Old Liash McGraw and A Big Fight

Following are excerpts from stories written by my Great-Grandmother, Annie Biggs Adcock as they were written to her daughter Clara.  They were compiled in a book entitled No More The Wild Country by my cousin John R. Coles.   He graciously gave me permission to use these in hopes that future generations of our family will know a little bit of our history. 

"Old Liash McGraw"

"Old Liash McGraw was an old witch so Granpa Adcock said.   He loafed around the Smiley Settlement.   Come to our house one time. My daddy gave him a quilt to lay down on and he stayed all night.  

Morris Riley Adcock (1840-1919)

He first went to Grandpa Adcock's and he run him off.  Then he came here.  In the morning he wanted to sew up a hole in his britches.  I got a needle and threaded it for him.   He took the needle on with him.   

Grandpa Adcock said he buried that needle, and if I ever stepped over the place, I'd die.   That tale scared us so bad, my daddy wouldn't let him stay anymore.   I could write some that would take legs and walk.   But I'd better not."  

"A Big Fight"

"This was an occasion I attended in 1902.   This happened at the old Turn Hole bottoms, where the bridge goes up Huffman Road, better known as Dividing Bridge Road, just a little above the small creek called Bednigo.   They had fruit stands, about three of them, just a square made of planks and shelves where they had ice cream and cold lemonade, and sandwiches.  

Two big places built about two feet high for the musicians, which was mostly violins and banjos.  They had sawdust from the saw mill hauled up for to dance on.  There were two areas.  Each was big enough for about eight couples to dance.  There was a young man dressed up, sitting on one of the stands.  He was already drawing the bow on his violin.  His hair was curly and a rich auburn red.   Eight years later I married him.  

Well everybody was having a lot of fun when two men got into a quarrel over a small girl who was dancing.   She was about sixteen years old.   From that the big fight started.  There sure was a battle. Two men from Springfield almost got cut to pieces with knives.  Everybody got to leaving. I'll never forget that dance.  It was the thirty-first day of July, 1902.  There was several got hurt in that fight.   They had to be carried to the doctor's.  The young man I mentioned playing the violin, put his violin under his arm and up the creek he went."