Bridgette Anderson

Randolph McCoy
March 14, 2014
The Hatfield and McCoy feud started in 188 !hen Randolph McCoy accused "loyd
Hatfield of stealing one of his hogs# The feud spiraled into one of the $iggest, %iolent, fa&ily
feuds and in history# Randall McCoy !as $orn in 182', in (i)e County *entuc)y, and died in
(i)e%ille, in 1+14# Three of Randall,s sons )illed a Hatfield &an during a fight in 1882# The
Hatfield-s then shot the McCoy $oys to death as re%enge# Randall McCoy and the children he
had left nearly died in 1888 !hen a group of Hatfield-s tried to $urn his house do!n# Because
of this feud $et!een the t!o fa&ilies, Randall McCoy lost fi%e of his children all together# .A/0
1et!or)s, 2014, 213#
Randolph McCoy spent his childhood in the Tug Ri%er 4alley# That !ater !as the
$oundary $et!een *entuc)y and 5est 4irginia# McCoy !as one of 16 children, $orn on the
*entuc)y side of the %alley# Randolph learned to hunt and far& early on $ecause it !as the
only !ay you could support yourself# Money !asn-t so&ething his fa&ily had a lot of# 7aniel,
Randall,s father, had little interest in !or)# This &ade it a struggle for his &other, Margaret, to
feed, clothe and care for the fa&ily# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014, 223#
7uring the ci%il !ar, McCoy ser%ed as a Confederate soldier# 8t is $elie%ed that he !as
a part of the sa&e local &ilitia as his later ene&y, 5illia& Anderson 97e%il Anse: Hatfield#
Randall,s $rother, Asa Har&on McCoy, fought for the ;nion side, !hile the &a<ority of the
McCoy,s supported the Confederate side# 5hen Asa McCoy returned ho&e, he spent so&e
ti&e hiding out in a ca%e to a%oid his Confederate neigh$ors# 8n 18=', Asa Har&on McCoy
!as shot and )illed# 8t is said that either 7e%il Anse Hatfield or his fello! confederate leader
>i& 4ance, &urdered Asa McCoy# ?o&e people thin) Asa McCoy,s death !as one of the
causes of the Hatfield/McCoy feud# @thers disagree and say that the Hatfield,s !eren,t the
only ones that did not ta)e )indly to Asa,s ;nion acti%ities, the McCoy,s didn,t agree !ith his
choices either# The $ad $lood $et!een the fa&ilies de%eloped &uch later# .A/0 1et!or)s,
2014, 243#
Randall McCoy started his fa&ily in 184+, !hen he &arried his first cousin, ?arah
9?ally: McCoy# After they !ere &arried for a fe! years, ?arah inherited land fro& her father#
They settled and $uilt their ho&e on a 600/acre spread in (i)e County, *entuc)y# Together
they raised siAteen children# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014, 263#
8n 188, Randall McCoy too) "loyd Hatfield, a cousin of 7e%il Anse, to court in
*entuc)y, after accusing hi& of stealing a hog fro& hi&# He intended to reco%er his lost
ani&al# A <ury that eBually represented $oth sides, &ade up of siA Hatfield,s and siA McCoy,s,
!as for&ed $y the local authority# The trial created tensions $et!een the fa&ilies# Bill ?taton,
a cousin to the McCoy,s, testified in support of Hatfield# That !as seen as $etrayal to the
McCoy fa&ily# ?el)ir) McCoy, a <unior in the case, also sided !ith the Hatfield,s# The <ury ruled
in "loyd Hatfield,s fa%or and that !as not o)ay !ith the McCoy,s# The %erdict of this trial only
$rought &ore hatred $et!een the fa&ilies# The pre%ious year, 7e%il Anse had !on a court
$attle against McCoy,s friend and relati%e $y &arriage, (erry Cline# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014,
2=,3# .AC0 Tele%ision 1et!or)s, 2014, 263#
Cline had reportedly cut !ood fro& land that $elonged to Hatfield# The t!o $egan
fighting o%er the ti&$er and too) it to court# The court ruled in Hatfield,s fa%or and forced Cline
to sign o%er so&e of his land# ?a& and (aris McCoy, t!o of Randall,s nephe!s, had a deadly
encounter !ith ?tanton in 1880# 5hile the t!o $oys !ere out hunting, ?taton sa! and shot
(aris dead# ?a& then shot and )illed ?taton# ?a& McCoy !as tried in 5est 4irginia and
ca&e out free# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014, 2+3#
8n the sa&e year, 1880, McCoy, daughter Roseanna &et >ohnse Hatfield, one of 7e%il
Anse,s sons# They &et up at that year,s 0lection 7ay cele$ration $y Blac)$erry Cree),
*entuc)y# 0lection 7ay !as al!ays treated li)e a holiday, full of people gathering to eat, drin)
and socialiDe# Although Randall did not appro%e, his daughter Roseanna and >ohnse ran off
together# They li%ed !ith >ohnse,s fa&ily for a !hile $efore she !ent to li%e !ith an aunt of
hers in *entuc)y, $ecause >ohnse !asn,t going to &arry her# Roseanna had >ohnse, $a$y,
