Marion County in northwest Arkansas was created in 1836, and though its population was only around three hundred, political divisions were sharp, with the Everett clan supporting the Democrats and the Tutt family backing the Whigs. Matters came to a head with an 1844 brawl at a campaign debate in Yellville, and the Tutt-Everett War began, fueled by alcohol and gunfire.
An 1848 gunfight killed several men, including Simmons Everett, the most-feared member of the clan. A year later, members of the King family, supporters of the Tutts, were ambushed and killed. Governor Thomas Drew called out the Carroll County Militia to restore order. Though several Everetts were jailed, other family members freed them as soon as the militiamen left.
The Tutt-Everett War ended in 1850 when Hansford “Hamp” Tutt, the head of the Tutt clan, was shot from ambush. Before dying, he asked that he not be avenged, and peace returned to Marion County.
Learn more about the Tutt-Everett War at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
