The Courthouse Square Traditional Cache

After the 1888 New Year's Day raid by the Hatfield's at the home of Randolph McCoy, special officer Frank Phillips and a posse rode into West Virginia.

Despite the fact that Phillips lacked properly executed extradition papers, the party captured Wall Hatfield and eight others, and lodged them in the Pike County Jail, to stand trial for the murders or Tolbert, Randolph Jr., and Pharmer McCoy, killed in the pawpaw tree incident, and of Alifair and Calvin McCoy, who were killed during the New Year's Day raid.

In response, the Governor of West Virginia sued Kentucky for unlawful arrest of the nine prisoners. The suit was based on due process and illegal extradition, the United States Supreme Court became involved. The Supreme Court ruled 7–2 in favor of Kentucky, holding that, even if a fugitive is returned from the asylum state illegally instead of through lawful extradition procedure, no federal law prevents him from being tried.

Eventually, the men were tried in Kentucky, and all were found guilty. Among the men found guilt were Valentine “Uncle Wall” Hatfield, the elder brother of Devil Anse, Doc D. Mahon, son-in-law of Valentine, Pliant Mahon, son-in-law of Valentine and brother of Doc, Johnse Hatfield, Ellison "Cotton Top" Mounts (a suspected illegitimate son of Ellison Hatfield) and Selkirk McCoy.

All the men received life sentences, except for Ellison "Cottontop" Mounts, who received a death sentence and was hanged on February 18, 1890.

Fighting between the families eased following the hanging of Mounts. Trials, however, continued for several years, with the trial of Johnse Hatfield the last, in 1901.