Mining Accident Claims 3 Submitted by Charlene Davenport
TWO-AUTO COLLISION 1964
THE SIZEMORE TRIAL
THE HERALD,
Rogersville, Tennessee Volume VI, Number 30Wednesday, 3 February, 1892
Free Online Searches of Floyd Co Times Index Available Here
Article and Picture of Dr Mark Dempsey of Garrett Ky
Article and Picture of Coach Denzil "Hoss" Halbert
1944 Martinian - The Martin School Newspaper
10-3-1930 , Floyd Co Times
BRANHAM CAPTURED IN W.VA., LAST
WEEK
*************************
Paul
Branham was returned here from Logan, W.Va., Saturday night by
Deputy
Sheriff M.T. Stumbo, and wil be given trial in the Floyd circuit
court on a
charge of fornication. He was arrested by Logan county
authorities,
who wired the sheriff's office here last week, stating that
he had waived
extradition.
MEMBERSHIP
SOUGHT
Ben Weichman, golf pro at the Bellefonte Country Club,
Ashland, was
here over the week-end in conference with those interested in
the Beaver
Valley Golf and Country Club, and on Monday visited the scene of
the
proposed course.
Mr. Weichman laid out a
nine-hole course on the property which has
been leased from the Beaver Creek
Consolidated Coal Company on Right
Beaver Creek, a short distance above
Allen. After going over the
location, Mr. Weichman said that this
property assured golfers in this
section a beautiful, spacious corse.
This course is planned to serve golfers from Beaver
Creek, Pikeville
and Prestonsburg and intervening points. All persons
interested in the
movement are being urged to oin the club immediately while
the charter
membership fee of $25 is available to them. Later, the fee
will be
greater.
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12-12-1930 , Floyd Co Times
ENTERTAIN TO BRIDGE, HONORING MISS
WHITE
Mrs. F.H. Sowards, Mrs. F.L. Heinze and
Mrs. W.C. Rimmer entertained
with a surprise bridge party Wednesday
evening at the home of Mrs. N.M.
White in honor of Miss
Ella Noel White's birthday.
Eight tables were in play.
Mrs. T.J. May was the fortunate winner of
high score prize and Mrs.
John W. Hensley, low score.
Dainty refreshments were served to
about forty guests. Miss White was
the recipient of many lovely
gifts.
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1-9-1931, Floyd Co Times
ARSON SUSPECTED, WOMEN ARRESTED
Coal Company Building at Gearheart Burned Thursday; Loss, $5,000
The residence owned by the Elk Horn Coal Corporation at Gearheart,
Left Beaver Ceek, and leased by Doug Hayes was destroyed by fire
Thursday afternoon, January 1, and three women were in the Floyd county
jail here Monday morning to await the grand jury's investigation of
alleged meandiarism.
Mrs. Roxie Jones, widow of the late
Frank Jones, who was shot and
killed in the home a few months ago,
her daughter, Thelma Jones, and
Dollie Justce are the women
who are held in jail here.
The Jones family it was said Monday by
Mr. Hays, had moved their
household effects from the building, and
Lovell Hays had but moved his
furniture into the home, when the fire
was discoverd in three different
parts of the house. All contents of
the structure were lost in the
flames.
The building was erected
by the late W.F. Hite. Total loss is
estimated by Mr. Hays
at $5,000.
*********************************************************************************
1-30-1931, Floyd Co Times
LEFT BEAVER CREEK WOMAN SLAYS HUSBAND ; CLAIMS HE ATTEMPTED TO
HANG HER
Mrs Tiny Smith, 34 yrs old ,
shot and instantly killed her husband, John Smith, 35, late Sunday night
at their home on Abner Fork, this county, when , she alleged, he attempted to
hang her
According to Mrs Smiths story ,
as related here by persons acquainted with the killing, her husband was drunk
and attempted to hang her by looping his belt around her neck. Throwing him upon
the bed she seized a .30 caliber Luger pistol and shot him through the heart .
The couple was alone in the home, it is said .
Mrs Smith was arrested following the shooting , but had not
been brought here Thursday. Mr and Mrs Smith had been married abt five
years, it is said and are portrayed as never having had previous trouble. The
wife is the daughter of Daniel R. Johnson. The victims ancestors are not
known Photo
of Tiny Smith and First Husband , James Johnson
Photo of Tiny &
Mother at Tiny's Funeral.
MRS COLLINS TYPHOID VICTIM ON JANUARY
9
Mrs B.F. Collins , 28 yr old , died Monday ,
January 19, at the Beaver Valley Hospital in Martin after a illness of two weeks
with typhoid.
Mrs Collins is survived by her husband, two small sons
and her father , James G Castle of Paintsville . The body was prepared
for burial by G.D. Ryan, Martin and was shipped to Paintsville for
internment
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2-21-1931 , Floyd
Co Times
RAIDERS CAPTURE 9
MEN, CONFISCATE CARS
A raiding party consisting of
Federal Agent W.E. Trimble,three
special agents, Sheriff B.L. Stumbo
and Deputy Sheriff M.T. Stumbo
captured nine men and confiscated three
automobiles when they found
whiskey or home brew in the possession of the
men Saturday afternoon at
various points in this county.
Arrests mad were:
Frank
Blackburn, two miles above here, two gallons of liquor: Ricey
Matney, near Emma 6 1/2 gallons of home brew and one pint of liquor:
Oscar Boyd, Mud Creek, car confiscated, 4 1/2 gallons of liquor:
John P.
Prater, Henry Stapleton and ? Vanhoose, of
Paintsville, taken on Mud
Creek, car confiscated with six gallons of
liquor: George Roberts, of
Ohio, car confiscated on Mud Creek,10
gallons of liquor: R.C. Thompson,
Lexington, ? Gallons of liquor,
taken on Mud Creek: two gallons of
liquor taken from a smokehouse at the
home of Emmett Hall, Mud Creek,
Hall not arrested.
