- Historic Sites 1882 One Hundred Years Ago August/September
1982 | Volume 33, Issue 5 Ellison, fearfully wounded, was borne
away. When word reached Anse Hatf ield, head of the West
Virginia clan and to one contemporary “six feet of devil and 180
pounds of hell,” he and his kin rounded up the three McCoys and
held them prisoner. Two days later Ellison died; the Hatfields
brought the three boys to within sight of one of the McCoy’s
cabins, tied them to papaw bushes, and pumped fifty rifle
bullets into them. The state of Kentucky posted big rewards for
the capture of the murderers, but the Hatfields stood together
and sent packing the hopeful detectives down from Chicago. The
McCoys were persistent. The violence continued. On New Year’s
Day of 1888, nine Hatfields crossed the West Virginia line into
Kentucky and laid siege to Randolph McCoy’s cabin. After an
hour’s battle, the building took fire. Alifair McCoy stepped
outside to douse the flames, confident the Hatfields wouldn’t
harm a woman. They shot her 107