As time pressed on, the warring parties continued killing one and another until the War between the States brought a temporary reprieve to the hostilities. Nothing lasts forever, war or peace like everything else has a beginning and an end. Two years after the wars end the feud would begin again. In this tireless cycle of hatred and blood, a Rogers would kill a Johnstone, a Johnstone would kill a Rogers, brawls would break out, shootings, stabbings, the chaos ensued. When the sun would set on this small war, 14 men will have lost their lives. The final act is here and now. Fate being a fickle companion it is, has chosen two young men from the opposing families, Randall Rogers and Robert Johnstone, both war scarred veterans, unmarried, without family to play their part.
Around noon time that fateful day, both men were at a grocery in Elizabethton. Neither acknowledged the other and there was an uneasy feeling in the air which was pretty normal when one of the families found themselves in the vicinity of the other. To add further animosity to the fire, both men had fought on opposing sides. Before long hard looks to one and another gave way to insults filling the air, and shouting was thunderous and threats were levied out until they lunged for one another. Bystanders commenced to pulling one another off of each other, the proprietor of the business had them removed before anymore damage could happen to his store.
Friends of both men scuffled, kicked and cussed until they finally dragged the men off in two separate directions. They had hoped some distance and time apart from each others sight would cool their tempers a bit. This however, would not be the case. Both were in a particular sour mood that day, like rattlesnakes that had bitten their own lip. After a couple of hours had passed and their friends were satisfied nothing more to come from the earlier scuffle, they turned them loose.
It was around 3 o’clock in the afternoon in downtown Elizabethton and talk of the days earlier excitement had started to die down. That is, until the town folk noticed Rogers was walking down the street and to the opposite side Johnstone was walking up the street. As the two came a head at about 100 yards, both sets of eyes met each other.
Randall Rogers called out “Johnstone!” all the while Robert shouted “This ends today!”. Both men threw back their overcoats and quickly produce a set of pistols and commenced to firing, well out of accuracy range for those pistols but it didn’t matter to either participant. Step by step the hurriedly marched closer and closer, pulling back the hammer of one pistol while pulling the trigger and discharging the other pistol. Closer and closer they drew, the air was almost choking with the smell of bitter gunpowder. 20 yards, 15 yards, 10 yard, 5 yards, the possessed men drew closer, when suddenly Robert Johnstone fell to the ground with a crimson wound to his right ribcage.
Rogers walked to where Johnstone laid, his pistols relaxed by his side, he would take the moment and enjoy watching his nemesis draw his last breath. He did just that very thing, however, as Robert was mere moments from death, down to his last three breaths, he drove pure terror into the heart of Rogers as he smiled one last time, raised his pistol and discharged it’s last bullet into Randall’s cranium with effective recourse. Rogers was dead before he even knew it. Instinct had taken over as he staggered closer to Johnstone, he spoke something unintelligible, more gurgled than anything and fired his pistol twice more into the ground before giving up the ghost. Time paused for what seemed like an eternity, then Rogers fell across the lifeless body of Johnstone. Both blood soaked souls had gone to meet their ancestors about the same exact time. The feud had ended after 20 years, and 14 men later. They simply ran out of Roger’s and Johnstones to be able to continue.
I hope you enjoyed! I may eventually turn this into a body of work that is much longer, detailed etc. The Mountains are calling! Until next time. As seen in the Elizabethton Star March 18-19 edition.
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