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Irvine, Kentucky – 1896-1897
One of the lesser known feuds of Eastern/Central Kentucky lies in the center of Irvine, Kentucky. Known as the Newman/Calmes feud, it draws less attention than others due to a low body count. Nevertheless, it’s part of the rich history of a once thriving oil and farming community.
Little “true” details are known to be “facts” about the Newman/Calmes feud. The two main known parties, Floyd “Stump” Newman (Husband of Martha Newman) and Harold Franklin Calmes (widower of Raimey Wilson) were neighbors in the central/northern section of Irvine, Kentucky for a number of years. Floyd Newman did early work in the oil fields in Estill County but had retired to a farm that joined adjacent to the Calmes farm, after an accident left him wounded on the job. Family accounts state that it was this very accident that would eventually lead to an infection resulting in the amputation of his left arm.
Despite his disability, Newman (who had purchased half of his farm from Harold Calmes) managed to create a thriving farm. Some accounts state that this lead to jealousy from Calmes and Calmes reportedly often told listeners that Newman mislead him during the division and sell of half the farm and took the more fertile soil. Regardless, Newman and Calmes were neighbors and “reportedly” friends for a number of years.
Their real bad blood began innocently enough when Calmes failed to contain a horse that continued to venture onto the Newman property and cause damage. This lead to Newman’s wife Martha confronting Calmes over uprooted sunflowers. Calmes allegedly grew upset and blamed the Newman’s for damaging his fence in the first place, resulting in his horse escaping. When Martha confronted Calmes, Calmes shoved her to the ground enraging Newman. Thus, the first blood was spilled in the Newman/Calmes feud.
From 1896-1897, numerous old tales tell the story of a bitter back and forth between Floyd “Stump” Newman and Harold Calmes. Ranging from Newman supposedly poisoning chickens belonging to Calmes, to mysterious fires on the Newman property.
The feud came to a head in the late winter of 1897 when the Calmes horse once again escaped and trampled and onion patch belonging to Newman. Newman shot the horse and killed it on the spot. An enraged and drunken Harold Calmes stumbled onto the Newman property with gun in hand and threatened Newman and his wife. Fearing for their safety, Newman fired first, striking Calmes in the left side. As he fell to the ground, Calmes, either fired a shot or dropped the gun causing it to discharge striking Newman in the lower abdomen. Both men died in a matter of minutes, thus ending the Newman/Calmes feud.
Little is known about Martha Newman after the Newman/Calmes feud. It is suggested that she moved to Ohio to be with other blood relatives and perhaps eventually remarried. Floyd “Stump” Newman was buried in an unknown location, while Harold Calmes is suggested to have been placed in the lost Wilson/Calmes cemetery supposedly behind the property of Calmes. In time, the Newman/Calmes farms were somewhat developed into an area of living and the name of the area became “Stump Calmes Road” (eventually changed to stump road).
NOTE: Information from this article has been gathered from family as well as the 1983 book “Forgotten Blood: Little known Feuds of Eastern and Central Kentucky”
