the grave. ICinirtg of George Baker. At this time 71m Howard, another son of A.

B. Howard, was clerking In T. M. Hill's merchandise store In Manchester. A courier from Crane Creek rode Into Manchester, and reported that an of the three men had been killed.

TJpon hearing- this Jim Howard mounted his horse and hurried away, as he afterward claimed, to see his father. As he seared Howard's store he saw Geo. Baker, the father of Tom Baker, approaching from the spot at which the ambush had occurred. Whether It was done la self-defense or not Is not known but Jim Howard leveled his pistol at Baker and shot him through the abdomen. kiUing him instantly.

Howard Immediately surrendered himself to the authorities, and was sent to Jail at London, where he was kept In confinement for some time before being released on ban. Shortly after George Baker was killed Sid M. Baker, now a deputy sheriff of Manchester, and a friend of the Whites and Howards, met Charlie Wooten on the road. Wooten had been identified with the Baker side of the controversy. It is said that both drew their pistols.

Baker was the quicker of the two and shot Wooten through the right lung. As rKf2r4nTiie Howards from ambush, he was arrested and until his name was stricken from the indictment last week in the Clay Circuit Court was kept In the Manchester jail. Still the bloody fight was continued. A pistol duet was fought between George Hall, another friend of the Whites and Howards, and Anse Baker, a brother of Tom Baker. Hall's ear was clipped by a bullet and Baker was snot In the thigh.

Afterward, Hall's bouse on Green creek was burned to the ground and for this Tom Baker was accused and Indicted, see. Still Other Victims. On June 22, of last year. ex-Sheriff W. I White was collecting back taxes on Sexton's creek was returning to Manchester when he met Tom and Dee Baker In the road.

An drew weapons, but Tom Baker was quickest on the trigger and White bit the dust. For this crime Baker was tried In the Knox Circuit Court and was sentenced to a life term In the penitentiary. The Court of Appeals, however, reversed the finding of the lower court and Bakerwas grant, ed a new trial. He was released from custody on bail. In the following July a crowd of Bakers and their friends sallied Into Manchester and terrorized the town by shooting at anything that struck their fancy.

Fifteen or twenty shots were fired alone into the stores of T. hi. Hill, and James F. Marcutn Co. That night John Baker, a cousin of Tom Baker, and a colored man named Clark were waylaid at the mouth of Horse creek, a mile from Manchester, and were "A vy the day before he was shot.

He was a the spot where he was. afterward i MMM Maa THE TROOPS AT MANCHESTER. i i i Hi TS-IE CATLING 4 o'crr-r I rt i a A A' killed. No arrests were made and no one baa ever been accused of the murder. This, brief, is the history of the Baker-Howard feud.

Some time ago the Bakers wrote to Frankfort, declaring they would rive themselves up if tried under the protection of the militia The case on which the indictments were found was the one for the murder of Storrs sod Wilson Howard and the wounding of A. B. Howard. Last Saturday afternoon Special Judge A. King Cook, of Pine granted the defend ants a cnaoee or venue to county.

While in the guard house in the court house yard Tom Baker was killed by some one concealed in the home oC Sheriff Beverly White, across the street. Certain it i that with thejdeath of Tom Baker the Baker faction has lost a great part of Its strengtn. However, ttuh the White family is wealthy and influential, the- Bakers have friends all over the county who will be loyal in their support. They claim tnat me Whites are usurping too much power and it is this they hope to The People Have Enongh. After the murder of Tom Baker the Courier-Journal correspondent overheard a number of people declare that they would shift their homes as quickly as they could dispose of their property.

Not only Is life at stake, but the constant bloodshed Is a source of Intimidation to traveling men, who shun Manchester as they would Hadea Capital Is kept out of a country which sorely needs capital for the development of Its resources. Last year Gilbert Garrard, a son of old Gen. T. T. Garrard, and one of the most respected men In Clay county, was practically driven from his home.

Being suspected of having allied himself with the Bakers, Garrard was shot at one Sunday morning while riding to church with his wife. The ball cut across his back, and barely missed striking his wife. "I was not afraid to stay, at home," Garrard said, "but it was a question of leaving the place and staying a man, or remaining where I was and becom ing a desperado. chose the former 4 Hw I THE '-Trir-j a. i a I WHERE TOM BAKER WAS KILLED.

flea 1 1 qp tiw wTFTFfri iv -'a The above victors 4owa the exact suroundlngs at the time of Tom Baker's murder at Mancheater. The lent marked 1 Is the a-uard tent Bakr ahowed himself at the entrance of the tent nearest the courthouse ind was fired upon from the house of Sheriff White, fciarked 1, and instantly killed. The distance of the tents from the hite house explains how-it was poaaible for the aVif' to escape from the rear of the bouae before the soldiers surrounded it course, and have not been In Manchee-ter since leaving." Shut Out Prom the World. Manchester is a town of less than 800 people located well back in the mountains and near the mouth of Geose creek, one of the headwaters of the Kentucky river. It Is twenty-five miles from a railroad, a telegraph or a telephone station.

