Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 October 1889 — A FACTIONAL FIGHT. [ARTICLE]

A FACTIONAL FIGHT.

Another factional fight has occurred in Harl an county, Ky., two hours before daylight Thursday morning. The law and order party, hitherto styled the Turner faction of Harlan county, fifty men in all, armed with Winchester rifles and revolvers, under the leadership of County Judge Lewis, left the Court House and made an assault on the Howard forces, who were in Camp at E. M. Howard’s house, one mile from the town. The engagement was short, sharp and teTriflc, wad not one of me at tacking t party was hurt. But one of

Howard’s side, Millard Dean, was instantly killed, and six others were wounded. - Among the wounded are Burd Spurlock, whose injuries are mortal, and Robert Napier, \yhose recovery is not among the possibilities. Burd Spurlock was shot in the head, almost all of his lower jaw being destroyed by a ball from a Winchester. Napier, a son of George Napier, received two bullets, one of which passed through the abdomen, probably cutting the intestines. Ben Mitchell and George Cole were shot in the legs. Thomas Howard got a flesh wound in the thigh. Jim Spurlock had a close call. A bullet grazed his tern pie, tearing away a handful of hair and a few inches of skin, but not fracturing the skull. Will Jennings was shot in the right hand. The Howard gang were badly demoralized by the attack and its disastrous results, and Tuesday night they changed camp to a point about three miles from the Court House. At Harlan Court-house, Wilson Howard accomplished a sort of coup d’etat Friday. County Judge Lewis and his posse of sixty men left Harlan Court-house at 9 o’clock in the morning, to make another assault on Howard’s camp. Howard, anticipating this movement, had placed his followers in ambush near town. The Lewis posse hassed directly through the ambuscade, and were not fired on. After they had got beyond their foes and were proceeding in the direction of where Howard’s camp was supposed to be, the Howard party moved into town and took possession or the courthouse. They have complete control of the .town, with pickets stationed at allapproaches, and the county judge and his followers have gone into camp outside the town. It is believed that Judge Lewis will endeavor to recapture the oourt-house and a bloody fight is expected.