A NORTH CAROLINA VENDETTA.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 191, 19 August 1870, Page 2

A NORTH CAROLINA VENDETTA.

O>"E of the most sanguinary deeds growing out of jealousy, and one of tlie liiuhest exhibitions of female courage ever recorded, occurred a few days since near the

>'.Ast Tennessee line on the edtje of North Carolina, I ordering on Blount County, [he accouDt seems miraculous and ext.arauant. The parties represented are sale to be creditable and respectable..

It appears tliat the wife of James Divenport became jealous of a young gi! mraed liate Jackson, represented as beiajj quite handsome and lovable. Quarrels and contentions were fierce and frequent between the two Jadies aforesaid.

On the day of the fatal collision, it appears that Miss Kate Jackson, in company with her married sister, Mrs. JJe Armand, passpd the residence of the Davenport family. As soon as the sisters were discovered on the road, the Davenports, six ia number, comprising the mother, three daughters, two of them sjrown, and two sons, the eldest about eighteen years old, rallied in force, and set out in vigorous pursuit of the defenceless sisters. The trail was continued until the sisters had nearly reached the Tennessee line. Here the Davenport brothers by a military movement, slrateKetically flanked them, and presented a front armed with sticks and scones. This caused Kate and her sister, first to halt, and then to attempt to retrace her steps. Hut upon attempting to retreat, they were confronted by Mrs. Davenport and her throe daughters similarly armed, who demanded Mrs. Ue vrrnand to get out of the way as they intended to kill Kate.

Instead of obeying the militia order, Mrs. DeArrnand made preparations to defend her sister. Young Davenport, the elder son, seeing this opposition to his order, at once let go a stone at her, which took effect on her head, breaking her skull and prostrating her lifeless to the ground.

The herioc Kate was thus, at the outset of the engagement, left to defend herself. >he rallied and maintained her line by indiscriminately hurling upon the attacking) party such flinty misslies as came opportune to her. One of these shots took immediate effect upou the eldest Davenport boy, slitting one side of his face open, and placing him hors de cojnbat turning her attention then tothe maternal head of the .Davenport family, she directed a stone against her head that inflicted a severe wound, and laid her sprawling on the field. This accomplished, the brave girl slowly fell back to a position -where she could supply herself with necessary ammunition.

The joint obtained, and being still beseiged, she a^ain discharged aahot, and another of the Davenport brothers wilted, ihen. the Davenport girls rallied and made a d<-s iterate charge upon her with clubs and stones, inflicting serious wounds, but not succeeding in getting her down, Just at this crisis Kate, h.ird pressed as she was, and having no time to stoop to ga'her-rycks to doieud herself, extricated from a pocket a f>majlpc-n-!jnife,mi>asurinu about six- inches in tire biade, ami commenced indiscriminate and very wild ai.d general cutting and slabbing at the combined Davenport girls surrouuding her. Jho result of this fearful fie. zy on the part of Kate was seriously detrimental to the wpll-being ot' tbe Davenport fmales. Two of them received serious slashes from the weapon she wielded, one of them dropping on the field from loss of blood let flooding frcm the knife, and the other so seriously din*

abled as to be a fit subject for hospital practice. The unexpected result contributed materially to the withdrawal of the remainimg Davenport besieging party, who quietly removed their disabled from the field, leaving the heroic Kate master of the situation.

The casualties sustained in this engagement only amount to the death of Mrs. De Armand, with the probability that the elder Miss Davenport will also die, and the crippling for life of four others of the Davenport iamily. Kate Jackson was less injured than any one engaged in the fight, and was able to carry her dead sister home after the battle closed.