Casey County News, Thursday, May 5, 1955 (originally published in 1940):

The Recollections of A Man Eighty-Four Years Old
                   By J.C. Fogle

(Editor's note:  The late J.D.  (J.C.) Fogle failed to like an article which appeared in one of our state newspapers, and wrote the following article before his death.  It has been preserved by his daughter, Miss Ruby Fogle of Yosemite.  It is printed for its historical value.)

   I have lived within a mile of what is now known as the Yosemite Valley of Casey County, for eighty-four years.  I should know some of the facts of the life in this valley.  After so much has gone abroad of  "The Rip Roaring Days, of Yosemite", which might cause a misunderstanding of the true character of the people, who have lived and now live within the valley and surroundings, I feel constrained to give my version of its history.
   When I was a boy there lived in the Knoblick Valley, now known as the Yosemite Valley, three families.  First the family of Uncle Billy Spears;  Uncle Billy was a fine old Kentucky gentleman, who raised a large family in the valley.  He led them all to the Green River Church for Sunday School and preaching every Sunday.  (The Green River Church has stood on a rise overlooking the valley as a monument to the people for over a hundred years.)
   In the foot of the Valley Uncle Lish Gifford lived - a grand old Baptist gentleman, who was always seen in his pew at the Middleburg Baptist Church every Sunday.
   On the corner where Short & Moore's store now stands, there lived Aunt Ann Wall.  She was a member of the pioneer Lucas family.
   Just across Green River in the twin valley, which I now name the Green River Twin, was and now is the town of Middleburg.  No better people ever lived on the face of this earth than lived, and now live and have always lived in the town of Middleburg and surrounding community.  There are two churches in the town - Baptist and Methodist.  Many years ago the people of Middleburg and surrounding community, by subscription built a two story brick school building.  Nothing like it had ever been built in the county before.  We called it "The College" and to this day it is known as "The College" by the older inhabitants.  Later it was given the name of "Janie Wash Institute".   It was afterwards bought by the district and the present graded and high school developed.
   Now a new chapter begins in the life of our peaceful little valley.  A few miles out in the woods east of the quiet little Valley an old bachelor by the name of Enoch Burdett lived, attended and cared for by his faithful slaves.  He died leaving thirteen thousand acres of virgin timber to his heirs, that he never knew he had, and who never knew of him until he died.  They made their appearance and had this land surveyed, broadly advertised and sold at public auction.
A man by the name of Eugene Zimmerman, from Cincinnati, Ohio, bought the entire boundary.  Mr. Zimmerman organized and incorporated what was known as the "Cincinnati and Green River Lumber Company."  The Company moved in and located a number of sawmills on the land.  They built a railroad from Kings Mountain, by way of Grove Ridge, to Yosemite, over which they hauled the lumber.  This was the first and only railroad Casey County ever had.  Laborers flocked in from surrounding counties and bordering states, mostly from Tennessee and Ohio.  They began to settle down in the peaceful little Valley.
   About this time there came out from Cincinnati a young lady, the daughter of Mr. Zimmerman, to view the works.  She stood on the eminence over looking the silent and peaceful valley and named it "The Yosemite Valley of Casey County".
   There passed into the valley a hoard of undesirables, good, bad and indifferent.  The town of Yosemite was on a boom.  Open saloons, blind tigers, gambling dens, and bootleggers all were going at full blast.
   The good citizens of the Valley, both Yosemite and Middleburg and surrounding communities, who had boys growing into young manhood, becoming alarmed, determined to do something about it.  They organized what was called "The Law and Order League".  The Baptist preacher, Bro. Bowlin, of the Middleburg Baptist Church was at the head of the League.  Uncle Elbert Wells, (father of Link Wells), an old soldier of the Civil War, who scaled Lookout Mountain with the Confederate guns sticking in his very teeth, was Captain of the League.  Jeff Short, (father of Bill Short), a man as quiet and peaceful as a lion at rest, but hell and damnation when arroused, was Lieutenant.  Major Jones, superintendant of the Baptist Sunday School was Recorder.  Uncle Bill Tom Royalty, (grandfather of Miss Betty Royalty), was Judge Advocate.  There were many more (myself included) as reconnoitering squad with Uncle Bill Ned Hatter,  (grandfather of Wauda and Jessie), at the head.  Uncle Bill Ned entered a barn where he believed whiskey was being sold.  A very large man came at him with a pitchfork.  Uncle Bill Ned grabbed the fork and jerked it out of the handle. Uncle Bill Ned received a light blow across the shoulders with the handle.  The man was indicted and tried in the Liberty Circuit Court and fined fifty dollars and the cost.
The whiskey men after looking into the faces of the determined men they were up against, packed up and left the town.  Then a young man by the name of Wells (no kin to Uncle Elbert) started a little whiskey shebang up in Bratchers Hollow.  The Law and Order League called on him, pouring his whiskey out and sent the young man to the county jail.  The next day the arch boot legger of Casey County drove into town with two five gallon jugs of whiskey in his buckboard, drove up into Bratcher's Hollow, hitched his horse and walked down into the town with bold defiance.  Uncle Elbert sent a Paul Revere to warn the League.  In less than an hour a goodly number of the League had gathered in, the Baptist preacher, Bro. Bowlin, with them.  The arch bootlegger, seeing what was up, struck a bee line for Bratcher's Hollow, Uncle Elbert Wells, stalking right behind him, gave the orders to follow.  They all marched up into Bratcher's Hollow.  When the bootlegger got to his buckboard he started to uphitch his horse.
   Uncle Elbert grabbed him and said, "Hold on, you can't go yet".  The League held a short consultation and announced their decision.  Uncle Bill Tom Royalty delegated Jeff Short and Perry Wesley to take the two jugs to a log that lay across the branch and smash them over it.  They took the jugs out to the log, raised them high over their heads, brought them down with a crash.  The whiskey poured down the branch.  It was told that a man living close to the branch below smelled it coming down, lay down and drank bountifully.
   Brother Bowlin gave the bootlegger a short lecture, advised him to be a good citizen and never engage in the liquor traffic again and, he never did.
   The descendants of the Law and Order League are living in and around the valley today and a better class of citizens can not be found in the state of Kentucky or any other state.  This is a picture of the character of the people, who have lived and now live in the Valley of Yosemite on Green River.
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