A Tragedy at Craney Creek

 

Earlier today, I was contacted by an individual who asked if I would be interested in researching a homicide that occurred in Rowan County, Kentucky, in 1939. Given my longstanding interest in local history and true crime, I agreed.

As I began reviewing the records, I realized this was not entirely unfamiliar to me. I had briefly encountered the case several years ago, though not in any real depth.

One of the central figures was Noah Hoskins of Rowan County, the son of Lewis H. Hoskins and Caroline Collinsworth Hoskins. Unfortunately, very little is known about Noah Hoskins’ personal life or background beyond what appears in court and newspaper records.

What is documented is that Hoskins had previously been involved in a violent incident. On Christmas Day in 1932, he shot and killed brothers Ora and Alvin Fultz, ages 17 and 19, following an alleged trespassing dispute on his property. The available records provide few details about that confrontation, but in 1933, Hoskins was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.

The events that led to the 1939 tragedy unfolded on September 26 of that year. Noah Hoskins and his twelve-year-old son, Oscar, became embroiled in a dispute with John Cyris “Si” Perry, a neighboring landowner. The conflict centered on an outbuilding—often described in accounts as an outhouse—that belonged to Perry and had been washed by floodwaters onto Hoskins’ property.

Perry’s attempts to retrieve the structure and its contents reportedly led to heated exchanges. According to witness statements, Hoskins had warned that Perry was not to remove the building, and neighbors later told authorities that tensions between the two men had been escalating for some time. Some even stated that the men had been “gunning for each other” since the structure washed onto Hoskins’ land.

Rowan County Coroner Lester Caskey conducted an inquest on the Wednesday following the shooting, while Sheriff William McBrayer and County Attorney Richard Clay jointly investigated the incident at Craney.

Sheriff McBrayer later theorized that Noah Hoskins and his son crossed Perry’s land around 7:00 p.m.—the only practical route out of the valley where they lived without climbing the surrounding mountains—and entered Rowan County. The sheriff believed the pair sat on a log near the road when Perry arrived. What followed, according to the investigation, was a gun battle in which both men fired .38-caliber pistols.

Perry told acquaintances that Hoskins had ambushed him near his farm between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. He claimed that when Hoskins began firing, he drew his own weapon and returned fire.

During the exchange, twelve-year-old Oscar Hoskins reportedly stepped between the two men in an attempt to stop the violence. Tragically, he was struck by a bullet in his side. The wound proved fatal, and the boy died approximately fifteen minutes later. The bullet that killed him did not pass through his body.

Noah Hoskins suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Two bullets struck his head—one entering beneath the left eye and another through the left temple. He was also hit in the left shoulder, and a fourth bullet pierced his heart, causing his death at the scene.

Perry was seriously wounded as well. He was shot in the stomach and the leg but managed to walk nearly a mile and a half up a steep hillside to the nearest house. From there, he was taken to Morehead for treatment of two bullet wounds. According to his wife, the coat he wore during the shooting contained six bullet holes. At the time, Dr. G. C. Nickell stated that Perry’s injuries were considered life-threatening due to his age.

Perry’s empty .38-caliber pistol was recovered at the scene, though Hoskins’ weapon was not immediately located. Neighbors told investigators they had heard at least eight shots fired. Sheriff McBrayer noted that the position of Hoskins’ body suggested he had engaged in the gunfight without rising from where he was seated.

Bloodstains indicated that the shooting occurred on a small rise near Craney Creek and the roadway in Rowan County, just across the creek from Perry’s farm in Morgan County. Hoskins’ farm was also located in Morgan County.

John Perry did in fact survive the assault and was tried in October 1940 for the deaths of Noah and Oscar Hoskins. He maintained that he acted in self-defense. After hearing the evidence, the jury acquitted Perry of both charges, bringing the legal proceedings to an end.

John Perry lived until 1961, but the tragedy left deep and lasting scars. Noah Hoskins was survived by his wife and six children, as a bitter dispute came to a heartbreaking end with the senseless loss of two lives—one of them a child.

Source & Research Disclaimer

All information presented in this article is drawn from contemporary newspaper accounts published at the time of the events described. No modern interpretation, speculation, or undocumented claims have been added. While no formal endnotes are included, every factual detail is based on period reporting from multiple newspapers. As with all historical journalism, accounts may vary slightly between sources, and the information reflects what was known and reported at the time.

