The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, June 01, 1911, Page 2, Image 2
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MOUNTAIN GIRLS SHOT TO KILL.
'
Daughters of Kentucky Moonshiner
Defeated a Revenue Posse.
& ?When
the circuit court convenes
in June to hear the pleadings of such
offenders agaipst the law of the sovereign
State of Kentucky as Pike
county has produced 'tween sessions,
two girls from the mountains will be
put on trial for murder. They are
Fannie Tackitt. aged 15, and Bettie
Tackitt, aged 18?sisters.
Sl-v '
A new-made mound in the burying
, . ; I
<. ground back of town marks the
place where lies the body of Charles
Smith?Charlie, the deputy marshal?a
bullet still embedded in the
muscles of his heart. The sisters
> are charged with killing him. One
or both may admit it, which is different
from confessing, and one or
j? both will tell the story of a tragedy
such as even Pike county, schooled
I alike to civic and official quick trigger,
has not seen since the last
feudist slid from his horse in the
jv shadows and died like a snake in
the first warmth of the dawn.
There's no harm in being strictly
fair to the Tackitts. Revenue nostrils
"which catch the scent of stewing
mash, even as a cow finds a saltlick,
discovered a still on the side
hill in which corn was being converted
into whiskey in violation of at
least seven pages of government statutes,
and of course it had to be raided.
The job was assigned to Deputy.
Marshal J. Mart Potter, who picked
Levi Smallwood and Charlie
Smith for such moral support and
physical participation as the occasion
might require a?trio of men with
nerve. They crept up the gulch
while the scrub oaks and walnuts
were still dripping with dew, and
came to a mountainside clearing at
midday.
"Uncle George" Tackitt, head of
the family, was away from home?
unimportant where. Charlie Tackitt,
who learned how to coil a worm for
a still and vaporize spirits before he
could bound Kentucky, was carrying
!"water from the spring, and in the
direction of the mashtuh. Mother
Tackitt was in the kitchen. Fannie
sat in a swing screeching a song
about some one who loves me ever
true, and Betty was busy working
a yellow cupid on a red tidy on the
porch.
In an instant this domestic scene
shifted. Charlie Tackitt, down in
the gulch, cried, "They're coming!"
and the three revenue men emerged
from the roadside brush. Two of
them grappled with young Tackitt,
trho at 20 was as strong as a bull,
aird as unmoved by fear as the
mountain pines. . Three to one is
losing odds, and the nippers were
Ife. snapped on Tackitt's wrists.
KlSf' Smallwood and Smith ran around
i|? * to the rear of the house, expecting to
R*capture Uncle George. They came
face to. face with Mother Tackitt,
/who was carrying an armful of
stove-size wood in from the shed.
They laid hand on her and she deRrfc
fended herself well and ably with a
?1^ fillet. Much occurs in an incredibly
short time on occasions of this kind
Bp|>~-action is swift, intermission brief.
There was a pistol shot and Mother
J Tackitt's gray hair became crimson.
A bullet had coursed along her
glv-4 temple, just breaking the skin- Then
another bored its way into her shoul^er,
and she sank on the threshold.
ferS/'v The next puff of smoke came from
a rifle, the muzzle of which showed
> under the kitchen window sash.
Fannie Tackitts finger pressed the
trigger. The bullet opened an airhole
in the crown of Deputy Smallp3?
wood's hat one inch above his thinking
machinery, which he ducked
naturally, knowing the revenue
p;- method.
fp - Charlie Tackitt had been thrown
on the grass by the deputies after
5*;.^ he had been handcuffed. They exfe
footed him to lie there, but he didn't.
As the conflict became warmer the
Rfiifci . ror>n(rni7inc in him fl nnn
Kf- " ?vvv0ulu.u0 ~ - ?
combatant, massed for the larger
p^v struggle. Then Charlie crawled to
W' & protected place behind a rock
p where he could make signs to his
J fighting party.
Two shots cut finger-size holes in
the window pane, and Small wood
backing away toward a tree, was reg?.'
loading when a bullet from another
%< - window entered his left arm, which
0supported his rifle. He knotted his
ife- handkerchief above the wound and
0 . returned the fire,
gv Mother Tackitt was at this moment
fer. at the back door yelling for help.
