THE BULLY OF BACHELOR’S REST
Written by Dan Knecht
Generously contributed to this site by the author, thanks Dan!

 

Above taken from the 1884 Atlas for Pendleton County

 Bachelor’s rest is a small community in Pendleton county it still exist today. Palestine Baptist Church was located near this community. The church no longer exist but the cemetery is still there. This story was taken from the church record books volume 3.

   In the 1880’s in Pendelton county there lived a man named Joe Hargett who was not liked by very many people in fact many young men had a grudge against him. Joe was known as a real fighter and the Bully of Bachelor’s Rest the small community in which he lived.

   One night in 1887 a terrible fight took place at a play party in which Joe Hargett and several others were involved. The play party was given at the house of Samuel H. Mains. Joe Hargett had no invitation to the party but came anyway. When he arrived, he said to James L. Mains, son of the host, that he did not get an invitation. James told him he was perfectly welcome.

    Til (Matilda) Hamilton and Mr. Jacobs to whom she was said to be engaged were there. Mr. Jacobs was from up about the Blue Grass region, and was said to be in good circumstances. Til began talking to Joe Hargett when he came in and paid no attention to Mr. Jacobs.

    Til and Joe were both sitting on one chair, laid down so that they could sit along the chair back. John Crofford also began talking with Til, and she said to him “don’t talk so loud, Joe Hargett will get angry”. Crofford said to Hargett move over there or I will hit you. Hargett said hit me then. Crofford made a swing at Hargett but didn’t hit him. Hargett was to quick for him, and knocked Crofford across the room and would have knocked him down but he fell up against the wall. James L. Mains then grabbed Hargett by the arm and he with George Wood took Joe outside.

    Steve Carmondy a friend of Crawfords said I’d like to see the man that hit John Crawford, but Steve stayed indoors. Hargett twisted loose from James L. mains and George Wood and went back in the house and starting fighting with Steve Carmondy. Lewis Hamilton a friend of Joe Hargett cried shoot him Joe shoot him. Joe pulled out a gun and shot Carmondy. The bullet went across his neck and down his shoulder, and dropped Carmondy like he was dead. Hargett said afterwards he thought he was dead or he would have shot him again. Hargett then walked out of the house.  When he went out the rest of the fighters put on their overcoats, presumably to help protect them from bullets.

    Joe Hargett then came back into the house and began shooting and the men in the house began shooting back at him. When he emptied his gun he would go back outside and exchange it with Lewis Hamilton for a loaded one, Lewis was hiding behind a woodpile loading the guns for Joe. All the cartridges it was learn later were obtained at a store in Augusta that had been in a flood. It was thought that they had been damaged and were less powerful on that account. The party broke up about 11 o’clock at night, that is the shooting party. The last shot by Hargett was so close to James L. Mains that the powder blacken his cheeks and eyebrows.

    Sometime during the fight Newt Watson stabbed Joe Hargett with a knife, and Joe went to Petrie with a broken knife-blade in his back. His was the most serious wound received in the fight. Mr. Jacobs left the neighborhood the next day and never returned. It is said he would have nothing to do with Til after that. Til was a daughter of old Uncle Charlie Hamilton and Lewis was her brother.

    This fight caused such an outrage in the area that the Palestine Baptist Church which many of the men belonged to passed a special resolution as follows. Resolve that it shall be strictly against the rules of our church for any member belonging to our church to go to or take a part either in a play party or dance. That it shall be strictly against the rules of our church for any member belonging to our church to have or allow either a play party or dance at their house. Any member violating either of these rules shall come forward to our meeting and make acknowledgement and failing to do so the church shall proceed to deal with them as it sees best.