McCoy clan peeved town won't OK statue of ancestor

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Descendants of Randolph McCoy have given up hope of erecting a park statue honouring the patriarch of the Kentucky hillbilly clan involved in a bloody feud with the rival Hatfield family in the late 1800s.

"There were some people bitterly opposed to the idea," said Ron McCoy of Durham, N.C., Randolph's great-great-great-grandson. He said the life-sized, bronze statue will instead be placed in a cemetery on the outskirts of town.

The Pikeville City Council hasn't said no to the family's request to the place the statue in the park. It just hasn't said yes.

Pikeville resident James Smith said many people feel placing the statue in the park would be romanticizing criminal behaviour.

"I don't believe we should be putting up the statue," Smith said.

"Killing is killing. It doesn't matter how you do it."

The feud between the McCoys of Kentucky and Hatfields of West Virginia is believed to have stemmed from a dispute over a pig. A court battle over timber rights escalated the tension in the 1870s. By 1888, as many as a dozen lives were lost, including six of Randolph McCoy's children.

"There is nothing in the historical record alleging that Randolph McCoy committed any criminal act," Ron McCoy said.

"Never, never to my knowledge was there ever a warrant issued for Randolph McCoy for any reason. He wasn't a criminal."

"He was a victim."

Tourism promoters in Pike County have been trying to capitalize on the fame of the feud to lure visitors. Phyllis Hunt, executive director of the Pikeville Tourism Commission, said an annual reunion of the Hatfields and McCoys fills the city's hotels with visitors each June.

At the reunion, descendants from the two families compete in softball and tug-of-war. This year's reunion is scheduled June 12-15.

Ron McCoy said he believes the statue, which is being sculpted by Kentucky artist Sam McKinney, would have been a focal point for the city park where vendors and entertainers congregate during Pikeville's annual Hillbilly Days Festival.