The prisoners were taken to Paintsville, where they
executed $500
bond each before the United States Commissioner.
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2-27-1931, Floyd Co Times
Mrs. Polly Johnson Dies In
Cattlesburg
Mrs. Polly Johnson, 66 years
old, who was widely related through
Floyd, Johnson and Magoffin counties
died Friday of last week in
Cattlesburg. The Times learned
Tuesday. Funeral services were
conducted Sunday afternoon from the
Christian Church, Cattlesburg, with
the pastor, Reverend Bass in
charge. Burial was made in Cattlesburg
cemetery.
Mrs.
Johnson moved to Cattlesburg from Paintsville 14 years ago. She
had been a lifelong member of the Christian Church and was loved by all
who knew her. She was the mother of six children, all of whom survive:
Ben, Tampa, Fla; George, Cattlesburg; Sonny, White's Creek,
W.Va; Mrs.
Bennie Perdue, Charleston, W.Va.; Mrs. Denver
Musser, Covington, Ky.;
and Mrs. Herbert Skaggs, Cattlesburg.
Among those from this section who attended the funeral were: Mr.
and
Mrs. R.C. Minix, Paintsville; Mr. and Mrs. T.J. May,
Prestonsburg; Mr.
and Mrs. Bill Patrick, Clarence Arnett, and Miss Thelma
Arnett,
Salyersville.
****************************************************************************
5-22-1931, Floyd Co Times
Betsy Layne Woman Is Victim Of
Typhoid
Mrs. Beatrice Byrd Johnson 17
years old, wife of Harry T, Johnson of
Betsy Layne died in Pikeville
Sunday May 10, a victim of typhoid, she
had been in a month.
Mrs.
Johnson was the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Archibald Byrd, of
Concord
Tennessee. She came to this county only a few weeks before
being
stricken with her final illness. She was a devout member of the
Baptist Church.
Surviving her are her mother, her husband, three
brothers and one
sister. The body was taken to Concord, Tenn. for
burial in the family
cemetery.
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6-26-1931 ,
Floyd Co Times
REBEKAH LODGE AT MARTIN
INSTITUTED
Dawn of Peace Rebekah Lodge
No. 12 was instituted at Martin Friday
night June 13, with 15 enrolled as
members. The following were
installed as officers of the lodge:
Mrs. W.L. Stumbo, noble grand: Mrs. Ella G.
West, vice-grand: Miss
Daily Stamper, secretary: Mrs.
M.H. Belcher, treasurer: Mrs. Eddie
Stamper, chaplain:
Ethel Tilton, past noble grand: D.D. Collins, Deputy.
Following the installation of the officers, the degree
team of
Miriam lodge, Prestonsburg, exemplitied the ritualistic work of the
orer. A social hour was enjoyed later, members of the order and guests
being regaled by delicious refreshments, arranged for by Dr. Stumbo
and
consisting of sandwiches, lemonade, cantaloupes, watermelon and soft
drinks.
TO REPAIR BRIDGE
Contract was let a few days ago to Garfield Music
for repair of the
bridge connecting the Garfield Addition and the main
portion of
Prestonsburg, it was said this week. Thus motorists will be
enabled to
reach or depart from Prestonsburg without being forced to follow
the
dust-coated back portions of town which, in wet weather, would be almost
untraversable.
NUPTIALS OF MISS WEDDINGTON AND MR. SMITH
SOLEMNIZED
The marriage of Miss Mildred
Weddington and Mr. Caddo P. Smith,
popular members of Prestonsburg's
younger set, was beautifully
solemnized on Sunday morning at 8:30 o'clock at
the home of the
officiatingminister,the Rev. J.M. Helm, pastor of the
M.E. Church,
South, here. Attendants were Miss Ruth Weddington,
sister of the ride,
and James Morell, Jr., intimate friend of
Mr.Smith.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. C.B. Weddington, prominent
residents of this place, and is a ver
attractive girl. She was
graduated with the class of '31 from
Prestonsburg high school, where she
was quite popular.
Mr. Smith is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Todd
Smith, of ?, W.Va., former
residents of Prestnsburg and is well and
favorably known in this
section. He is a former student of
Prestonsburg high school, and at
present holds a responsible position here
with the Great Atlantic and
Pacific Tea Company.
Mr.
and Mrs. Smith are a deserving young couple, and have the best
wishes of a
host of friends. They will reside here it is announced.
TO OCCUPY LOCAL PULPIT
Dr. K.L. Rudolph will preach from the pulpit of
the M.E. Church,
South, at both morning and evening services. Sunday,
it is announced.
Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Francis
and two sons, Robert Day and Fred,
attended the 101 Ranch
show, and also remained for the Shriner's meeting
on Friday, which is held
annually in Ashland.
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8-28-1931 , Floyd Co Times
ADAMS MAY DIE, RESULT OF
BLOW
Hallas Isaacs His
Assailant, Arrested But Released Under 1,000 Bond
Dewey Adams is in the Methodist hospital, Pkeville, in a serious
condition as the result of a skull fracture sustained Sunday on Jack's
Creek when struck on the head with a Winchester rifle, said to have been
wielded by Hallas Isaacs, Jack's Creek youth. A report
Wednesday said
that Adams was not expected to recover.
Isaacs was brought to Prestonsburg Wednesday by John
H. Hall. After
waiving examining trial, he was admitted to bond of
1,000, and will face
indictment by the grand jury at the September termof
court.
