Police Report                 Found at  https://thehatfieldsmccoys.weebly.com/police-report.html

Case Number: 1234567

Date: August 9, 1882

Address: Election Day in Kentucky near the Tug River

Reporting Officer: Deputy Jones

Weapons Used: Knife and Pistol

Incident Type: Murder

         On August 9, 1882, at approximately 4pm in the afternoon on Election Day witnesses say three boys by the name of Tolbert, Pharmer, and Bud McCoy were involved with the stabbing, shooting, and murder of Ellison Hatfield. After the elections families and others gathered together for music, dancing, and plenty of alcohol. Friends that were with Ellison Hatfield before the incident say Ellison was drunk and was seen staggering around the election grounds looking for a fight. Friends of Ellison also saw a heated argument between Ellison and Tolbert McCoy. The argument was then broken up by Ellison’s brother Anse Hatfield who told reporters that the argument was over money that Ellison owed the McCoy for a fiddle he had given to him a few years back. After the argument was broken up, Anse saw Ellison walk in to the woods for an evening nap.

While Ellison was napping, witnesses told authorities that Tolbert was sharpening his knife walking around the Election grounds with his 2 brothers by his side, asking for Ellison Hatfield’s whereabouts. Later that evening after Ellison woke from his nap and was seen staggered into the crowds with a straw hat on, Tolbert came face to face with Ellison with a mass of people crowding around them. The two men started yelling at each other and Ellison whispered something to Tolbert that nobody could understand. After Ellison spoke his peace he turned around and started to walk off. This is when witnesses say that Tolbert took his newly sharpened knife and stabbed Ellison in the back. Ellison, who was still standing, turned around and lunged for Tolbert while Tolbert and his brothers, Pharmer, and Bud jumped into the brawl and continued with the stabbing. Witnesses say that Ellison was still standing until one of the brothers pulled out a gun and finished Ellison with a gunshot straight in the back, knocking him to the ground. The McCoy boys were seen running into the woods and have been missing ever since the incident occurred. While Ellison was left clinging to life with 27 stabbing injuries in numerous places over his body and a gunshot wound. Ellison was reported dead the next morning.