In 1882, Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield's brother was murdered by three sons of Randolph McCoy. Within a matter of days, Devil Anse and his ad hoc militia executed the three McCoys.
In 1878, Randall accused a relative of Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield of stealing one of the McCoys’ hogs. Randall took the more affluent Hatfields to court in Kentucky but lost.