According to Isaacs,he struck Adams only after
Adams and two others
had attacked him. Another version of the affair
says, however, that he
wielded the gun without provocation.
*******************************************************************
9-11-1931 , Floyd Co Times
FLOYD REPUBLICANS PROPOSE
MOTORCADE
A large number of Floyd county
Republicans met in the county court
room at the courthouse in Prestonsburg
on Tuesday, September 8, for the
purpose of perfecting an organization for
the coming Fall campaign.
The following were appointed as a committee
to arrange the details for
a motorcade from Floyd and other Big Sandy
counties to Hazard on
Saturday, September 19, when Republicans will open
their campaign for
governor and other state offices: T.H. Dingus,
chairman; W.B. Boyd,
secretary; J.B. Clarke and T.J.
Fitzpatrick.
It was predicted that at least 100 cars from Floyd
would join the
procession to Hazard.
***********************************************************************
9-18-1931 , Floyd Co Times
FLOYD BOYS STATE FAIR RATING
HIGH
A telegram received Wednesday by The Times rom
County Agent S.L.
Isbell, who, with his poultry judgng team, is at the state
fair in
Louisville states that the Floyd team, competing with 15 other
teams,
placed sixth in the state and that Astor Akers won second
place and Joe
Jarrell 13th in the individual scoring in which
45 competed.
This fine record is maintaining the high standard of
abilty shown by
Mr. Isbell's demonstration team at Junior Week in
Lexington and by his
4-H club members at the district club camp at Carter
Caves.
RED CROSS ITEMS
The Red Cross stands for all the people. In its disaster relief
work,
it aids sufferers on a bais of actual needs, so that it is the
sufferer
who lacks personal resources fo recovery who is helped back to
normal
life.
The aid given last winter to the drouth victims
illustrates the method
and spirit of the Red Cross. Its only aim is
the good of humanity. We
are hoping that the county roll call will
expand the scope of human
usefulness by an enlarged membership.
RED CROSS ITEMS
All persons interested in the Red Cross work are most cordially
invited to attend the regional conference in Paintsville next Monday,
Sept. 21, their school life and neves loses. ? by Friday if it will be
possible for you to attend. Sessions will be held in the Mayo Memorial
Church.
The roll call drive is set for October 1 to 15. The distrct
chairmen
have been appointed throughout the county and a good piece of work
is
expected. So when approached be ready to respond liberally.
A.J. Davidson is quite ill at the home of his nephew, J. M.
Davidson
here. He returned last week from a visit with relatives
in West
Liberty.
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1-29-1932, Floyd Co Times
NEWSOM GIVEN TWO-YEAR TERM
CONVICTED WEDNESDAY IN THE SLAYING OF JAMES NELSON
BOGGS
********************************************
Johnny Newsom,
s/o Freddy Newsom, was given a penitentiary term of 21 yrs by a
jury in the Floyd Circuit Court Wednesday Morning for the slaying of
James Nelson Boggs at Bevinsville in December. Mack Newsom,Johnny
Newsoms' cousin, who was indicted in the killings , has not been given
a trial yet
The commonwealth offered a testimony showing that the Newsoms
were creating a disturbance in the neighborhood when Boggs inquired after
the trouble,. This testimony also shows that Newsom fired the first
shot, Boggs replying with one shot from a shotgun. The defense evidence
sought to prove that the shot that killed Boggs was fired in self
defense.
Mr Boggs was a native of Caines Creek , Lawrence Co Ky. and
was the brother of W.S. Boggs , court clerk of Lawrence County. He
was married to Ella Hall , daugh of Lee Hall, and was living
just across the railroad tracks from Hall on left Beaver ,2 near
Buckingham..Mr Boggs moved to Floyd Co five years ago. He worked for the
railroad. He leaves behind two children and a pregnant wife.
On the night of
the shooting , Mr Boggs heard loud talking and went out the front door of
his home, taking the gun with him. He found the disturbance at the Hall's
home. He called to Mrs Hall, inquiring about the disturbance, She
answered that Mack and the Newsoms were "taking the place".
Boggs said if they did not stop , he would call the law, according to a
report filed here. The Newsoms. who were said to have been drunk ,
made a threatening reply and fired two shots at Boggs, the report
continues. He (Boggs) had a shotgun with one shell in it and returned the
fire hitting Mack in the leg. The Newsoms fired two more shots , one passing
through Boggs Chest and he fell dead.
Link Music,
placed on trial Wednesday , charged with shooting and wounding with intent
to kill , was given a 2 yr sentence Wednesday afternoon. He is alleged to
have shot Crawford Sturgill on Stephens Branch last December at the
Music home.Sturgill recovered from his wound
FIFTEEN BEGIN PEN SENTENCES
Convicts taken Monday to Frankfort ; Storehousebreaking, Chief Offense
Fifteen men, convicted in the Floyd Co Circuit Court were taken Monday by
Sheriff B.L.Sturgill, County Judge W.L, Stumbo, Doug Hayes, Jailor A. Dingus and
Cecil Sturgill to the State Reformatory at Frankfort to begin service of
their their sentence.Of the 15 , the greater number confessed. Names of the
prisioners , offense, and terms follow :
Bill Music,
robbery, three years, ; Wm McCoy, Bill Daniels, Charley Sanders and
Frank Boyd , storehousebreaking, one year each ; Grover Collins ,
stealing coal from a common carrier, one year ; Lewis Adkins, John Lee
Adkins, Garner Adkins and Albert Hamilton, one year each in two
separate trials for storehousebreaking ; Harry and Frank Butts,
storehousebreaking, one year each ; Ernest Slusher, horsestealing, two
years, Andrew Stephens, manslaughter, two years and one day ; Anthony
Sword, storehousebreaking, one year
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2-26-1932, Floyd Co
Times
STEPHENS CHILD
DIES AT RISNER ON MONDAY
Peggy,
five-year-old daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Henry Stephens, Sr., of
Risner, died Monday, a victim of intestinal troubles, according to the
attending physician. The tot had sustained a blow on the head several
days ago when a ball bat slipped from the hands of a child at play, but
the injury was of little consequence, it was held.
