TENNESEE: Booby Trap

In eastern Tennessee’s McMinn County, on the western roll of the Blue Ridge Mountains, politics is played for keeps, right up to the gunstock. For almost 30 years, McMinn’s shootingest politician has been a stocky, grim-faced Democrat named Thomas Burkett Ivins, 63. As a “revenooer,” a deputy marshal and McMinn County’s sheriff, Burkett Ivins had never been slow on the draw. He had killed seven men—all, it was decided, justifiably. Old Burkett was proud of his pistol prowess; no one in sight of his one good eye was going to outshoot him.

After the bloody election-day revolution of G.I. veterans had swept him out of office (circuit court clerk) last year (TIME, Aug. 12, 1946), Ivins tried to grab control of what was left of the discredited Democratic machine. Last April he was blocked from election as county Democratic chairman by a faction led by one Lake Dunn and his nephews, King and Charles Dunn. A few nights later, on Etowah’s main street, Burkett Ivins shot and killed his eighth man : ailing, limping, unarmed Charles Dunn. At his trial, Ivins swore that Dunn had threatened to beat his brains in and had rushed at him with a hunk of concrete in his upraised hands. A hung jury left Ivins free to go around as he always had—with a .45 automatic hitched to his belt.

Warrior Ivins also had a gentle side. The one who knew it best was his plump, four-year-old grandson, Danny Ivins. Whenever Danny visited him, Ivins sent away his vicious watchdog (it had once snapped at Danny). He took Danny along on some of his politicking trips, always bragged about him.

One sunny morning last week Ivins walked out to the garage (past the spot in his yard where he had once killed a Negro). Danny waited for “Grandpa” to back out his battered 1941 Ford coupe. Ivins touched the starter button. An explosion ripped the car apart. Danny, bowled over by the blast, was not seriously hurt. Burkett Ivins lived long enough to mutter: “I’m done in for good—but to think they would do that to my Danny.” Beside him was his .45 Colt automatic.