Edwards Wehunt Feud

Papa’s Version of the

Edwards-Wehunt Feud

By John Frank Logan

For all the years that Papa made mention of the Wehunts, there was one in particular he talked about.  I always thought he was saying MATT Wehunt, and all I ever had to equate that to was MART Wehunt. Only recently have I become aware of a Wehunt named MET, who was a son of Mart.  I have never before heard such a name as Met.  One’s ears tend to hear what one is accustomed to. So, now I’m convinced that when I was hearing Matt, Papa was actually saying Met.  This makes more sense, because Papa and Met were more nearly the same age.

Be that as it may, from the stories I heard from Papa and other sources over the years, I gathered that the Wehunts were an unusual family to say the least.  If something out of the ordinary occurred in the area, the instant reaction of the community was, “Now, I wonder where the Wehunts fit into this?”  Papa, himself, during his younger days, seemed to usually be on the questionable side of any involvement.  So, here we have kindred spirits.  I am sure Papa was a close acquaintance of the Wehunts if not and outright friend.  And, I feel rather certain that he got his version of the gunfight from Met.  Then it is necessary to remember this and take it into consideration if Papa’s rendition of this seems to lean slightly in favor of the Wehunts.

It also must be remembered that in rural communities of those days any unusual event was a cause for much speculation and discussion.  A mad-dog scare, a runaway team, a house fire, etc. Each was an item of discussion until some other such notable event replaced it.  Here in the Edwards-Wehunt gunfight the community had something to keep it ABUZZ for a long time.  This is not hard to visualize when one can see the interest it still claims.  As the event was discussed, hashed, rehashed, and massaged, each person pretty much developed his own concept of what occurred; and that concept would be highly colored depending on which side that person favored.  So, Papa had more than one account to draw on when he put his story together.

With this as background we can launch into Papa’s story:

It was late afternoon or early evening and the Wehunts were on their way to a country dance. Again, we must remember that the old-fashioned country dance was one of the main sources of social fellowship throughout the expanding frontier for many, many decades.  In fact, its popularity in rural areas extended well into my own lifetime.  I got the impression from Papa that there were a number--at least more than two-- in this party.  That does not mean that all of the party on the way to the dance were Wehunts.  There could have been others in the group.

And, what seems unusual to me for that time was that they were all walking-ON FOOT! This was a time when no “self-respecting male”  would walk anywhere that he could ride a horse.  The general attitude in those days was that traveling on foot was a near-sacrilege.  (After all, if God had intended for man to walk He would have given him four legs.)

Anyway, the road to the dance led by the Edwards’ home, and as the party went by the Wehunts could not refrain from tossing a few jeers and taunts at the Edwards’ home. To accentuate their taunts, they pulled their pistols and fired a few shots in the air.  Papa insisted they did not purposely shoot at the house.  If a bullet went in that direction, it was a result of careless over-exuberance.  And, the party passed on by without further incidence.

The Edwards, to say the least, were somewhat upset and miffed by this demonstration; and they were determined to “get even”.  They knew the particular dance the party was headed for; so they got together, plotted their strategy, and patiently waited for the return of the party which they expected would be well into the night hours.

Now, at these country dances, as the night wore on, people would be departing for home for one reason or another and the crowd would be less and less until the dance broke up, usually between one o’clock and three o’clock in the morning.

For some reason the Wehunts, or a least some of them, left the party early.  I cannot pin down the exact number at this time, but it was at least two of them.  Papa insisted it was well after dark when they returned by the Edwards’ home; because, as the Edwards opened fire the Wehunts returned the fire; but all they had to shoot at in the dark was rifle flashes.

In my skit on Granny Johnson’s Recipe, I stated that in all of Papa’s stories there was some little peculiar twist or quirk that made the story worthwhile; therefore, memorable to him.  The peculiar quirk in this story that made it noteworthy to him was—

That as the Edwards were preparing for the upcoming gun battle, one of them hit on a unique idea.  He took a large steel plowshare from one of the farm plows and tied a rope to it in such a manner that he could drape the rope around his neck and the plowshare would dangle down over his chest covering that vital area of his body.  So, here we have for probably the first time in history an application that could be considered a bulletproof vest.