Surviving are
the bereaved parents and several brothers and sisters.
Burial was made
Tuesday in the family cemetery at Risner, funeral rites
being conducted by
Rev. James Owens.
**********************************************************************
3-25-1932, Floyd Co Times
Three Are Taken To Pen Last
Week
Three Floyd County Men , sentenced to
penitentiary terms at the last session of the Floyd Circuit Court, were taken to
Frankfort last week by Sheriff B.L Sturgill and Col. Doug Hayes to
begin "doing time". Names of the three convicts, offenses for which convicted,
and there terms follow:
Johnny Newsome, slaying of James
Nelson Boggs, 21 years; Lewis Tussey, storehousebreaking, 2
years; Alvin Conley, storehousebreaking, two sentences of 2 years each.
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5-6-1932, Floyd Co Times
TWO SLAYERS EVADING ARREST IN FLOYD HILLS
One Stabs brother, Other, using hoe, kills man age 74,
Daniel Johnson Claims Self-Defense, in Fatally Shooting Daughter, Mrs Smith,
Slain Woman Under Sentence for Slaying Husband
Two of three Floyd
County Slayers were still uncaptured Thursday after contributing to one of the
most sanguinary weeks experienced by the county in some time. After escaping
into the hills immediately following the slayings, they continued to evade
arrest as The Times went to press.
In the meantime a charge of willful
murder had been filed by the grand jury here against George Brown, who
beat Henry Adams, aged Floyd farmer, to death last Saturday.
In
addition to the three killings, two other attempts ae alleged to have been made
at murder. Stories of the slayings appear below.
Two days before she was to
have been taken to the state reformatory at Frankfort to begin serving a
five year sentence for the slaying of her husband , John Smith , . Mrs
Tina Johnson Smith, 30 yrs old, was shot and killed by her father ,
Daniel R. Johnson, aged Floyd Co man, at the Johnson home on Abner Fork
of Left Beaver Thursday morning of last week.
Her aged father shot Mrs.
Smith three times, It is claimed , while he lay in bed unable to move as a
result of injuries sustained at her hands a few days earlier , and as she
advanced upon him throwing stones threating him with an ax, . He had suffered
three broken ribs at his daughter's hands and was unable to be moved here
immediately after the shooting it is claimed.
It was held probable this week
that the grand jury would not make an indictment in the case.
Mrs.
Smith killed her husband in January, 1931, and pleaded self-defense in
circuit court here, claiming that he was trying to hang her, using his belt as a
noose when she shot him. She was given a five-year prison term but had
taken the case to the court of appeals which affirmed the verdict recently.
*************************************************************************
6-3-1932 , Floyd Co
Times
SEVEN TAKEN FROM FLOYD
WEDNESDAY TO BEGIN PEN TERMS
****************************************
Sheriff B.L. Sturgill left Tuesday for Frankfort, taking with him seven men
convicted in the Floyd circuit court and sentenced to penitentiary terms.
Three of the seven convicted of slayings. Names of prisoners, offense of
each and their terms follow:
Bill Halbert,murder,
21 years; George Whitt, murder, 21 years; Pete Jarrell,
manslaughter, two years; Johnnie Moore and Steve Mullins
falsewearing, one year each; Lindsay Moten, grand larceny, two years;
Milton Wright, storehousebreaking, one year.
Greenbury Hall, who is under a 19-year penitentiary sentence for murder, was
to be taken today (Thursday) to Frankfort to begin 'doing time.'
"Soda" Miller, West Prestonsburg youth, convicted
of burglary, was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary, but plans to appeal
from the verdict.
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6-10-1932 , Floyd Co
Times
PROSECUTION OF AGED
MAN , WHO SLEW DAUGHTER, AIDED BY TWO SONS OF THE
DEFENDENT
The unusual spectacle of a father, charged
with the murder of his daughter, fighting for his freedom ,while his sons
arrayed themselves with the prosecution in an effort to send him to the
penitentiary , presented itself in the Floyd Circuit Court last Friday.
Daniel R. Johnson, 63 yr old Abner Fork Citizen , testified that he
shot and killed his daughter , Mrs Tina Smith, to save his own life. His two
sons, Eli and Charles, testified against him, alleging that he shot his
daughter three time as she entered his room without offering any threat to his
safety .
Receiving the case at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon, the jury
deliberated till 11 o'clock Saturday morning and returned a verdict sentencing
the aged man to five years in the pen.
The defendant testified that
Mrs Smith had thrown a rock into the room and that she was advancing upon
him , brandishing a hatchet , when he fired . His step-daughter , Mrs
Owens, appearing in his behalf , stated that both Mrs Smith and her
brother , Eli Johnson, were drunk when they came to their fathers home
and that she attempted to dissuade them from going inside. While she was gone
after an officer, the killing took place .
Stating that his sister was shot
for no valid reason , Eli Johnson admitted that he threw a stone at his
step -mother and ran. The shooting followed soon thereafter . Mrs . Smith
was killed within two days of the date she was to have been taken to the
penitentiary for the killing of her husband , John Smith , Picture
of Tiny Johnson Smith and her mother, Sarah, at her funeral
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7-8-1932 , Floyd Co
Times
COLONEL
HARKINS
J. D. Harkins Jr., son
of Attorney and Mrs. J.D. Harkins, of this
place, last week was
commissioned a Colonel on the staff of Governor
Laffoon. The
appointment was made by Acting Governor A.B. Chandler.