?0; Charlie pointed with double fingers
in the direction where a good aim
would count. Deputy Smith was the
|,J; target. Bettie Tackitt now took her
place at the porthole in the fortress,
armed with a late model shotgun.
She fired at Deputy Smith, but the
window falling threw the gun out
of line and the shot simply riddled
- his loose blouse.
Mother Tackitt had by this time
S5*
crawled into the house. Her hand
g?.; was gashed in a half dozen places.
Marshal Smith had beaten her with
the butt of his revolver, she moaned.
There was no time to dress her
wounds, no time to carry her to bed.
She lay upon the floor, feebly trying
ft:
>'
%
:
;
to stop the flow of blood with the
crumpled folds of her apron. And
the fight went on.
All three of the deputies now had
positions affording some protection.
.Marshal Potter was at the edge of
the winter cut of cordwood, Smith
with a tree between him and danger,
and Smallwood, from a point to the
left, blazed away over a stump.
There's no earthly use of being a
mountaineer if you haven't guns
< onlontv on/1 nn nee Viavin <r mina with
a^l^UVJ UUU UV UWV UUT AitQ QU&.U TT 4VM
out amuuition. Pike county knows
this rule, too. Three shots to the
minute was the average of fire from
both sides. Smallwood was not in
good shape, the deep wound in his
arm trickling blood at his finger
tips each time he raised his gun.
Growing bitter as the fight advanced,
Bettie Tackitt threw open
the door to the end that her aim
might be direct. A bullet from
without passed over and plunked into
the cupboard. Bettie's gun was at
her shoulder in an instant. Before
Cmollu'ftrtd oniil/1 lnwpr his wP/innn
tjxiiun n v/v/u vvv44u *v i? v* ?v
she pressed the trigger. The shot
j went true. It tore the finger from
j the hand that held the gun. A man
! twice shot has the status of a dead
man. so far as warfare effectiveness
| is concerned. So Smallwood's rifle
became silent and the fight was now
two to two?men against vzomen?
and one wounded on each side, a man
and a woman.
And so, for a full half hour, shots
from the open were answered^ by
shot from the house. Marshal Smith
was inclined to belittle the bravery
of the mountainside garrison. He
wanted to take it by storm. Creeping
out from his sheltered spot he
advanced with gun muzzle moving
like a side-playing pendulum to cover
both windows. He saw a.girl at one
window and momentarily forgot the
other. A spit of fire was the answer.
n .*11. J J J ?
ohiiin uiupyeu emu ucvci muvcu.
Marshal Mart Pott didn't wait for
that. He hurried down the gulch
and the fight was over. Later in the
day when the shadows had settled
on the mountain, he came back for
Charlie Smith, who was lying openeyed
and unconscious where he had
fallen. Potter dragged him on a pine
bough along the bank of the laugh*ing
brook and into valley civilization.
The country doctor did what he could
for Smith, which was nothing at all.
The rifle bullet had cut into the
muscles of his .heart and there was
no hoDe and no need of drugs or
advice. The riddled heart pumped
on slower and slower for four days,
and stopped happily on Sunday.
Mountain folks have an abiding
hatred for "revenues" and, strange to
say, a sort of respect for peace officers
of a county's choosing. Deputy
Sheriff Osborne and a posse went later
on to the Tackitt home. Charlie
Tackitt was not there. A sharp file
had cut the steel bands that held his
wrists together and he had become a
fugitive. But the girls were there and
ready to give themselves up. They
were taken to Pikeville and arraigned
before County Judge Fud. The town
and country side turned out to see
them; some to applaud, none to condemn;
for Pike county admires
bravery and has rude respect for
women.
The girls were bound in bonds of
|2,000 each for appearance at court.
Freeholders stood ready to become
surety for them. The girls rode out
of town through thin lines of interested
folks and back to their home
hanging on tbe cliTside.
