Dec. 7, 1920

Reports Of Pitched Battle Between
 'Shiners and Officers Exaggerated

Reports reaching here today from "South America" say
the press stories of the battle at that point with
thirty odd moonshiners against fourteen federal 
agents Saturday were greatly overdrawn.It appears
that nine stills were destroyed Friday night within 
a radius of eight miles, and nine arrests followed
Saturday.The moonshiners taken into custody
surrendered to officers after a few shots had been
exchanged between the raiders and distillers.The
shooting wounded no one of either :army," according
to the report.

The men taken prisoners were carried to Pineville
and it is said the raiding party are on their way back
to the scene of the Saturday skirmish and expect to
make other arrests which it is claimed are extremely
hazardous, the moonshiners having reorganized their
forces while raiders were away to Pineville to
prosecute.

The prisoners taken to Pineville were Henderson
Gibson and his brother, John Gibson, Frank Hamilton
and Byrd Powers.DeWitt Gibson was arrested,but
escaped.Four others were released. 

Deputy Winfrey, Steve Cornett, Joe M. Kavanaugh,
M.K. Parson, Charles "Red" Steward were a part of
the revenue force in action against the moonshiners,
and they were aided by C.W. Renfro, sheriff of
Whitley county. Henry Morgan, deputy sheriff, of
Whitley, J. H. Hamlin and Levi Mason, deputy sheriffs
of Bell county.

With the raiders on the way back to the battleground,
news of another battle may break any hour.

Not dated - bet 1976-1978

Heads Or Tales by Gene Siler

King Mountain has been casting its benign shadow over
Williamsburg since 1818,since Cox's Tavern and
Cumberland River ferry were transformed to a sleepy
country village called Whitley Courthouse.

As the pyramids of Egypt overshadow the desert, so
does King Mountain overshadow the river, the town,
the people down at the foot of its pinnacle. Some
years ago there was a King Grist Mill and a King Mill
Dam.But these have been swept away in the floodtides
of progress.

I think it would be quite an honor to have a mountain
or a mill or a dam named after your family.All
three of these carry or once carried the name of this
King family.So the Kings have a threefold honor.

Don Longworth, who is a half King, today brought me a
picture of the wife and eight children of Dolphus 
King, his grandfather.These have now made their last
journey across Cumberland River --all but Nan King 
Jones who still survives at Wofford.

In the picture you will see standing, left to right,
George King,Frank King, Sid King, Nan Jones,Carrie
Longworth, Ed King, and seated,Mary Tuggle, Margaret
King, the mother, and Henry King with his fierce 
moustache.

And now I must tell you about Henry King, who ran the
mill, who was an orchardist, who was a lawyer.

Well of course I did not say he looked like a lawyer--
certainly not.How can a man run a grist mill, take
care of an orchard and still look like a lawyer. Can't
be done.

But you know there are three kinds of lawyers -- the
lubstery court-room lawyer--the bookish office lawyer
 -- the yarn-gallused lawyer,who communicates well
 with the people and spends much of his time on the
 streets.Henry King was a yarn-gallused lawyer.
Henry Gillis was a bookish lawyer.R.L. Pope was a
blustery lawyer.All of these Lawyers once practiced
law here in Williamsburg.

If you can find some lawyer with all three of these
traits -- blustery,bookish,yarn-gallused -- you are
pretty apt to win your case. You will have a dangerous
advocate in court.

My father was somewhat blustery, somewhat bookish and
raised on Tackett Creek so as to enable him to
communicate with the people.He was also an excellent
business man and could scent a lawyer fee or a
successful business enterprise like a hound scents a
fox up on King Mountain.

Some days ago a man brought me several documents and
asked me to unravel the situation and explain it to
him.Then he remarked, "I never knowed anything about
law - always worked for my living.

"It was quite a slur on lawyers, people who didn't
work, but I ignored this and helped him unravel his
 ball of twine.

Some lawyers, like Henry King, did actually work for a
living, like my client had in mind.

But mainly Henry left us King Mountain, King Mill,
King Dam and so the King family has this threefold
 honor.

Ernest King was a famous US Admiral in World War II,
Rufus King was a signer of the US Constitution, Starr
King was a mighty preacher and orator, William R.King
was a US Vice President and Dolphus King was the 
father of our Whitley County Kings.

Long live the Kings, especially our own Kings.

Thurs., Oct. 24, 1978

heads or tales/Gene Siler, Sr.

The gathering of the Moses clan

Tall, green mountains reach upwards toward the white
 cloud banks.

Shimmering fogs cluster and linger upon the hillsides
as if reluctant to leave such a pretty valley.

Green pastures seem to tell us this is just where the
Good Shepherd may have led his sheep.

A creek gurgles its song of happiness as it meanders
towards the sea hundred of miles way out yonder
somewhere.

Three quiet cemeteries continually mourn for dead
folks and all of these cemeteries keep quiet vigil
for some Moseses, Davenports, Ellisons,Lambdins,
 Coxes and Silers.

But by far both the living and dead in this valley are
mainly Moses people.

You guessed it.This is Wolf Creek and the Moses 
Reunion is at hand.

The crowd gathers each year--the lame, the halt, the
babies, the old men and women with walking sticks, 
the young frisky boys and charming girls.

Certainly they are all here.  They came in singing
 their songs and picking guitars.At midday, they
stop for pies, cakes, fried corn, chicken, meat loaf
 and cornbread.In fading afternoon they hug one
 another, shake hands and take their leave --200 of
 them -- going back to Cincinnati, Detroit, Florida,
 Arizona, and Chicago.

Once each year I tell them, "I am Gene Siler Moses"
and they whoop and holler as I repeat this one-day
title of mine.What a great people to take me into
 their clan in this manner.

God said to Moses, "The eternal God is thy refuge
 and underneath are the everlasting arms."

These Moses people seem to believe it.

Thursday, November 7, 1940

Ernest Smiddy Held In Jail For Shooting

Ernest Smiddy, 20-year-old Packard youth, was
arrested Tuesday night by Deputy Sheriff LEWIS DOPLE,
and is in the Whitley County jail on a charge of
shooting with intent to kill.

Smiddy's arrest took place after Sam Petrey, about
65 years old, was shot once in the arm at his
residence at Packard.The bullet entered the fleshy
part of the arm and ranged into the shoulder.

When the shooting was reported to the county
officers, Commonwealth's Attorney J.B. Johnson,
Magistrate Sid Peavley and Jailer John Faulkner rushed
to Packard where they joined Magistrate G.M. Castle 
and Constable E.L. Walker in an investigation of the
case.Officials of the Mahan Jellico Coal Company
telephoned to LaFollette for Herbert Williams and his
bloodhounds, and the dogs took up the trail and 
proceeded straight to Smiddy, who denied any knowledge
 of the shooting.

Officers reported that the shooting took place when
Petrey stepped out of his back porch and lifted up a
dipper to take a drink of water.The bullet,fired
from ambush, barely missed the dipper and struck the
 Packard man.

Petrey was rushed to a Knoxville hospital by Maurice
Howard, where his condition is not regarded as serious.

Smiddy, according to the arresting officer, is a
stepson of the injured man.The shooting, it is
 believed, was the outgrowth of a family quarrel.