The Crough–Pergrem Feud of Bath County, Kentucky

 

Violence at the Olympia Depot, 1930

Bath County, Kentucky has never been as widely associated with family feuds as places like Breathitt or Perry counties, but in the early 20th century, simmering family rivalries could still erupt into deadly violence. One such conflict—remembered locally as the Crough–Pergrem Feud—came to a violent end in the spring of 1930 at the small railroad stop of Olympia, Kentucky.

Bad Blood Between Cousins

At the heart of the feud were two men related by blood: Curtis Crough (sometimes spelled Crouch) and James Pergrem (also spelled Pergram). Court records later described the relationship between the two as one marked by longstanding ill will. What began that animosity is no longer entirely clear—an all-too-common problem in Appalachian family conflicts—but by 1930, tensions had clearly escalated beyond reconciliation.

In rural Kentucky at the time, personal disputes were often handled privately, and grudges could fester for years. When firearms were involved, it only took one public encounter for things to spiral out of control.

The Shooting at Olympia

On April 6, 1930, Curtis Crough arrived at the Olympia railroad station armed with two pistols. James Pergrem was also armed. The men encountered one another, exchanged words, and soon became engaged in a physical struggle that spilled onto the ground.

Witnesses later disagreed on exactly what happened next—who drew first, who fired first—but once the men broke apart, gunfire erupted. Shots rang out around the depot, a public place where bystanders were present.

During the chaos, someone ran to summon Marshall Pergrem, James’s brother. Marshall arrived armed, and additional shots were fired. When the smoke cleared, Curtis Crough lay mortally wounded. He later died from his injuries.

The Courts Step In

The killing shocked the local community and quickly drew the attention of authorities. James and Marshall Pergrem were jointly indicted for Crough’s murder in Bath County. Given the notoriety of the case and local tensions, James Pergrem was granted a change of venue to Rowan County.

At trial, Pergrem’s defense centered on self-defense and mutual combat, arguing that the encounter was forced upon him and that Crough had come prepared for violence. The jury ultimately rejected a full self-defense claim but stopped short of a murder conviction. James Pergrem was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years and one day in prison.

The conviction was appealed but later affirmed, cementing the case as one of the most violent and publicly documented family disputes in Bath County history.

A Feud Remembered, But Poorly Documented

Unlike some Appalachian feuds that spanned generations and involved multiple killings, the Crough–Pergrem conflict appears to have culminated with the Olympia shooting. Later references to the “feud” are largely retrospective, rooted in the deadly confrontation itself rather than a long series of recorded acts.

Still, the case reflects a familiar Appalachian pattern:

• family ties strained by long memories,

• pride and resentment left to fester,

• and violence erupting in a moment when restraint finally failed.

Final Thoughts

Today, the Crough–Pergrem Feud survives mostly in court opinions and scattered local memory. There are no monuments, no ballads, and few surviving newspaper accounts—but the story remains a stark reminder that even small communities can harbor conflicts capable of deadly consequences.

Sometimes, history isn’t loud or legendary. Sometimes, it’s just a handful of people, a rural depot, and a feud that ended in gunfire.

Author’s Note:
Much of what is known about the Crough–Pergrem Feud comes from surviving court opinions rather than extensive newspaper coverage. Like many rural Appalachian conflicts, the underlying causes were seldom documented in detail, leaving historians to rely heavily on legal records and testimony preserved through the appeals process.

Sources & References

Primary Legal Sources

1. Pergram v. Commonwealth, 241 Ky. 829, 45 S.W.2d 512 (Ky. Ct. App. 1931).
   – This appellate decision provides the most complete surviving account of the April 6, 1930 shooting at the Olympia railroad station, including the prior ill feeling between Curtis Crouch and James Pergram, the presence of firearms, witness testimony, and the legal arguments surrounding self-defense and mutual combat.

2. Pergram v. Commonwealth, 239 Ky. 766, 40 S.W.2d 356 (Ky. Ct. App. 1931).
   – An earlier related opinion detailing the circumstances of the confrontation, the involvement of Marshall Pergram, and the procedural posture of the case before the final appeal.

Supplemental Context

3. Bath County Circuit Court Records, 1930 (Murder Indictment Files).
   – Indictments and pretrial motions involving James Pergram and Marshall Pergram following the death of Curtis Crouch. (Held in county court archives; not fully digitized.)

4. Rowan County Circuit Court Records, 1930–1931.
   – Trial proceedings following the granted change of venue for James Pergram, including jury instructions and sentencing.

Historical Context

5. Appellate court commentary on mutual combat and self-defense doctrine in early 20th-century Kentucky criminal law, as cited within the Pergram opinions.