Fanine, whose sixteenth birthday
wJ'il /\ an Tnn a 1 O tttliiln ehn icj
win tuiiic v/u u uu^ i ^ | n ung ouv io
on trial for her life, is a mere child,
buoyant and happy. She doesn't quite
understand how the law views what
she is accused of doing. Possibly she
doesn't care.
"I don't suppose any one could
much blame us for what we did," she
said, sitting in the swing and with
little toe kicks swaying back and
forth. "We fought for our poor old
mother, who is lying in the house
now and we fought bravely, as girls
for their mothers should under the
circumstances. The revenues treated
her brutally. They beat her. Think
of it! They beat a poor old woman!
Why don't the revenues deal
with men? We want to live under
the law, like other people, but if the
law puts us in prison I don't know
what we might do next."
And these things she said as a
girl might say them?innocently and
without boldness or bravado. i
"Because I could shoot and shoot
to the spot," she continued as she led 1
the way to the house, "I lost no time.
Some one had to come to mother's (
rescue. I was nearest. We killed
+"ho rkffi^Q-r that tj-o rirm't H onv Wo
will outlive and outgrow the charge
that the Tackitt girls are murderers."
The elder girl was spreading the
table for \ dinner, and your correspondent
was asked to sit by. He did,
with a girl at either elbow. The meal
was plain, well cooked, well served.
After dinner the girls went into the
open and the photographer posed
them just as they were in simple
frocks.
Marshal Potter says he was lucky
to escape with his life at the mountain
fight.
"I escaped without a scratch," he
said, "but shots flew thick and fast
FIRE IN SPARTANBURG.
Tremendous Detonation Ascribed to
Dynamite.?Aged Negress Rescued.
Spartanburg, May 26.?Fire of unknown
origin completely destroyed
eight frame houses, tenanted by negroes,
on Ridge and Vernon streets,
near Spartan Mills, in an unsually
short time late this afternoon. The
total loss is about $4,000. Seven of
the houses were owned by J. I. Green,
recently a candidate for alderman in
Ward 5, who lives nearby, and the
eighth was owned by Tom Nesbitt, an
old negro. Mr. Green said his loss
was about $3,500, and he carried only
a small amount of insurance.
While the fire was in progress
there was a terrific explosion in one
of the blazing houses, the home of
Oliver Young, the roof of the structure
was blown off, and huge pieces
of scantling and burning brands were
hurled high into the air. The noise
was deafening and the tremor of the
earth could be felt distinctly several
hundred yards away. Fortunately,
there was nobody near the house,
else there would have been some injured.
The firemen were approaching
with a hose at the time, but were
75 feet away.
There was much mystery for a
while as to what caused the explosion.
Some one recalled, however,
that Oliver Young had been employed
by the city in work on the rock quarry,'
and it was supposed that he had
taken home with him one or more
sticks of dynamite used in blasting
He could not be found to verify the
supposition.
Another exciting feature of the
fire was the rescue of Tom Nesbitt's
wife, an old woman, who h'as been
sick in bed since before Christmas.
The flames had reached her home
and were making rapid headway ^before
any one thought to rescue her.
She was unable to help herself and
had become almost frantic. She was
lifted up by colored men and carried
to the home of Eva Porter, a colored
woman, who lives not far away. It
was said that the shock would probably
prove fatal to the Nesbitt woman,
as she had been very low before
the fire.
While the fire was raging there
was a fist fight between spectators,
which, while of short duration, was
interesting while it lasted.
Cholera and Immigration.
During the year 1910, cholera attacked
214,000 persons in Russia,
with a mortality of 46 per cent, and
claimed 5,000 victims in Turkey.
There was an epidemic of cholera in
Naples, and four cases were reported
from Marseilles. In general the
disease continued to advance westward,
and there is no hope that it
will be extinguished in all of the
nln AAD ITrVl A%?/\ if AVIflf A/1 O f f ll A
pjuauco wucic? it CAiDiy;u at tiiT7 ucginning
of the present winter. In
a communication to the Paris Academy
of Medicine, Drs. Chauteruesse
and Borel cite several facts which
prove that cholera can be carried in
a latent form and demonstrate the
important part played by immigration
in the propagation of the disease.
