J. B. Marcum (A Kentucky Feud Song) [Laws E19]

DESCRIPTION: Curt Jett shoots J. B. Markham dead in the courthouse. Judge Jim Harkis allegedly tries to prevent a conviction by fixing the jury; this fails when the case is transferred to another county. Jett and accomplice Thomas White end up in prison
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (recording, Ted Chestnut)
KEYWORDS: homicide trial prison feud
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1903 - Murder of J. B. Markham/Marcam in Breathitt County, Kentucky
FOUND IN: US(Ap,So,SE)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Laws E19, "J. B. Marcum (A Kentucky Feud Song)"
Combs/Wilgus-FolkSongsOfTheSouthernUnitedStates 60, pp. 159-160, "J. B. Marcum" (1 text)
Burt-AmericanMurderBallads, pp. 249-251, (no title) (1 text)
Cohen-AmericanFolkSongsARegionalEncyclopedia1, p. 259, "J. B. Marcum" (1 text)
DT 773, JBMARCUM
Roud #692
RECORDINGS:
Ted Chestnut [as Chesnut], "The Death of J. B. Marcum" (Gennett 6513/Champion 15524 [as Cal Turner], 1928)
Lester McFarland & Robert Gardner ("Mac & Bob"), "The Murder of J. B. Markham" (Brunswick 305, 1929; Supertone S-2035, 1930; rec. 1928)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Jesse James (I)" [Laws E1] (tune & meter)
NOTES [535 words]: Laws dates the events in this song to 1905, and this was cited in the earlier editions of this Index, but that appears to be an error -- perhaps one of the many typos in Laws.
According to Rice, p. 40, "The worst disorder in Breathitt County, known as the Hargis-Cocrell-Marcum-Callahan feud, had its origins in a political contest in which fusion candidates accused County Judge James Hargis and Sheriff Ed Callahan of stealing the election. Violent disputes resulted in warrents for the arrest of Hargis and John B. Markcum, an attorney for the fusionists." The arresting officer was the town marshal of Jackson, Kentucky, Tom Cockrell; Hargis claimed that Cockrell and his brother James would have killed him had not Sheriff Callahan stopped it. Accusatins flew; "Cockrell killed Ben Hargis, a brother of the judge, in a blind tiger saloon in Jackson. Cockrell gained strong support from Marcum, who volunteered to defend him, and Dr. D. B. Cox, Jackson's most prominent citizen."
Another member of the Cockrel/Marcum faction, Jerry Cardwell, then killed John "Tige" Hargis, although investigation seemed to show that Hargis started the fight.
One can perhaps understand why Hargis sought a bodyguard. But it proved, to put it mildly, too zealous: "assassins cut down Dr. Cox, James Cockrell, and Marcum, whose death occured in fromt of the courthouse, with Hargis and Callahan watching from a store across the street. For fifteen minutes Marcum lay bleeding before anyone summoned up the courage to attend him."
This was enough to get Hargis and Callahan charged with murder, but they were acquitted. "Hargis, whose near-absolute power in Breathitt County and gubernatorial connections seemed to give him immunity from punishment in Kentucky, was killed by his own son in 1908, and Callahan was shot from ambush in 1912" (Rice, pp. 40-41).
KentuckyEncyclopedia, p. 406, files the events uner the "Hargis-Cockrill Feud" and says it lasted from 1901 to 1912, so the Marcum murder was a relatively early event. (Although Marcum's uncle Bill Strong had been murdered as early as 1899). The contested election which caused the feud took place in 1901. KentuckyEncyclopedia gives these death dates:
* B. D. Cox: April 13, 1902
* Jim Cockrill: April 13, 1903
* J. B. Marcum: May 4, 1903
* James F. Hargis: February 6, 1908
* Edward Callahan: May 4, 1912
Supposedly more than thirty people were killed in the course of the feud.
KentuckyEncyclopedia, p. 406, says that Hargis was born October 13, 1862, and began his career as the owner of a large general store. "His political skills made him one of the kingmakers during the Music Hall gubernatorial convention of 1899," a three-way contest marked by manipulation of delegates and occasional violent demonstrations; (KentuckyEncyclopedia, pp. 666-667) . The election of 1901 sounds as if it might have involved more Hargis manipulation. Beauchamp "Beach" Hargis, who killed J. F. Hargis, was his father's only son; KentuckyEncyclopedia claims that the murder was "not entirely unrelated" to the feud.
KentuckyEncyclopedia recommends as a reference for this Bloody Breathitt's Feuds by E. L. Noble (1944), but I have been unable to locate a copy of this book. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 6.2
File: LE19

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