In 1873 Randolph McCoy accused Floyd Hatfield of stealing his hog, and a trial followed under Reverend Anderson Hatfield, justice of the peace. To be fair, the jury consisted of six Hatfields and six McCoys. One witness, William Staton, said he had seen Floyd mark the hog's ear, and Floyd was acquitted. In August 1882 an election was held near Jerry Hatfield's house, where a fight broke out between Tolbert McCoy and Elias Hatfield. Tolbert's brothers joined the fight, as did Ellison Hatfield, who was stabbed and shot and later died in West Virginia. The McCoy brothers were then captured and killed in the pawpaw tree incident.