************************************************************************
7-15-1932 , Floyd
Co Times
FUNERAL OF VETERAN
MINISTER TO BE HELD
Funeral services
for the late Rev. W.R. (UncleBill) Davis, who was
born Octobr 24,
1831, on Jenny's Creek, then Floyd county, and who died
March 25, 1932 at
the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. Harlan Nickell, of
Helechawa, Ky.,
at the age of 100 years, five months and one day, will
be preached Sunday,
July 24, at 10 a.m. by Rev. John Prater,
Salyersville, Ky., and
Rev. Dr. G.M. Centers, Campton, Ky., at the
family cemetery, two miles
southwest of Adele (Insko), Morgan county, on
Red River. If the weather is
agreeable, the services will be held t the
church at Adele where the
deceased preached regularly and a member of
the United Baptist Church for a
period of 60 years preceding his death.
All friends and relatives of the
deceased are cordially invited to
attend the services.
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7-29-1932 , Floyd Co Times
ARRESTED AFTER SHOOTING
FATHER
Reffitt Blames Moonshine for Act. So Still
Is Cut Saturday
Bob Reffitt, 24 years old, was
jailed here Saturday after having
shot and seriously wounded his father,
Tom Reffitt, 63, at the Reffitt
home on Middle Ceek Saturday afternoon,
and a few hours later a
moonshine still, claimed by young Reffitt to have
been the cause of the
trouble, was taken by Deputy Sheriff M.T.
Stumbo.
Young Reffitt and others were at his father's
home and are alleged
to have een intoxicated when the elder Reffitt arrived
from Prestonsburg
Saturday afternoon. The father reprimanded his son
and ordered the
others to leave. As the young man's companions started
off, Reffitt
started with them and his father ordered him back, it is
claimed. When
the younger man is alleged to have moved as if to strike
his father,the
latter ran inside the house. At a neighbor's home
Bob Reffitt procured
a 16-gauge shotgun, and returning fired upon his
father while Mr.Reffitt
was outside stablng the mule whih he had ridden
here.
The shot tre away the flesh from the aged man's arm
and wounded him
severely in the shoulder. He was taken to the
Paintsville hospital and
for a time it was believed that severe loss of
blood, coupled with his
advanced age, would prove fatal. Wednesday, he
was reported as
recovering, however.
7-29-1932
GARRETT MINER KILLED
BY SLATE
Emmett Sanders Dies Instantly, Neck Broken in
Slatefall Tuesday.
Emmett Sanders, 35 years
old, miner, was instantly killed at 7
o'clock Tuesday morning by a slateall
inside the mines of the Elk Hrn
Coal Corporation at Garrett. His neck
was broken by a heavy piece of
slate dropping from the roof of the mine onto
him.
The victim was a native of Tracy City, Tenn., where his body was
shipped Tuesday afternoon by G.D. Ryan, Martin undertaker for burial.
Mr. Snders had been employed at Garrett for some time, and had also
worked in the mines on Marrowbone, Pike county. Surviving him are his
widow and four children.
7-29-1932
GARRETT MINER FATALLY
HURT
Chas. Wesley Slone, 57 years
old, was fatally ijured Wednesday,
November 19, in a mine of the Elk Horn
Coal Corporation, Garrett, when a
motor passed over his body. He died
in the Wayland hospital, two hours
after being hurt. He sustained
ijuries about the head and body.
The body was prepared for burial
by G.D. Ryan, Martin undertaker, and
was shipped to Marrowbone for
interment. Mr. Slone is survived by his
widow, three sons and three
daughters.
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9-16-1932 , Floyd Co Times
GLO AND THEALKA TO
PLAY HERE, SUNDAY
One of the best baseball
games of the season is expected as an
outcome of the Glo-Thealka game, which
is scheduled for 3 o'clock Sunday
afternoon at the Gasco Park here.
Both teams have met twice earlier
this season, but rain prevented them
playing to a decision in either
contest.
9-16-1932
INJURIES FATAL TO
PIKE MINER
An injury received while at
work on the tipple of the mine of the
Utiities Elkhorn Coal Company at
Boldman three months ago cost the life
of J.L. Adkins, 47 years old
of Owsley, who died at th
****************************************************************************
2-23-1934
FLOYD COUNTY TIMES / Friday, February 23, 1934
AGED FLOYD MAN GRANTED FREEDOM
Daniel R. Johnson, 65 year old Left
Beaver man, who was convicted in
June, 1932 of the slaying of his daughter,
Mrs. Tina Smith, at the Johnson
home on Abner Fork a few months
earlier, was granted executive clemency
Saturday by Governor Laffoon,
who commuted his sentence from five to one and
one-half years, thus
rendering him eligible for immediate release.
Seven
of the jurors who convicted Johnson, former Circuit Judge C.B.
Wheeler, who presided at the trial, and Commonwealth's Attorney
C.P. Stephens,
who prosecuted Johnson, recommended commutation of the
sentence, stating that
the prisoner is an old man and his further
confinement would serve no good
purpose.
Johnson shot and killed his daughter on the night before she was to have
been taken to the penitentiary to begin serving a sentence given her in
court
here for the slaying of her husband.
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Our Yesterdays
Floyd County Times
Mach 2, 1939
Extension of WPA Packhorse Library projects in this county is being sought by Mrs. Grace Moore Burchett, county library project supervisor.Mrs. Burchett is now seeking books and materials for a library here, and branch libraries will be operated at Martin, Lackey and Wheelwright so that benefits of the work will be made available to all parts of the county...
Razing of the Fitzpatrick frame building, a court street landmark, was bgun
Wednesday by workmen to make way for a modern two-story structure of brick, to
be occupied by the A.W. Cox Dept.
