This account of the Smith, Lowe & Conner Feud is taken from a chapter in Gunsmoke in the Redlands by Joseph F. Combs. It is published by the Neylor Company (Book Publisher of the Southwest, San Antonio, TX) All credit is due the author: In Chapter 19 it states: "One of the most tragic affairs ever to occur in the East TX region was that of the Conner family. This feud began when the bodies of Eli Lowe and Kit Smith were found in the Holly Bottom, a desolate region of Sabine County, on December 5, 1883. The Conners were accused of killing these men, because there had been some trouble between them for two or three years. The Lowe, Smith and Conner families were known throughout the region as law abiding people, so the trouble was evidently due to a misunderstanding." "Willis Conner's sons, Fed and Charles, were jointly indicted for the murder of Lowe and Smith. They were jointly tried in the District Court of Sabine County which was presided over by Judge J.J. Perkins. Fed Conner was convicted of murder in the first degree and given a life term in the penitentiary. Charles Conner was convicted of murder in the second degree, and his punishment was assessed at a term of twenty-five years. The conviction of Charles Conner was later affirmed by a higher court, but the conviction of Fed Conner was reversed and remanded for retrial by the District Court." "Law enforcement officers hounded the Conner family and public sentiment appeared to be strongly against them at that time. Edwin Harper of Hemphill, now advanced in years, is a grandson of Elmer Harper who was living in the region at the time Kit Smith and Eli Lowe were killed. Elmer Harper married Nannie Conner, and he handed down his version of the affair to their children and grandchildren. Edwin Harper has given the author the information he has, and this, together with the court records, form the basis for this story." "The feuding families lived in a densely forested region near the Sabine River Valley, about five or six miles east of Hemphill. The Conners were operators of a small farm and had several hundred head of livestock consisting mostly of hogs. In those days the virgin forests were unfenced and know as open range, so everyone's livestock had the run of this territory. The conners raised their hogs for market and depended upon the fruits of oaks, chinquapin, and other trees to feed their hogs." "At regular intervals the Conners had a roundup of their herds to determine the condition of the animals, and also to see if any were missing. Each hog had a certain ear mark which served as proof of ownership. The Conner family consisted of Uncle Willis and his six sons, BILL: FREREDICK M., known as FED; ALFRED, known as BUBBA; CHARLES; LEANDER; AND JOHN. They ran all of their herds together and as the young men married, they built their homes in the same neighborhood. This soon gave rise to the name of "Conner Community." "Educational facilities were meager in those days and elderly men and women were often the advisers of the younger generation on public questions. Uncle Willis, a sort of philosopher, was one of these advisers, and his opinions were respected by almost everyone. The Lowes and Smiths also had elderly persons who were noted for their superior intelligence. Uncle Willis supported the campaigns for better schools and improved roads, as well as other progressive movements. His activities brought the wrath of his opponents down upon his head, and the community began to divide along lines of political philosophy. Uncle Willis was the leader of one faction, and the elderly people in the Lowe and Smith families represented the opposite opinions." "Dances and various types of gatherings where the young men and women from the different families mingled together were common. On one occasion, Kit Smith and Charles Conner had a disagreement about who would play the violin at a dance. This disagreement was not peaceful settled----both carried a grudge and quarreled a frequent intervals. Their differences grew when suspicions arose over the loss of hogs on the range. Witnesses at the trials of the Conner men said that the Conners accused the Lowes of 'doggin their hogs, cutting off their tails, and the like'." Grudges grew larger and distrust took root in the minds of the Conners, as well as in the minds of the Smiths and Lowes. The feud was fast reaching a climax, and both parties are reported to have appeared armed most of the time. When the trouble between the two factions reached fever heat, the Conners made on of their periodic roundups of their livestock. Witnesses at the trials of Fed and Charles Conner testified that on the day Smith and Lowe were killed they had seen Willis, Fed, John, Charley and Bill Conner riding together along a trail in a direction to indicate they were going to where their livestock ranged." "At about the same time, families of Kit Smith and Eli Lowe testified that these two men left on a ride that would take time through the same region. This occurred on December 5, 1883. Smith and Lowe did not return, and a search party went into the woodlands to find them, or to determine why they had not returned home. Their bodies were found on a dim trail, and persons who were present declared they had been killed by someone who used shotguns, pistols and rifles. Their bodies had several wounds, any of which would have caused death." "Because the victims were found on the Conner range and because certain other acts of the Conners indicated their intention to put a stop to people "bothering my hogs," attention centered on them. All the Conner men were arrested and charged with the crime. Uncle Willis, John and Leander declared their innocence, as did Fed and Charles. The investigating officers found quite a bit of circumstantial evidence to implicate the Conner men in the crime, so Uncle Will and Charles, Fed, Bill and John, were charged with murder. They were placed in jail at Nacogdoches, and later taken to San Augustine, for their own safety. As stated before, Charles and Fed Conner were convicted and both appealed their cases to a higher court. In an opinion handed down by the appeals court it stated 'As to the conviction of Charles Conner, we find no error in it. There is no error in the charges as to him and in our opinion the evidence, leaving out of view the statements of Willis and William Conner, is sufficient to sustain the verdict of the jury. "The judgment as to Fed Conner is reversed and the cause as to him is remanded. As to Charles Conner the judgement is affirmed.'" "While" the accused members of the Conner family were in jail at Hemphill, awaiting trial in January, 1886, the jail was broken open by their friends and they all escaped. They immediately sent work to law enforcement officials that they would never again submit to arrest, and would fight to the last man against any effort to take them into custody. The conners armed themselves with Winchesters, pistols, shotguns, and a large supply of ammunition, as well as food and other supplies, then went into the dense underbrush of the back country to take their stand against any and all law officers." The story goes on & has a sad ending. Hope this gives you a better idea of the names involved. Janina