Cap Hatfield
Cap Hatfield was a murderer and feudist.
Early life
William Anderson Hatfield was born in 1863. He was the son of Devil [Anse Hatfield|Devil Anse] and Levisa Hatfield. He was named after his father and probably nicknamed Cap after his father's service in the confederate army.Hatfield-McCoy feud
Election Day shoot out
During the elections in November of 1896, Cap and his 14-year-old stepson, Joe Glenn, killed the mayor of Matewan, Jim Rutherford.Later that day Cap and Joe went to a store on their way home. At the store a crowd of men gathered outside; among the crowd was Jim Rutherford’s son John, who was drunk. When John and Cap saw each other, they opened fire. John was killed and so was John’s brother in-law Henderson Chambers, who ran outside the store to see what was going on.
Imprisonment
On April 1897, at Mingo Circuit Court in Williamson, Cap and his stepson were found guilty for murder and sentenced to prison for one year.While Cap was in prison he began to study law.