Store. The estimated cost of the
building is $10,000...
Discussion of the 1939 soil conservation program and the work of community planning, begun last week by County Agent S.L. Isbell, were continued through this week and are to run into next week in a score or more Floyd County communities...
Born: to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Neeley, Feb. 19, a son, Frank Jr...
There died: Lindsey Hayes, 48, at his home at Mousie. He was a son of Lacey and Elizabeth Martin Hayes; Mrs. Sallie Duncan, at her home near Bosco. She was a daughter of the late John B. and Polly Martin.
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FLOYD CO TIMES, Jan 1, 1948
Martin, Ky
A tragedy resulted Saturday when an attempt was madeto string radio aerial to a home in the Ice Plant Section, of Martin has left 4 persons dead. Robert Flannery, 38, his six yr old son, John Hager Flannery, his brother in law, Hugh Norris, 30, and Norris' wife, Edith Frazier Norris, 28.All were electrocuted .
TAKEN FROM A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE FLOYD COUNTY
TIMES DURING THE GULF WAR, ARTICLES PERTAIN TO WWII AND THE KOREAN
WAR
RELEASE OF JAPS' PRISONERS BRINGS JOY, HOPE TO
COUNTY
Floyd County had its intimate
share in the nationwide wave of
thankfulness
arising with the news that American prisoners had been
liberated on Luzon.
One
Floyd soldier was released in the heroic commando raid by American
Rangers and Filipino guerillas last week which freed 513
American
prisoners, survivors of the Bataan's
"March of Death" after the fall of
Corregidor,
and a nurse, a sister of a Floyd county man, was liberated a
few days later, from San Tomas internment camp in Manila as
McArthur's
forces dashed into the capital of the
Phillipines.
The soldier now among friends
and freed Jap cruelty is Pvt. Lawrence
Robinson,
son of Robert Robinson, of Wayland, and a member of the famed
31st Infantry whose survivors were taken from Corregidor on its
fall as
prisoners. The nurse is
Lieut. Ruby Bradley, 37, Spencer, W.Va., sister of Smith
Bradley, Prestonsburg, who was one of the 11 nurses taken prisoner
on
Bataan.
Anxiously awaiting the day when word will come that their sons are
released are Mr. & Mrs. W.J. Reynolds, Martin,
parents of J.B. (Bud)
Reynolds, a medical
corpsman on Corregidor at its fall, and Mr. & Mrs.
J.E. Walters, of Emma, parents of Seaman Wyman Walters, also
taken
prisoner on the Phillippines after his ship
had been bombed. Letters
received by these
parents, however, indicate that their sons have been
removed to the Japanese mainland. Another Wayland soldier,
Fred
Williams, was taken prisoner by the Japanese
but died in April, 1942,
his father J.W.
Williams, was notified.
Father of Pvt.
Robinson, a miner at Wayland,
could not be
reached for an interview, but The Times was assisted by
Noble Hobbs there in gaining an insight into his reaction to the
news
that his son was safe and at last in a
American hands.
Mr. Robinson was notified by the
American Red Cross in a wire from
Lexington that
his son had been liberated. He was characteristically
reticent. "I didn't work the next day," he quietly
remarked.
Lieut. Bradley, the nurse freed
from internment in Manila, has visited
her
brother, an employee of the Columbian Fuel Corporation here, several
times. An Army nurse since she was graduated from
Walter Reed hospital,
Washington, D.C., 19 years
ago, she was sent to the Philippines in 1938
and
was superintendent of nurses at Camp Hay hospital in Manila at the
time she deliberately remained behind to care for the
wounded as the
Japs closed in on the city.
WIREMAN WINS HERO-AWARD IN RESCUE OF WOUNDED MAN
A Floyd countian's heroism in rescuing his wounded
section chief from
a flaming battlefield in Korea
has won for him the Army's Bronze Star.
The decoration was conferred on Sgt. Roy Wireman Jr., son of Mrs.
Hazel Wireman, of Wayland, for heroism in action against
the enemy Nov.
30, 1950, near Sinchang-ni.
He is a member of the First Calvary
Division's
7th Calvary Regiment.
At the time he
earned the medal, Sgt. Wireman- then a private first
class- was helping man a roadblock on a main supply route. A
force of
enemy troops, disguised as civilians,
infiltrated through the battalion
defense
perimeter and were not disovered until they attacked Sgt.
Wireman's roadblock. The citation accompanying the Wayland
sergant's award tells that he
opend fire
immediately with his machine gun. When he was ordered to
withdraw, according to the citation, "he fearlessly covered
the
displacement of the machine guns to more
tenable positions."
"When the last gun was
emplaced," states the citation, "he finally
fell
back to rejoin his section. Upon finding his section leader
wounded and unable to move from his position, Sgt.
Wireman called for
supporting fire.
"Ignoring the intense hail of enemy fire," the
citation continues, "he
rushed couageously to his
wounded comrade and carried him to safety.
His
selfless behavior and outstanding devotion to duty possibly saved
the life of the section leader and greatly inspired the
members of his
unit."
KOREA VICTIM 'BACK HOME'
Ousley To Be Buried Near Here Tomorrow;
2 Reported Wounded
Body of
the first soldier returned from Korea to this county will be
buried Friday afternoon in an Auxier road cemetery, near here,
with full
military honors.
The war victim is 17-year-old Billy Franklin Ousley, who
was killed in
Korea Sept. 12, 1950. and whose
body arrived here shortly after noon
today from
Loan, W. Va., where his father, J.B. Ousley, resides. From
here the flag-draped coffin was taken to the home of the
soldier's
grandfather, Dave Cornett, on the
Auxier road, by the Hopkins & Cook
Funeral
Home. The funeral rites will be conducted at 1 p.m., Friday by
the Revs. Doug Burkett and Green Boyd.
