9-01-1922 MANY DEFEATS IN OLD FUED IN INDIANA
Family Warfare Dates Back to Trouble in 1882

By Horace M. Coats, International New Service Staff Correspondent.

Shoals Indiana, Sept. 1, 1922.
Another life has been forfeited and the 6th member of the archer family, of southern martin County, has “died with his boots on” as a result of a family feud that has raged there for several years, it is revealed here following the fatal shooting, from ambush, of Clyde Archer, 19 recently.
For years Hoosiers have been wan__ to look with pity, if not disdain, on the family feuds which have “wiped put” hundreds of members of warring families of the Bluegrass state. But apparently in Indiana’s backyard a family feud has been raging for years between the archer and Stanfield families which has resulted in several deaths.
Clyde archer met his death Tuesday, Aug. 15. About a year previous young Archer had killed his man at French Lick, IN. when he stabbed Roy Stanfield, a neighbor, who accused Archer of stealing some money. He was acquitted in court on a plea of self defense.
Row is Old Standing
The 2 families had harbored ill feelings against each other for many years following the killing of Annabel Stanfield by Charlie Archer, an uncle of Clyde.  The older Archer was acquitted of this crime, and a few years later a brother of Clyde was freed of a murder charge.
Back in 1882 Martin Archer was killed by a man named Marley, who was afraid Archer might tell of a larceny job in which the murderer, his victim and John B. Bunch were implicated. This killing aroused the ire of the Archer family, the members of which swore vengeance.
The Archers, accompanied by John Lynch, went in search of Marley and being unable to find him, discovered Bunch.  When Bunch declined to reveal the hiding place of Marley the Archers bound him, took him to Saltpeter cave, in Orange County, IN. a lonely spot near the home of Thomas  Archer.
Here they again demanded of Bunch that he tell where Marley was hiding. As Bunch repeated his statement that he did not know the whereabouts of Marley the archers shot him to death and left his body in the cave several days.
Later they removed the corpse, place it on a pile of brush which had been saturated with coal oil, and burned it. Then a tree was felled and placed over the ashes to prevent discovery of the crime.
Confesses to Crime
Four years later Lynch, conscience stricken, confessed to the crime. Following the confession Thomas Archer, 65, and Martin Archer, 50, brothers were arrested.  Then John Archer, 30, was taken into custody in connection with the gruesome murder.
All three were placed in jail at Shoals. Sam Archer, father of John, and another member of the murder band, was still at large.
At midnight, March 9,1886, a band of armed, masked men visited the Shoals jail, removed the 3 Archers and hanged them to trees in the courthouse yard.  Their bodies were permitted to hang there until 11 o’clock the next morning.
A short time later Sam Archer was apprehended, tried, convicted and sentenced to be hanged. The execution took place July 9,1886, in the presence of what was termed a “circus day” crowd assembled about the scaffold.
All that saved Lynch from being a victim of the executions of the mob that hanged the 3 Archers was the fact that he was confined in the Davies County Jail.
Since that time the hatred between the 2 families has grown apace, and members of each family are on guard always, for an out break of the feud.