Germs of cholera have been
found in persons 30 days after their
departure from an infected district.
?Scientific American.
A Terrible Blunder
to neglect liver trouble. Never do It.
Take Dr. King's New Life Pills on
the fifst sign of constipation, biliousness
or inactive bowels and prevent
virulent indigestion, jaundice or gall
stones. They regulate liver, stomach
and bowels and build up your
health. Only 25c. at Peoples Drug
Co., Bamberg, S. C.
The Herald has received an invitation
to the commencement exercises
of Winthrop College, , at Rock Hill,
to take place June 4th, 5th, and 6th.
Dr. S. A. Steele will make the address
to the graduating class. Ninety-three
young ladies will graduate
there this year.
around my head, and more than once
it seemed that I would have to retreat.
However, after my best man,
Charlie Smith, was shot down I
thought it best to get out. I did so,
and after everything calmed down I
- * * - 1 H - J 3
went baca ana carriea me wouuueu
man to the home of a physician and
had his wounds dressed. Smallwood
was hurt hut little. Charlie Tackitt
escaped, and I have not heard from
him since. The Tackitt girls are certainly
brave."
J. Mart Potter is considered one
of the bravest officers in the South.
For seven years he has been in the
services of Uncle Sam, ana more tnan
twice he has shot off moonshiners
who fired upon him. To-day he is
baffled at the thought of Kentucky's
brave girlhood; of having to fight
them in battle as he did the Tackitt
girls?and yet he says, like almost
every one else he admires the bravery
of the Tackitt sisters.
"I will never stand and fight them
again," said Potter to your correspondent.
He means it, too. It is
said that Uncle Sam will offer a lib-!
eral reward for the arrest of Charlie
Tackitt, brother of the Tackitt sisters,
who is yet at large. Potter
says he will not want the reward.
?i.? I I I
SURVEY STARTS SOON.
Will Spend About $3,000.?-Specifications
Rigid as to Mules.
As it is now only a very short time
before the surveying party will be
in the city to begin the work of surveying
the Edisto river preparatory
to opening the stream to navigation,
arrangements are now being made
to purchase the necessary supplies
and equipment which will be used
by the party. All of the supplies
which can possibly be purchased in
this city will be bought here, and
it is stated that the amount which
will be expened in this equipment
will be between ?3,5U0 and ?b,uuu.
A letter has just been received
from the department by Mr. W. L.
Glover, of this city, asking that specifications
be placed in the hands of
live stock dealers, and all others who
may desire to sell mules, the specifications,
which' must be complied
with in the purchasing of the mules
which will be used on this trip. It
is announced that the specifications
will be strictly followed in the pur-j
chase of the two animals which will
be purchased for this trip.
The bids will be opened at noon
on May 27, and all bidders will be
held strictly to all requirements.
The specifications for the mules
are as follows:
"The mules to be between five
and seven years old; not less than
fourteen and one-half hands high,
and to weigh about eleven hundred
pounds; to be short coupled and
stocky in build; free from any defect
of sight, and sound in wind and
limb, and guaranteed to work both
in double and single harness; to be
sufficiently gentle to be handled
without exercise of extraordinary
care, and with no vicious habits that
will impair good service.
"Bidders will give a full description
of the animals bid upon and
state where they may be seen.
"The mules selected will be subject
to a rigid * inspection and trial
in double harness before accepted by
a representative of this office."
The other supplies Which will be
purchased for this party will be subject
to as rigid examination before
they will be purchased.
There will be three parties; one
on each bank and the third party on
the river.?Orangeburg Evening
News.
Lightning Kills Few.
in iyot) ligntning Kinea oniy it>ir
people in this whole country. One's
chances of death by lightning are less
than two in a million. The chance
of death from liver, kidney or stomach
trouble is vastly greater, but not
if Electric Bitters be used, as Robert
Madsen, of West Burlington, la.,
proved. Four doctors gave him up
after eight months of suffering from
virulent liver trouble and yellow
jaundice. He was then completely
cured by Elecetric Bitters. They're
the best stomach, liver, nerve and
kidney remedy and blood purifier on
earth. Only 50c. at Peoples Drug
Co., Bamberg, S. C.