The funeral and burial will be under auspces of Floyd Post,
merican
Legio.
The War Department this week released names of two Floyd
coutians who
have been wounded. They are:
Donald Hicks, son of Norman Hicks,
Goodloe, and
Pfc. James E. Johnson, son of Mrs. Jane Johnson, Melvin.
FLOYD COUNTY WIDOW AGAIN BEREAVED BY WAR
To Mrs. Frances Bowling, of West Prestonsburg,
last Thursday came for
the seond time a War
Department telegram notifying her that she had lost
a son in the service of his country.
The widowed Mrs. Bowling learned last week that her
23-year-old son,
Cpl. Thomas Edward Bowling, had
died in action in Korea, February 16.
In
World War II it was her eldest son, 19-year-old Walter Karr
Bowling, who was the first Floyd countian officially reported as
having
lost his life. A fireman on the
battleship Arizona, he was lost with
his ship in
the sneak attack of the Japs on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
The American Legion Post here later was named in his hnor.
The brothers were sons of Walter Karr Bowling,
Sr., who during World
War I made 18
trans-Atlantic trips as a seaman convoying troopships to
French ports. Thomas Edward was graduated from Prestonsburg
high school
with the class of 1947. He
enlisted in the army last August. At the
time of his death he was an automatic rifleman with the 25th
division.
Surviving besides his mother, are one
brother, Robert Clifford, and
three sisters, Mrs.
Manis Gray, Billie & Stella Marie, all of West
Prestonsburg.
Reported
woundd after having earlier suffered a wound returned to
action was Cpl. Billy Arms, son of Mrs. Martha Arms, of East
Point.
Also wounded was Eckener Pandzic, of
Wheelwright.
Mr. & Mrs. J.W. Hayes of
Hueysville, were notified recently that their
son, Randolph Hayes, who was listed in December as missing in
action in
Korea, is now known to be a prisoner of
war.
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GRAYDEN "HOB" ALLEN, SLATE VICTIM
Well-Known Man, Instantly Killed In Drift Mine
Grayden (Hob) Allen, 36 years old machine helper, was instantly killed in the
mines of the Sampson Elkhorn Coal Company at Drift Wednesday, 11-4-1942,
afternoon when crushed beneath a fall of slate. His neck was broken by the fall
which came as he preceded a coal cutting machine moving in to work. The
tragedy occurred at 1:30 p.m.The victim was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs.
Dick Allen and was well-known in this county where he had many relatives and
friends.
Surviving him are his widow, Mrs. Margaret Adams Allen; five
children, two brothers and one sister, Glad Allen , of Dana, and Mrs. Jesse
Clark and Fred Allen, both of Drift.
The body was prepared for burial by the
Arnold Funeral Home. Funeral
arrangements had not been completed,
Thursday noon.
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Our Yesterday
Floyd County Times
3-1-1949
"Are you in favor of the sale of alcoholic beverages in Prestonsburg,
Floyd County, Kentucky?" That question will be answered yes or no on
Saturday, March 26 at a local option election. The petition asking a
local option election here was signed by approximately 325 legal voters
of Prestonsburg...
The Kentucy West Virginia Power Company Inc. filed Tuesday an application with the Public Service Commission for approval to increase the company's industrial rates. The increase is scheduled to become effective March 21 and will amount to $306,000 per year...
The Inland Steel Company, Wheelwright, filed with Floyd Circuit Court an appeal from the 1,625,459 assessment levied against its property for county and state tax purposes, as eing "unlawfl, wrongful and prejudicial" to its rights..
Veterans organizations of the county held their meeting in recent weeks at Martin to develop plans for he purchase and erection of a permanent war memorial on the courthouse grounds here...
Clear Creek School for the third year has produced the county's spelling champ. Magalene Howell, 10-year-old student copped the title this year.
There died:
Pfc. Lee Prater, at Leyte Island. He as the son
of the late Will H. Prater and Mrs. Sarah Prater Lowe of
Hueysville;
Joel Bayes, 73, of Middle Creek, son of the late Osa
and Loucresa Bayes;
Edgar Lee Wright, former Floyd teacher, 53,
Veterans Hospital, Huntington;
Frank D. Ward, 73, at his home in West
Prestonsburg;
Corbett Caudill, 49, at his home at Melvin, son of
Wilburn and Elizabeth Johnson Caudill.
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Floyd County Times, .. 6-8-1950
Funeral Services Held For Mrs. Violet Goble
Victim of
Tuberculosis
Funeral services were held Saturday in the church at Dinwood for Violet
Little Goble, 23, Dinwood, who died Thursday, 6-1-1950, at home after an illness
of more than a year of tuberculosis. She was the wife of Raymond
Goble.Native of the upper Left Beaver section and she was the daughter of
the late Willie and Mary Isaac Little.She is survived by her husband, her
mother, one son, Curtis, two sisters, Mrs. Maggie Tackett, of Omar,
W.Va., Mrs. Alberta Wright, of
Hite, and one brother, Curtis Little of
Alpheretta. The services were held with the Reverend George Wright, Melve Allen
and Curt Frazier officiating. Burial was made in the Dingus cemetery at
Dinwood with the Arnold & Hall Funeral Home directing.
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Our Yesterdays
FloydCounty Times
2-26-1959
Three men were jailed here early this morning after being trapped inside the
Thomas Hereford Company store by Mr. Hereford and son, David A. A
fourth man, the driver of a stolen car which had been taken to the rear of the
store for the apparent purpose of hauling away the loot, escaped. When police
arrived, Hereford had captured all three, opened the front
door and had them
on the sidewalk, waiting for the police cruiser...