Absolutely shut off from the civilised world it is little wonder that men have little else to do other than ponder over the value of a human life and the best and easiest way to taks it. It is a world all by Itself. To rMjh it th traveler must ride five of it is impassable. Without strangers ioi look on and cause them to be aoasnea for deeds of cowardice, or officials who properly enforce the law to bring criminals to- Justice, men may snap their fingers at law and order, and ride rough shod over those who possess no Influence or wealth. eJa, Some Friendly Advice.

One Is forcibly reminded of what may be expected In Manchester before set-ling out from London, On the morning that the Courier-Journal correspondent left for the seat of trouble the hotel proprietor mysteriously called him aside and whispered words of friendly advice lntoghls ear. Stranger." he said, his voice sinking until the words were almost inaudible, "stranger, stop at the JHouse; the walls are thicker." There was nothing equivocal about this Arriving at his hostelry In Manchester the Courier-Journal representative Immediately laid plans for a line of defense. Though the night was sultry- a stuffy featherbed was found on the bed. The very thing. The featherbed was Immediately Jerked across the room and propped against the doer.

This done an untroubled sleep was Indulged in. as the only way open for any bold, bed mountaineer to use his "shooter" was to scale up the wall and pop away through the window and that was closed tight. A Mountain Craze. The mania for handling a weapon develops early In the Clay county male. The favorite game around Manchester is "shootln' at the mark." and Is practiced by boys as soon as they have strength enough to lift a gun or handle a revolver.

While resting the horses In riding to Manchester -the guide dug his toe In the ground near- a large tree and shoved aside a pile of leaves. A dosen or more exploded shells were disclosed. A apot on the tree as Urge as the palm of a man's hand was perforated. The guide said that 'some of the boys must hev bin a shootln' at the mark." and added incidentally that some of them "sar-tlnly needed practice." If these same boys could devote' as much time to a few months' schooling a year as they do to handling guns and listening to stories of murder and bushwhacking they might grow up with far different views of the value and use of a human life. 1 As it Is.

the children, as a rule, are Illiterate and of use only in the fields to handle the hoe apd follow the plow, growing up to manhood and womanhood in total Ignorance of things outside their mountain haunts. The Absorbing Topic. For miles around Manchester the Interest In the Howard-Baker feud Is general. The traveler. In riding through mountains, is stoDned every mile two to tea ttf Any news is SDaoroea wJu-oiy; iny want every detail.

And the traveler In this region is herewith warned against attempting night riding between Manchester and London. The Courier- Journal correspondent speaks from experience. Not that there Is any lurking danger from the settler; but the road winds and forks, drops down precipitately and rises as abruptly; it Is worn and full of treacherous depressions. Should the night be dark, recourse must be had to matches where the road branches to find out the right path, and if this is not satisfactory one must seek bis Information fcora the lonely hut with halloos! broken by the snarling and snapping of doga Mo End of Trouble. There Is too much factional strife In Clay county.

Men who strive to avoid affiliating with one side or the other, so far as espousing any cause Is concerned, are sooner or later made to commit themselves and thus are marked. It is a hard thing In Manchester for a man to attend to his own business. The feud will not end with the killing of Tom Baker. Already names of men are whispered about as having fired the fatal shot from the Sheriff's house. It may- be a a month, a year, or five years, but sooner or later the slayer of Tom Baker will meet Tom Baker's fate.

L. IX IN FORMAL AUDIENCE. New United States Minister To Spain Received By the Queen Begent. Madrid, June IS. The newly appointed Minuter to Spain, Mr.

Bellamy Storer. was received In a formal audience by the Queen Regent to-day. There were no speeches and only a few cordial phrases were exchanged. Two State carriagea from the royal stable conveyed Mr. Storer from the Hotel de.

Rome to the palace and took blm back to the hotel after the audience. Premier Silvela presented Mr. Storer. There were no crowds about the palace, Mr. 6torers reception being unannounced in order to avoid disagreeable incidents.

The' fact that there were 'no speeches Is no.t surprising, as this is tbs practice when Ministers are received. Speeches are only made In the case of Ambassadors. Nevertheless, the Queen Rgent was very amiable and-complimentary toward Mr. Storer and inquired cordially "concerning the health of President McKlnley. KENTUCKY WRITERS Invited To a Keating At Chalybeate Springe To Form An Or- ganlxation.

eaSBBSBBBBSSSBHSSBB; Nlcbolssvllle. Ky- June ML SpeclaLJ Messrs. 8. M. Duncan, Louis Pllcher.

M. B. Wllholt and Bt. O. have sent circulars to the writers of Kentucky, Inviting them to be present at Chalybeate Springs, eight miles from here.

June 23 and 24. to organise an association of Kentucky- writers of verse, stories or sketches. An Interesting literary programme will be arranged, the authors reading their own productions. Those in attendance will be. entertained by the citizens of the town and county.

