Wall Hatfield, brother of Devil Anse Hatfield of the Hatfield clan, was killed during the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud. His death was a result of the escalating violence between the two families.
The Hatfield-McCoy feud, which took place between 1863 and 1891, was a series of violent clashes between two families living along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River on the Kentucky-West Virginia border. The Hatfields, led by William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield, were from West Virginia, while the McCoys, under Randolph “Ole Ran’l” McCoy, hailed from Kentucky.
Wall Hatfield, also known as William Anderson Hatfield II, was involved in the feud and its numerous skirmishes. The exact circumstances of Wall’s death are not as well-documented as some of the other events in the feud, but it is known that he was killed as the conflict escalated. His death added to the cycle of retaliatory violence that characterized the feud.
The feud reached its peak with the New Year’s Night Massacre in 1888, where several members of the McCoy family were killed by the Hatfields. This event led to a significant legal and political response, including the involvement of state authorities and even the Supreme Court. The feud resulted in the deaths of at least a dozen members from both families and led to the imprisonment of several Hatfields.
Wall Hatfield’s death is a reminder of the tragic consequences of the feud, which has since become a symbol of the perils of family honor, vengeance, and the lawlessness of the rural American frontier during that era. The Hatfield-McCoy feud has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and even a television miniseries, underscoring its place in American folklore and history.