$ut the child didn,t &a)e it %ery long# ?o&e of the McCoy $oys caught >ohnse and Roseanna
together and said they !ere going to ta)e hi& to <ail for &oonshine/related cri&es, $ut
Roseanna $elie%ed they !ere going to )ill hi&# ?he rode out to the Hatfield,s herself to infor&
the& of >ohnse,s capture# The Hatfield,s !ere a$le to free >ohnse after confronting the
McCoy-s# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014, 210, 113# .AC0 Tele%ision 1et!or)s, 2014, 24,'3#
@nly t!o years later, the tension $et!een the fa&ilies had finally $oiled o%er# Eocals,
including the Hatfield,s and McCoy,s, gathered at the polling place in (i)e County *entuc)y
on August , 1882# 1ot far into the night, a fight $ro)e out $et!een Randall,s son Tol$ert and
0llison, 7e%il Anse,s $rother# 0llison !as sta$$ed se%eral ti&es $y Tol$ert# (har&er and
Randolph >r# McCoy helped their $rother )ill 0llison# 0llison also too) a $ullet to the $ac)
during the attac)# The three McCoy $oys !ere arrested# @n their !ay to the <ail, 7e%il Anse
too) the& a!ay fro& the la!&en and headed $ac) to 5est 4irginia !here he !aited for !ord
a$out his $rother 0llison# ?ally, Randall McCoy,s !ife, tra%eled to !here her $oys !ere $eing
)ept to $eg for their li%es# ?he did not persuade the Hatfield,s# @nce 7e%il Anse heard his
$rother had died, hi& and his &en tied the McCoy $oys to so&e pa!pa! $ushes, lined the&
up and then stood in a line the&sel%es, directly in front of the $oys and shot the& to death at
once# An indict&ent against 7e%il Anse and 1+ others !as issued for these )illings, $ut no
one !as !illing to arrest any of the Hatfield,s# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014, 212,163# .AC0 Tele%ision
1et!or)s, 2014, 2=,3#
To our surprise, Randall McCoy didn,t i&&ediately stri)e $ac) at the Hatfield,s for
)illing three of his $oys# (erry Cline !as the neAt to &a)e a &o%e, igniting the %iolence in the
Hatfield/McCoy feud# Cline con%inced the go%ernor of *entuc)y to issue a re!ard for the
capture of 7e%il Anse and the others in%ol%ed in the McCoy &urders# "ran) (hilips led raids
into 5est 4irginia to find the &en# He captured &any of the&, including 4alentine, 7e%il
Anse,s $rother# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014, 2163#
1e! Fear,s 7ay, 1888, >i& 4ance led eight &en to Randall McCoy,s house, including
Cap Hatfield and >ohnse# They decided the only !ay to end the indict&ents against hi& !as
to get rid of the !itnesses# Accidentally, >ohnse fired at the house $efore they !ere ready to
attac) so Randall and his fa&ily $eca&e a!are of !hat !as going on# Both sides eAchanged
gunfire $efore 4ance lit the house on fire# Alifair, McCoy,s daughter, !as shot to death as she
tried to lea%e the house# ?ally, his !ife, !as $adly in<ured as she tried to co&fort Alifair#
Cal%in, Randall,s son, !as also )illed# Randall !as a$le to escape fro& the $urning house
and hide# Adelaide and "anny, t!o of McCoy,s daughters, also sur%i%ed# 0llison !as
sentenced to death $y hanging for the &urder of Alifair McCoy# 4alentine and eight other &en
!ere tried that year for the McCoy $oys, &urders# All !ere found guilty and sentenced to life
in prison# Randall McCoy tried to gather people together to get so&e <ustice of his o!n, $ut
couldn,t get enough support to pull it off# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014, 2143#
@nce the trials !ere o%er Randall li%ed a &ore Buiet life in *entuc)y# He spent is ti&e
operating a ferry in (i)e%ille# Randall fell into a coo)ing fire in 1+14 and died fro& the in<uries#
Both Hatfield and McCoy are household na&es today# Their fa&ily feud has $een told o%er
and o%er again through $oo)s, tele%ision series and e%en a &usical# .A/0 1et!or)s, 2014,
21=3# 8n 2012, the Hatfield-s and McCoy-s $oth recei%ed fi%e 0&&y A!ards# *e%in Costner
!on @utstanding Eead Actor in a Miniseries or a Mo%ie, along !ith To& Berenger# 8n 2016,
Costner also !on a Golden Glo$e for Best (erfor&ance $y an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion
(icture Made for Tele%ision# .AC0 Tele%ision 1et!or)s, 2014, 263#
References
A/0 1et!or)s# .20143# Randall McCoy Biography# Biography. Retrie%ed March 10, 2014# "ro&
httpHII!!!#$iography#co&IpeopleIrandall/&ccoy/208248+1JpageK6
AC0 Tele%ision 1et!or)s# .20143# A$out the ?eries# History# Retrie%ed March 14, 2014# "ro&
httpHII!!!#history#co&Isho!sIhatfields/and/&ccoysIa$out
AC0 Tele%ision 1et!or)s# .20143# The Hatfield and McCoy "eud# History. Retrie%ed March 14,
2014# "ro& h ttpHII!!!#history#co&Isho!sIhatfields/and/&ccoysIarticlesIthe/hatfield/
&ccoy/feud