A number of writers have already accepted the invitation, and a successful meeting is predicted. 1 r-- 3 NO HELP. Eailroads Must AtoldeBy JULY 1 MARKS THE ADVANCE. KDAarAanio to mrxrarr coax. ABB OTHKB GREEN SUCCEEDS M'CORMICK.

It now seems that nothing can be done to prevent the Kentucky railroads from advancing the rates on coal and all merchandise into LoulsviU July A prominent railroad man. In speaking yesterday of the proposed advanoa-of the rates, said: "Nothing can be done now to check the action of the railroads. They must abide by the' law, and therefore- will advance the rates Into Louisville July The decision of the Court of Ap- peals makes It unlawful for Kentucky railroads to charge, more for short hauls than for long -ones. Any action! the Board of Trade may take will not change the law. The result will be that Kentucky coal mines will not be able I tb compete with the Pittsburg mines, The local trade will be controlled oom-1 pletely by the Ohio river people, and the price of coal will go away up.

There will be a big slump In the earnings of the railroads. In other words, the de cision win work to the Interest of Pitts-' burg and against Louisville and Kentucky." ij ti Handsome 3Cap. The Illinois Central railroad Is send- lng maps of the United States to their-agents for distribution. Maps of Porto Rico and Cuba are also Included. They are geographically correct In every de- tall, and are large enough for the names of cities, rivers, to be seen plainly at a distance of fifteen feet.

The Illinois Central system is depleted by deep red tracings, which show the. branches now being built to the road. The map also shows by comparison of distances the advantages New Or-. leans has over New York as an export: harbor. Telford'a Beport A' meeting of the Louisville Passenger Agents' Association was held yes-, terday afternoon In the B.

and O. W. office. Fourth avenue and Main, street. President R.

8. Brown presid-: ed. The principal business before the; meeting was the receiving of the report of John J. Telford, who was ap-t pointed Joint Ticket Agent by the as-' soclatlon for the Southern Baptist ConV ventlon. The members of the assocla-.

tlon were greatly gratified over the that no complaints concerning tickets were made by any of the visitors. Bates On Iron and SteeL Rates on pig iron, billets and steel wm ww trfwao. au sixty centa- V-ton," car-load basis, -on- ell the inmi lines between-Chioago-and. New Tork and Intermediate points In both dlreo-i tions. This will make the rate 14.60 a ton Instead of $3.90, as at present.

1 The lines south of the Ohio will alsoi advance the rate fifty- oents a ton July 1 Sunday Excnraiona. The Monon will run an excursion to; Louisville to-morrow from Blooming-j ton. and intermediate About 1,000 people are expected to The Big Four will bring equally as; targe a crowd to the city from towns la the Indiana Gaa Belt. 1 XcCormlck's Successor. Mr.

H. Green baa been appointed: City Ticket Agent of the Big Four in Louisville to succeed L. H. MeCormlck, who recently resigned to go with the Southern. Mr.

Green was formerly Cltyt Ticket Agent of the Big Four at Dayton, O. CHANGES ON THE B. AND 0. Many Transportation Officials To Be Shifted July 1. Baltimore, Md June A number of.

Important changes will be made irif the transportation department of the. Baltimore and Ohio railroad, on July The position of General Superintendent of the Trans-Ohio lines, now held by J. M. Graham, will be abolished, and' the Jurisdiction of General- Superintend ent Thomas Fltsgerald will be extended over the main lines from Philadelphia to Chicago, Including Its branches. Mr.

Graham will become Chief Engineer with headquarters at Baltimore, suc ceeding W. T. Manning, who resigned: on March 10, with P. H. Irwin as asslsU nt.

The Jurisdiction of John E. Spurrier, Superintendent of first division end branches, with headquarters at Baltimore, will be extended over the seoond division. F. A. Husted, superintendent or tne middle division, will have the fourth and fifth divisions, wita neaa-: quarters at Urarton.

v. va. n. m. Sheets, of the fourth and fifth division, will be Superintendent of the Chicago terminals.

E. J. English, nuperinienaeni oi tne Chicago division, will have the Ohio; and Midland divisions, with headquarters at Newark. vice J. H.

tJ aaaigned to other duties. F. C. Batchel-dor. of the 8oo line, will be Superintendent of the Chicago division, with headquarters at Garrett, Ind.

Chaa. Galloway, Trainmaster of the first division, will be Aeslatant Superintendent of the first and seoond dlvt- siona, with headquarters at cumoer-land. Died of Paralysis. Horse Cave, Ky, June William It. Willia a prominent farmer of the Bear Wallow vicinity, died of paralysis, aged seventy yesrs.

'Honor is Purchased Deeds We Do." Deeds, not words, count in hsJttles of pece as eU bx was. is not hit jtt Sy td "-xkfs Srss.prCU does, thst iells the sii, Us merit, fus Kuom many remarfubU victories over the arch enemy of mniund -impure btood. Be sure to get Hood's, because i 4' I .1 Ik mm i I 17 i i i i.