THE CAPSHAW FAMILY HISTORY
This was sent to me, and I have published it just as it was received. I cannot verify the accuracy of anything below this line!!!!!!
The following article was copied by Christine Jones form the Nashville Tennessean Magazine (it was underlined), June 12, 1960, page 6, from a byline entitled "Down to Earth" written by Elmer Hinton. Can any of our members identify these families and tell us what year this fight took place?
Jackson County's old timers still say it was the bloodiest fight that's ever been in their hill country - that feud between the Conways and the Capshaws.
It was about 60 years ago when the big knock down and drag out took place, although the families had been feudin' for generations.
The trouble really flared into open and serious violence when Joe Conway eloped with Jim Capshaw's daughter. This brought about a fist fight between Conway and his father in law. Then one of them committed the unheard of thing in those days of hill fighting of swearing out a warrant for the other.
Everybody knew there would be bad trouble at the trial. The magistrate could get no help from the sheriff's office. But he called in another squire and they attempted to hold the trial. The lawyers stayed away, and for good reason.
According to those who remember the incident or from stories they've been told, there were about 10 Conways and 16 Capshaws present. And the trial had no more than started than the fighting began.
Matt (Dead Eye) Capshaw attempted to carry a pistol to the trial. But his wife succeeded in getting the weapon away from him. She stashed it into the bosom of her dress and carried it herself.
The main weapons used in the fight were knives and rocks. But when the fight started Matt Capshaw ran his wife down, took the pistol from her and killed one of the Conways.
There were 26 men fighting. One was killed and the other 25 were more or less seriously wounded. The trial...or attempted trial...was held at a farmhouse which was all but torn apart. The fighters got into the kitchen where one was hit in the face by a stovecap and another was knocked out when somebody hit him in the head with a can of blackberries.
They were fighting in the house, out in the yard and all over the place. One man struck at another with half a rail. The victim dodged and a mule hitched to the fence was hit in the head and knocked unconscious. It took two doctors about a day and a half to sew up the gashes and dress the wounds.
(November 1980, Vol. 4, No. 4), Patti Malugen of Nashville has submitted the following information:
My dad, Warner B. Jones, in his late eighties, still living and has a good mind was home from school, then the Nashville Bible School, when this event occurred. His father, a physician, Dr. T. H. Jones received the call for assistance that there was serious trouble and help was much needed. (Now this is the way dad tells the story).
Dad got the buggy ready and carried whatever medical supplies available and made their way to the location to a location some 8 to 10 miles towards or near Barr's store on the road between Gainesboro and Double Springs, Tennessee. Anyway these people had (sic) Fowler was the other physician that helped my grandfather on this occasion.