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OLD TIMERS TELL HOW THREE WERE HANGED
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Pioneers Depict Vivid Memories Of Both Violence And Happiness
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Many a moon has passed since the pioneer days of Harlan county and what the old settlers called "good old days." Some of those people are living today and nothing does the writer enjoy more than spending hours listening to tales of by-gone days. One of the first buildings to be erected here was the court house. Our present day courthouse was the fourth, the first one being situated where Scott's Store now stands. It burned during the Civil War. The second one was made of lumber and almost in the same place as the first one.
The one shown in the picture accompanying this article was the third. The fence and "hitching post" were made from lumber hauled from C.B. Pope's saw mill at Pansy. The county had the fence built to keep the hogs and cows out of the yard.
Old Courthouse Well
Old timers say that a good well about 15 feet from the courthouse supplied half the people with water. Most of the wells here produced sulphur water.
In 1921 when the third courthouse was torn away the brick was still good and intact with the exception of a few bullet holes and the tin roof.
As far as is known there have been only "three hangings" in the county. The first to be hung was said to have been a man by the name of Carr Clem, who was reportedly hung from a chesnut tree on North Main street near Howards Service Station. It was known as "Hangmans Hollow".
The second one was well remembered by several Harlan citizens who were very young at the time. As related by Marion Howard, the two Overton boys and a Scott boy robbed and killed a man and his wife, who were peddling their wares in a wagon near Sampson. One of the Overton boys was killed before being arrested. The Scott boy was given a life sentence and Buford Overton was hung from a scaffold near the site of Kyle Whitehead's home on Mound street. Grant Smith cut the rope according to Marion Howard, who was nearby.
Hung In the Courthouse Yard
The third and last hanging was a Lewis man who was hung from a scaffold in the Courthouse yard. Attorney John Carter, Marion Howard and many otheres were among the spectators. Mr. Carter's vantage view was from the courthouse window. Lewis was accused of killing his father-in-law near Nolansburg as the old man came out to feed his horse one morning. This took place in 1902.
At the time, John A. Ward was sheriff. Old timers say that he asked his deputies for volunteers to cut the rope. None of them relished the job. Only his father, T.S. "Grandaddy" Ward stepped up and offered his assistance but the sheriff spared his father the job. John A. Ward was a husband of the late and widely known "Aunt Sude" Ward, who lived on Cumberland Avenue for so many years.
Huff Presided In Court
County judge W.C. L. Huff presided over many a court in the "good ole' days." He was the father-in law of "Aunt Can" Huff, who still lives on Clover Street. Grant Smith, a big property owner was the sheriff at that time. The circuit judge was a man by the name of Boyd. He presided over courts in Laurel, Knox, Bell, Perry, Letcher and Harlan Counties. He was quite a busy man riding horse back from one county to another, bringing with him the commonwealth attorney whose name was Clark.
Some promising young lawyers who practiced in the early days of Harlan courts were: Henry L. Howard, father of Orville Howard; Pole French, father of Mrs. Dee Hensley; Carlo B. Brittian, father of Mrs. Marion Howard, Judge W.F. Hall, father of Elmer Hall and George B. Skidmore, father of Lizzie Farmer and grandfather of the writer.
Favorite Gathering Place
One of the favorite gathering places of Harlan people was the two-story frame hotel building and general store belonging to Sam C. Howard, father of Marion Howard, situated where the Baughman Insurance Agency now stands.
As Mr. Howard reminisced yesterday
"That building had 26 rooms and 26 fire places and I had to help build the fires every day."
When court set in Mr. Howard related that men came from miles in buck boards and hacks and stayed at his fathers hotel. Traveling men came into town and stayed a couple of weeks at a time.
The long, wide porch with benches was a favorite spot for all those who came to town. Old settlers had a keen eye for strangers and could spot one a mile away. "Uncle" Jim Farmer, father of the late Coroner R.L. Farmer, who was known by his friends as "Red Fox." He walked to town every day from the head of Tway hollow.
His favorite question to strangers was, "Mister, what might your name be?" A stranger wouldn't be in town long until his official business was learned.
On the day of the Overton hanging, the Howard General store did a booming business. As Mr. Howard remembered, it was raining. People came from miles around to witness the event. Every umbrella in the store was sold out and every piece of oil cloth.
Sunday August 24, 1952
Volume 51 No. 200
pages 1 & 8
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