This particular Edwards took up his stance behind a nearby haystack.  One of the Edwards was crouched behind a large rosebush in the front yard, and I have no recall of how the others were placed.

When the Edwards opened fire the Wehunts returned the fire.  They  kept moving and shooting trying to make as difficult a target as possible. Gunsights are of little use in the dark.  Marksmanship has to be instinctive, and that is probably the reason that no more serious injuries occurred in the fight than did occur.  Certainly the Edwards were not shabby marksmen and there is no way the Wehunts could have survived the onslaught of the first fusillade if it had been light enough for the Edwards to make full and effective use of their gunsights.

I have no knowledge of how combatants broke off the fight.  Whether the Wehunts gradually worked their way out of range or wether the Edwards became appalled at what was developing and decided it should be halted.

Papa insisted that as one of the little ironies of fate, it was the Edwards wearing the “bullet proof vest” that was killed.  Another Edwards got a head wound and the one crouched behind the rosebush got a chunk of flesh shot out of his leg just above the ankle.

At the end of his story Papa paused, and in a sort of contemplative way, seemed to fade into visions of that faraway time; and then he added, “You know, considering the situation they were in, the unseen targets they had to shoot at, those Wehunts exhibited some mighty fine shooting.”

Over the years as I sifted all the evidence I had, it became apparent that this whole incident lent itself to a lot of conjecture, that I felt did not belong in this place at this time.

There is so much conflicting evidence on the Edwards-Wehunt feud that it is doubtful the real truth will ever fully emerge.  However, I offer the following article from The Mena Star, September 1903 to add fuel to the flame.  In the near future I will bring the story more fully to light.

There are two more versions of the story, previously published in The Mountain Signal, and I will bring those to you in upcoming issues.

If you have any information, or pictures, to submit on this story please send them immediately.

DEPUTY SHERIFF KILLED

A Big Shooting Affray In

Montgomery County

As a result Deputy Sheriff Edwards is dead--Martin and Mert Wehunt seriously wounded.

A.C. Meridith, who lives between Mt. Ida and Black Springs in Montgomery County, was in Mena today and reported a fatal shooting affray in that vicinity last Monday night [August 31, 1903].  He had camped on the road a few miles this side of Black Springs and about 9 o’clock Martin Wehunt and son, Mert, passed going toward Black Springs. They had gone only a short distance when he heard several shots fired, then after a few moments a general pitched battle took place, some 30 or 40 shots being fired in all. Presently Martin Wehunt returned and told Mr. Meridith he had been shot and was seriously wounded.  On further inquiry Mr. Meridith learned, as reported, that Zack Edwards and his three sons were stationed on the road near their home, two on each side, and that when Wehunt and his son were passing, they opened fire on them.  The Wehunts immediately returned the fire and Zack Edwards was killed but as far as was learned none of his sons were hurt; but one is missing and it is believed that he ran away and went to Mt. Ida to tell a member of the family, who lived there, of the affray.

Wehunt was shot twice, once in the hand with a shot gun and once in the shoulder with a pistol or rifle.  His son, Mert, was shot six times, his right arm being terribly mangled, and he was also shot in the shoulder, breast and back, the shot and balls penetrating his body in several places.  In this condition, Mert, walked home, a mile and a half, with his Winchester in his hand.

Mr. Meridith states that intense excitement prevails in the vicinity over the shooting, especially as it was the outcome of an old feud, the trouble having been intensified during the day at a trial in Mt. Ida, in which the Edwards and Wehunts were interested.  Further trouble is expected, as Martin Wehunt is reported as saying that if his son, Mert, dies from his injuries, he would see that the Edwards boys hit the dust. 

Zack Edwards is a brother of Bob Edwards, Postmaster at Quito, this county [Polk].

Martin Wehunt is a brother of Buck Wehunt, alleged murderer of G.W. Lambert in 1897. It is reported that the Wehunt boys had recently shot a horse belonging to Edwards and that this was the immediate cause to the recent killing.

Later in The Star Sept., 10, 1903

...The Star learns that there is another side to the story...than that given by the Wehunts, to the effect that the Wehunts..shot into the Edwards house as they passed...and that only Zack Edwards and one son were at home...