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By Jadon Gibson

Residents of mountainous Hancock County paid little mind to Mirad Hatfield and his claims to be one of the “bloody Hatfield clan” when he arrived in their midst in the mid 1890s.

Hatfield was short and not so bright, unlike the others who resided primarily along the Kentucky and West Virginia border. Devil Anse Hatfield and those feuding family members were generally tall, raw-boned and more than moderately cerebral.

The stranger arrived with his widowed mother and took up residence in an isolated cabin in the hills of Hancock County, south of the Clinch River. Mirad met a Hancock County girl who lived nearby and before long they went looking for a marrying parson. Following the wedding the three lived together in a modest dwelling.

Mirad met several area moonshiners through his purchases and this led him to doing chores for these purveyors of illicit mountain whiskey as well. Mirad willingly took liquid payment for his services. His state of mind led him to associate with some undesirable characters.

Haney Jordan was a young lady who met Mirad Hatfield and soon found he would do her bidding. Haney had “gone to town” recently for the first time since maturing and while in Sneedville she was spellbound by dresses, “pretties” and niceties she saw. Although there was no way she could afford the items there were many nights that she fell asleep with thoughts of them.

On one Saturday she rode horseback with a friend to buy moonshine from an acquaintance Jonas Trail at a distant still. Ordinarily Trail was extremely secretive of his activities, selling his wares in a “blind tiger,” a considerable distance from his still and from his home. The building was little more than a shanty with a hole in the wall big enough to stick on hand through. On this occasion Trail made no effort to be secretive since the man with Haney was a close friend.

During the dealings at a “blind tiger,” the buyer would normally hand his money through the hole and the unknown person on the other side would put the bottle or jar of moonshine in his hand. Theoretically the buyers didn’t know who they were dealing with so these modest bootleg establishments became known as “blind tigers.”

On the outing to visit Jonas Trail at the site of his still, Haney Jordan noticed that he had a pocket full of money. Later she thought about how many pretty things she could buy if had it.

“Mirad there must have been a hundred dollars in that wad,” she told Hatfield the following Monday. “I’ve never seen so much money. He has to be one of the richest men in these parts.”

Hatfield knew Jonas Trail first hand as he bought liquor from him on several occasions. He also did odd jobs for the moonshiner at times. Hatfield liked to spend idle hours whittling along the path leading to the blind tiger often bumming swigs from passersby or doing odd jobs for Jonas with the payoff in liquor.

While Haney Jordan fantasized about Trail’s money, Hatfield thought about the opportunity to secure a good supply of his illegal corn liquor.

“Jiminy Cricket,” he thought. “I could just lay around like my ole mangy hound and take a snort whenever the feeling hits me.”

Hatfield was no stranger to violence and before long Haney Jordan had him talked into robbing moonshiner Jonas Trail.

Jadon Gibson is a widely read Appalachian writer from Harrogate, TN. His stories are both historic and nostalgic in nature. Thanks to Lincoln Memorial University, Alice Lloyd College and the Museum of Appalachia for their assistance.