Negro Insults Girl.
Dillon, May 25.?Squads of men
were out all of Monday night looking
for a 20-year-old negro youth who
made improper proposals to a 15.
year-old child on the streets of Latta
Monday morning. The child was on
her way to the graded school where
she was to rehearse her part in the
closing exercises of the school when
she was met by the negro. She was
in an isolated part of the town where
there are very few pedestrians and
the negro took advantage of the situation
and made indecent proposals
to her. The child was badly frightened
and hastened home and told her
parents of the incident. A posse
was organized and search was instituted,
but realizing the enormity of
his offense the brute had left town,
going in the direction of Sellers. His
pursuers followed him to Sellers
where all track of the fugitive was
lost. The negro did not lay hands
upon the child, but his conduct was
so full of brutal significance that the
child, although quite young, did not
fail to comprehend his meaning.
Some members of the searching party
were in Dillon early Tuesday
morning. It is thought that the negro
is in hiding somewhere in the
county, probably in a swamp and the
search will not be abandoned until
he is caught.
Deafness Cannot be Cured
by local applications, as they cannot
reach the diseased portion of the
! ear. There is only one way to cure
deafness, and that is by constitutional
remedies. Deafness is caused
by an inflamed condition of the mucous
lining of the eustachian tube.
When this tube is inflamed you have
a rumbling sound or imperfect hear!
ing, and when it is entirely closed,
ic tho result and unless the
iW VAAV A VM ? I
inflamation can be taken out and this
tube restored to its normal condition,
hearing will be destroyed forever;
nine cases out of ten are caused by
catarrh, which is nothing but an inflamed
condition of the mucous surfaces.
We will give one hundred dollars
for any case of deafness (caused by
catarrh) that cannot be cured by
Hall's Catarrh Cure. Send for circulars,
free.
F. J. CHENEY & Co., Toledo, O.
Sold by all druggists, 75c.
Take Hall's Family Pills for constipation.
.
[ "MONEY IN THE BANK" 1 1
' It's a sort of a passport to a man's reliability in the busi- J H
ness world?it commands the respect and confidence of the busi- I \ ' H
ness men of any community. Start an account to-day. Put your I ^
I money in our bank and check it out when needed. Spend less I I
and save more?that's the secret of getting ahead of the world. I I
I We pay 4 per cent, interest, compounded quarterly, in our sav- I 1
9 ings department, and we are just as careful with the affairs of I
9 the small as with the large depositor. I
^PEOPLESBAN^^^^^^^B^berg^^J' |jj
|'o W N' AN' A UTOBO BILE! j
* I have for sale, at nrices that 'will as- * .1
i tonish you, two second-hand rebuilt auto- 1
?? mobiles which are just as good as the day 9- '
* they came from tne factory, one model '??
?| "S" two-passenger Ford, and one four- !
?$ passenger Buick touring car. Come and -??
4 let me show you what bargains they are. fli
}j. B. BRICKLEC 11
ii We have been in business in Bamberg for a num- j
i| ber of years, and it is a matter of pride that the j
Ii number of our satisfied customers "has increased ! ;
|| each year. Are you one of them? If not, it will [
|| not be amiss to see us when in need of first-class s
X HORSES AND MULES
^ Wn Vioxta ctAnt nn tionrl a+. all fimps anH TriAlrA A 1
If ? V/ UUlf V WVVWA VU UMIIIU WV MU >???*? mwir w MB* < yJ??- r"*T?S
specialty of fine driving horses. Our animals | '
please, for they are selected with great care, be- >
sides we know what animals will suit our people, j -11^
We also carry a nice line of i
BUGGIES, WAGONS, HARNESS ! |9
and in fact anything in the live stock and vehicle j
line. Our vehicles are of the very best makes, and [ [
give satisfaction to the user. Come and see us. ||
JONES BROS., '
BAMBERG. .. SOUTH CAROLINA. |
MciffiUN
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