Jan. 31, 1921

First Woman's Jury In Kentucky Fines A Woman 
For Bad Conduct

Jellico, Ky., Jan. 31 -- A woman was arraigned before
 Judge Stewart here for disorderly conduct and was
 fined $50.  She was tried before a jury composed 
entirely of women, which is thought to be the first ever
 trying a case in the state.

Nov. 1, 1922

Former Local Man Held For Killing At Corbin
Policeman Held for Killing Man There Last Night George
 Marcum Was Carpenter in Middlesboro Till Year Ago -- 

Slain Man Former L. and N. Shopman.

Prisoner Sent To Williamsburg For Safe Keeping

Oct. 25, 1921

Herman Atkins Murdered

Former Resident Of Middlesboro Shot By Cousin In Corbin

 Herman Atkins, 23, formerly a resident of Middlesboro,
 but more recently of Los Angeles, Cal., was shot and 
killed last Sunday night [10/23/1921] in this city at the
 residence of his step father-in-law, George Taylor. It
 is alleged that the shooting was done by Arthur Atkins,
 a resident of this city and a cousin of the dead man.

 Herman Atkins came to this city a few days ago to
 visit Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, being en route to join his wife,
 who has been staying for several months in North 
Carolina.  Sunday evening, with Arthur Atkins and 
several others, he is said to have gone to the Taylor
 home on Main street, and the party indulged in a
 drinking bout until the wee small hours.Mr. and Mrs.
 Taylor being out the city.

 When the Taylors returned to Corbin on Train 21 and
 went to their home, they found the dead body of
 Herman Atkins in one of the rooms with a bullet in his 
breast.  Arthur Atkins was arrested and is said to
 have admitted that he fired the shot, but does not
 remember any altercation that would have led to the
 shooting.  He was taken to Williamsburg and placed
 in jail.   Herman Atkins was married a few years ago to
 a daughter of Mrs. George Taylor and the pair went 
to Los Angeles, Cal., to reside. Several months ago Mrs.
Atkins returned from California and has been staying
 in North Carolina

April 5, 1921

Evangelist Strikes Oil; Continues Revival Work

Clinton, Tennessee, April 5 --- 20,000 barrels of
crude oil a day is the record of a new oil well
recently developed on the tract of oil land in
El Dorada, Ark., of which the Rev. Bascom Waters of
this place, is part owner.Rev. Waters has received 
a telegram to this effect.

About a year ago Rev. Waters invested in oil lands
in Arkansas and a few weeks ago wells were bored and
the crude substance began to flow, bringing Rev. 
Mr. Waters wealth.The original investment was $1500.

Rev. Mr. Waters is an evangelist of the M.E. Church,
South. His home is in Clinton.Since discovering
oil on his lands he has continued his evangelistic
work.He is now conducting a meeting in Williamsburg,
 Ky.

Dec. 6, 1920

Battle Rages Between Moonshiners and Revenue Men In
Desolate Mountain Region Fourteen Revenue Raiders of
 Lexington and A Revenue Force From Tennessee

Captured Five Stills --Nine Moonshiners Surrendered.

  Reports reaching here today from near the Bell
and Whitley county line at its intersection with the
Kentucky, Tennessee border, say a battle raged in the
mountains there Saturday and Sunday between
prohibition agents and moonshine distillers, and more
than a thousand shots were fired, and a number of men
are said to have been wounded, probably a few fatally.
A late unconfirmed report says the battle is still 
raging.

The battle opened with fourteen prohibition agents on
one side and forty odd moonshiners on the other, on
an isolated mountain slope, where the revenue raiders
were fired upon by a squad of alleged illicit
distillers, who it is said, under a heavy rain of
bullets, finally retreated to brush heaps and deep
ravines, where within crude trenches, erected for
preparedness in the event of attack they let loose
a hail of lead that made the officers seek shelter
behind ledges of rocks and trees.

The fight soon developed into a siege.Each side
fought desperately to dislodge the other, and for
whole hours together the mountains echoed with the
roar of the skirmish.Time and again the shooting
became a fusilate (sic), as the officers would leave
their "breastworks" to press closer to the enemy.

It is claimed the firing became desultory from the
moonshine "army" Sunday afternoon, and that hoisting
a white flag nine moonshiners surrendered and 
following their capitulation five stills were
captured and destroyed.The officers had surrounded
the mountain men who, except the nine before
mentioned, broke through the lines of the revenue
agents, and escaping they formed their liens further
back in the mountains, and at night fall, yesterday
shots were crashing through the trees.

The raid is being led by Steve Cornett, Charles
Winfrey, J.M. Kavenaugh, J.H. Reynolds, Charles "Red"
Steward and Harry Redmon, of the revenue office at
Lexington, reinforced by dry agents from Tennessee.

The scene of the battle is called "South America," a
desolate mountain region, twenty miles from a 
railroad. It is claimed that moonshiners, undisturbed,
 have operated here for two years.

Jan. 22, 1921

 Finding Body Of A New-Born Babe Near Pineville Causes Sensation;
 Three Arrested

 Lizzie Coleman (sic) With Two Others Being Held In Bell County Jail
 On Serious Charge - Body Found In Outhouse At Mother's Home

 Enticing his wife away from her home and later finding the body of
 a new-born baby in an outhouse on the property of a Mrs. Bennett 
at Coleman, near Pineville, has created a sensation in both Bell and 
Whitley counties that undoubtedly will bring about one of the most
 interesting trials of a criminal nature ever held in this section.
 Several weeks ago Mrs. Lizzie Ball, 25, said to be of comely 
appearance, was enticed from the home of her husband, J.H. Ball,
 50, living in Whitley county, by a young man named Barker Smiddy
 who took her to the home of Mrs. Bennett, her mother, residing in the
 mining camp of the Coleman Coal Company, about six miles from
 Pineville.  A short time after Mrs. Ball arrived at her mother's home the
 body of the new-born babe was found on the property of Mrs. Bennett.
 When discovered the body was lifeless and apparently the baby had
 been dead several hours. According to reports received in Pineville,
 there was no evidence of foul play on the body.
 It is understood that Smiddy, who is only 20 years old, had been 
paying attentions to Mrs. Ball for some time and that he finally 
persuaded her to leave her husband, which happened a short time
 before the baby was born.  The husband of the woman did not know
 where his wife had gone until the report reached him about the 
finding of the body and that his wife had been arrested charged with
 infanticide. When he learned the particulars of the case he had 
warrants sworn out at Pineville for Mrs. Bennett and Smiddy, and the trio
 are now lodged in the Bell county jail, held without bail.  The two 
women and man will be given a preliminary hearing before County
 Judge Vanbevers Monday, and undoubtedly will be held to await
 the action of the grand jury which convenes in February.