THE HERALD LEADER published 1969 Kentucky Log Houses Tell Stories of Times Past paragraph 7.

The Cockrells' son Clifton was "the darling, a handsome, spirited, dashing and petted young blood" who married Catherine, eldest daughter of Col. John Tom Hazelrigg of West Liberty.

"Clifton betook at times to liquor," recalled (Judge Edward Clay) O'Rear, "and in one of those evil hours he shot and killed a young man of the name of Brown. When sobered and confronted with the certainty of prosecution, he decided to evade and finally defy the law. He hid out, frequently accompanied by his young wife, and always nurtured by his father."

A favorite hiding place for Clifton was a small room built atop the great log house, but when afraid of being discovered he fled to the Blackwater cliffs.

According to O'Rear, who later together with Col. Hazelrigg (both respected men of Morgan County bar and who lived in West Liberty) defended the father, a posse hunting for Clifton surprised him at the Blackwater crossing. Among the men was a son of Hiram Greear of Grassy Creek.

"Cockrell, armed of course, drew to fight."

Up at the great house on the knoll, Clifton's sisters, Jeanne, who had brown hair and blue eyes and Lula, dark with black hair, looked at each other when they heard the shot ring out. One of them shook her head sadly and said, "Poor Mr. Greear. Clifton's shot him."

"But the shot they heard was from Greear's gun and their brother fell dead in the creek," O'Rear recalled.

"The effect upon the father and others of the family was crushing. They mourned him even as David did his wayward son Absolom in his self imposed doom. Nor would they be comforted -- ever."

Years later Greear while plowing his cornfield was shot from ambush and wounded and suspicion was leveled against Dock Cockrell who was indicted and tried.

"He was defended by Col. Hazelrigg and me. He was found not guilty. Indeed, there was no evidence to have supported a verdict of guilty."

Greear later moved to Montgomery County where he was elected jailer and was a good and popular official.

Soon after the death of her brother Clifton, Jeanne Cockrell, a beautiful girl and noted horsewoman who flew through the countryside on her horse, ceased to go about and died of tuberculosis.