Hide Article Text (OCR)
By Wade AllenwaNen@gastongazette.comHistorical letters highlighting details of the notorious Hatfield and McCoy feud will soon make their way from Ranlo to Charleston, W.Va.The Rev. Charles Reed of Ranlo is donating six or seven letters his greatgrandfather Alex Messer wrote while imprisoned in Eddyville, Ky„ from 1902 to 1906.Messer, who had a connection to the Hatfield clan, was convicted of killing a McCoy. Reed said his greatgrandfather was eventually released but ended up back in prison, accused of making threats.Messer died in prison and Reed inherited the letters from his aunt, Elizabeth Compton of West Virginia.In a June Gazette article, Reed expressed a desire to house the letters where people could see them. After the story ran, several historians from Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginiacontacted Reed to inquire about the historv of the letters,wWhile watching a miniseries on the Hatfields and McCoys on The History Channel in June, Reed heard a mention of his great-grandfather's name. That renewed his interest in the letters.Three people who contacted him about the letters knew' a lot about the Messer family and his«rgreat-grandfather.“I learned a lot about him, too ... good, bad or in between, Reed said.CELEBRATINGACQUISITIONReed is set to travel to West Virginia in August for a celebration recognizing his donation of the letters. The West Virginia Historical Society will name the historical documents “The Charles A Reed Historical Collectionof the Alex Messer Letters, according to Reed.He thought Messer had handwritten the letters but recently learned through historians' research that he didn’t write them but gave dictation to someone while in prison The letters are now darkened with age and fragile. They’re addressed to Messer’s daughter, Haney Prater.Reed says the West Virginia Historical Society is going to duplicate the letters, keep them in a controlled environment and put them online so researchers can have access.And that’s exactly what he wanted to happen.“Arty of the family members interested can read about what he wrote from prison,” Reed said. “1 think that if people can read than, that’s the whole idea. ”Gazette reporter Wade .Mien cm be reached at 704-869-1828; tuitter. oom/gazettewade.
Newspaper Details
The Gaston Gazette
Gastonia, North Carolina, US
Mon, Jul 09, 2012
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
AL, USA 05 Jun 2019
Other Publications Near Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia Daily Gazette
Gastonia Firestone News
Gastonia Lake Norman Gazette
The Gastonia Gazette
The Gaston Gazette