Barbara Lafferty of Cliff was named Floyd County corn-growing champion by te 4-H Club council for the third year in a row. A yield of 150.6 bushels per acre won the coveted designation for the Cliff girl. Miss Lafferty, who has been carrying on a corn project for four years, has won the corn derby three years in succession...
The Prestonsburg City Council upheld the action of the Taxicab Commission in
denying three cab
driver's city licenses...
Born: to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Robinson, Jr., a daughter, Mellissa Lynn, on Feb. 14...
There died: Mra. Larena Harmon Badgett, 72, of Little Paint, at a
Paintsville hospital. She was the daughter of James and Elmina Wison
Harmon;
Dennis Cordial, 64, of Wayland, at home. He was the son
of the late William and Vina Jane
Cordial;
Floyd
Skaggs, 68, Martin grocer, at home. He as he son of the late Mr.
and Mrs. John Elliott Skaggs.
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Blast Claims Lives of Four Friday in David Mine
No. 1
Four men died last Friday morning, July 28, 1967, deep within a mine at David
in what has been described as the worst mine explosion in the long history of
Floyd county coal mining.The dead:
Shannon Turner, 46, and his nephew, Ancil
Turner, 36, both of Garrett;
William Bill Titlow, 56, West Van Lear, night
sit foreman at the mine, and
George Cavins, 56, of Sitka, Johnson county.
All apparently died in one blinding moment as a spark of undetermined origin
ignited methane gas in a section of No. 1 mine of Princess Coals, Inc. which had
not been in operation since January 27.
Time of the explosion was fixed at
3:45 a.m. Two company employees, Jean Webb and Ray Spears reached the
bodies around 6 a.m. and all were removed from the mine by 8 a.m., it was said.
The explosion, investigators said, could have been of electrical orign or
the result of smoking. A safety lamp said to have been worn by the foreman,
Titlow, has not been found, and this is regarded an important item in the search
for the cause of the blast. The four men went inside the inactive mine section
to recover a coal drill and were winching a Browning hoist along the mine
tracks. They
were in Section 8 right off the south main, and were at
or near a point, 4 1/2 miles inside the mine, where the slope begins to reach a
lower seam of coal. Apparently, the gas had escaped from a lower level to
where the bodies were found in the upper workings. Willard Stanley, of the
Kentucky Bureau of Mines and Minerals, said the body of Titlow was nearest the
outside, that Ancil Turner was 100 feet farther inside, Cavins 30 feet ahead and
that Shannon Turner was 70 feet
farther. There was evidence indicating
that some of the doomed men had travelled about six feet toward the outside
before being overcome.
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From the Herald-Leader 2-28-1988.
CAUSE OF '58 BUS DISASTER STILL A MYSTERY
Crash that killed 27 left its mark on survivors
Prestonsburg--The morning of Feb. 28, 1958 was cloudy and cold, but the
pavement on old U.S. 23 above Lancer was dry. About 7 a.m., bus driver John Alex
DeRossett began his usual route from
Cow Creek to consolidated schools in
Prestonsburg, stopping to collect students in the communities of Sugar Loaf and
Emma. The bus would never reach the schools. It would plunge into Levisa
Fork
of the Big Sandy River, killing 26 students and the bus driver. The
crash happened 30 years ago today and remains the worst school bus accident in
U.S. history.
DeRossett was on schedule. Unlike an older bus he had driven the day
before--a bus one student described as having its rear emergency door wired
shut--Bus No. 27 had just been serviced.
About 8:10 a.m. , three miles east
of Prestonsburg at the mouth of Knotley Hollow, DeRossett pulled off the main
road where two 14-year-old freshman girls, Ezelle Pennington and Joyce Matney,
stood hugging their books and waiting with six other students. Joyce, a band
member, and Ezelle were best friends. both wore fashionably long skirts,
bobby socks, loafers and sweaters. A week earlier, they had rdred
identical Easter outfits. Now, they discussed a forthcoming Prestonsburg
High School basketball game. With them stood Joyce Matney's little sister, Rita
Cheryl, 8, who had blue-green eyes and reddish hair. Rita Cheryl was "a
doll--the prettiest little girl that ever was," said Ezelle Pennington Copley,
now 44 and a resident of East Point.
The eight students climbed
aboard. Someone asked Joyce Matney what her grandfather's pickup was doing
"down there in the ditch line." About 200 yards down the highway, a pickup was
mired to its axles in the ditch alongside the road. A wrecker driven by
Donald "Dootney" Horn was
maneuvering across the road to pull it out.
Because the bus was almost full, Joyce and Ezelle took separate seats. Joyce and
her little sister took seats near the front of the bus, while
Ezelle found
one near the back, a section routinely reserved for older boys.
As DeRossett
changed gears, Janice Blackburn, 14, sitting with her feet against the top of a
rear wheel well, loked up from her book. She saw Horn's wrecker and went
back to reading.
In the back of the bus, the older boys spotted the wrecker
and someone predicted the bus would hit it, said Donald Dillon of
Prestonsburg, who was an eighth grader. "He had plenty of time to stop if
he'd wanted to. Dillon does not recall a collision. But Isaac Vanderpool,
then 17, who
was sitting behind the driver, said that DeRossett yelled when
the bus struck the wrecker's left rear bumper and fender. Aroused students began
screaming, too, when the bus turned a hard left
and started toward the
river, striking a parked car and narrowly missing a trailor owned by Bennie
Blackburn, Ezelle Pennington Copley remembers watching Blackburn's trailor flash
by
as the bus slid head-first down the riverbank. "I remember thinking,
"We're going to hit the trees any second," she said.