History of Irvine and Estill County, Kentucky



duction. Notwithstanding that fact, lumber men have
informed me that it will require years for the produc-
tion to become worthless.
  The variety of timber in this county is unusuall!
fine. We have some little walnut, the fact being that
that variety is almost extinct. We have oak, poplar.
hickory, ash, lynn, cherry, sugar tree, pine, cedar, and
almost every species that is common to the mountains
of the state. And the quality is unsurpassed. The saw
jmill at this place receives orders front Liverpool, Berlin
and other European points. The saw mill at Irvine
supplies the Pullman Palace Car Conmpanv with a
greater amount of material than any other one mill in
the state of Kentucky. What a fine opportunity for
factories of any and every kind.
  Why not establish right here wagon factories, furni-
ture factories, coffin factories, stave factories-in fact.
any kind of factory, where you can obtain the material
without the cost of shipping it  Why would it not
pay any company thus engaged to examine our products
  Estill County is fortunate in being blessed with nu-
merous churches and school houses. Every denonmina-
tion almost is represented, except perhaps the Catholics
and one or two Protestant denominations. The people
are as quiet and orderly as in any county in the state
of Kentucky. Among the noted divines who have been
reared in this county we refer to Steven Noland, a
Methodist and a powerful man. Rev. Wm. Rogers, a
member of the Christian Church, died at the age of
seventy-seven years. He left 207 grand children. He
preached forty years, during which time he baptized
2,052 people.
  While it is true that morality prevails in this county,
it is equally true that crime and vice exist. There has
been two hangings by mobs in this county since its or-
ganization; Jesse Crow was hung by the Kiu-Klux-Klan
for killing a young man by the name of Titus at a (lance.
Alex Richardson was hung by a mob for nmurlering SMrs.
White.
  Since the organization of Estill County there have
been within its borders three legal hangings. The first
was that of Edward William Hawkins, on the 29th (lay
of May, 1857; the second was that of Joe Stone; the
third was of William Puckett.
  The hanging of Hawkins was attended with the
greatest possibly conceived interest on account of the
notorious character of the culprit. Hawkins was born
in the Forks Precinct of Estill County and at a very
early age manifested a disposition not to work, and
began stealing. Later on in life he began to steal
horses. and finally connected himself with a gang of
horse thieves that operated in Illinois, Missouri and
Kentucky. He made several trips across that territory,
carrying stolen horses with him. He was hung for
the, murder of Messrs. Land and Arvine, two
deputy sheriffs of Estill County, who had arrested
him at Beattyville, Lee County, and were escorting him



back to Irvine. He was riding behind       Mr. Land
when he threw his arms around him and grasped his
pistol, with which he shot and killed him. Thereupon
Mr. Arvine, who    was riding   in  advance, turneil,
and  Hawkins shot and      killed  himm.  He   imnime-
diatelv took to the wsods in flight. Officers and citizens
in great numbers pursued hiun. hbut could not find him.
On one occasion, there was a large crowd in pursuit and
Hawkins was on the road just a little in front of theumi.
le. saw that he would be overtaken, and with remiark-
ahle presence of mnind. lie pulled off his coat and b"gan
laying urp a fence just as though lie was a farmner at
work on his plaie. As the party passed him, the lealer
said. "Say, boys, when vont see Hawkins you will find a
jquan that looks like that." He traveled for several days,
crossing the Ohio River into that state. One night a
party, still after him, discovered him by the side of a
log fire out in the woods. They demanded his surren-
der, but, although they numibered about thirty, and lie
was unaccompanied by any one at all, they were afraid
to come upon him until lie threw his pistols down and
assured them he would not hurt them. He said he
was just tired of running around and decided to sur-
render. They brought him to Irvine, Kv., and after
a trial he was sentenced to be hung. After his sentence
he wrote a history of his life, and it is full of crime and
sorrowful history. In it he describes his beginning, and
urges the voung boys to take warning from him. He
says lie was married six times, living with each wife
just a little while until he could beat her out of what
property or money sle possessed. One wife, he declared,
lie loved, ut:t hi, antipathy to work prevented him from
earning an honest living. and he resorted to knocking
men down on the streets in the city on dark nights and
robbing theni. Before long his wife found out about
it, and she was so sorely grieved that during the night,
while lie was asleep, she arose and went out in the vard
and hung herself. It is impossible to tell correctly the
number of men he killed-perhaps a dozen. One poor
fariner in Miisswuri had been to town to market and was
riding home on his wagon. Hawkins kiew lie had some
money and was walking along the road on which thc
driver was going and in the same direction. He asked
the fartmer to let him ride. The kind-hearted old man
readily consented. Hawkins got up beside him and
when they arrived at a suitable place in the road he
shot the fanner and after robbing himmi threw him out
on the ground. drove the wagon over his head to cover
up the bullet wound, and then made the horses run away
as though it had been an accident. At the tiiie of his
death lie was only 21 years of age. He was considered
a handsome young man, bright, and might have accom-
plished a great deal of good. In those days executions
were not made with electricity or with the same kind of
gallows that are in use today. Hawkins was placed on
his coffin, which was upon an old road wagon, drawn by
two oxen. He was driven about a mile and a half front



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