Tabby Taylor
Tabby "Hellcat" Taylor was an outdoorswoman, moonshiner and local politician of the Kentucky Appalachian Mountains best remembered for her record, still standing, of seven consecutive victories in the Kentucky State Wrestling Championship. Raised by her father on a diet of "Gristle, God and Gumption" in a small cabin on the outskirts of Morehead, Kentucky, Tabby first achieved notoriety as a teenager for her feats of daring-do in the infamous "Rowan County War"–a feud between the local Martin, Tolliver and Logan families that claimed the lives of dozens. In the power vacuum that followed the conflict, Tabby used her battle reputation and connections to establish a highly profitable distillery operation. This illicit, "duty free" business would ultimately provide both the resources and impetus for a successful mayoral campaign, as Tabby had concluded that "it ain't illegal if the mayor does it."
Wrestling Career and Death
Tabby's wrestling career is principle source of her fame today. Tabby first entered the state wrestling championship as tactic to preserve her formidable reputation during times of relative peace in the Kentucky Appalachians. She found that she enjoyed wrestling immensely, and resolved to make a side career of it. Tabby's sheer ferocity and, as one commentator put it, "virtuosity in arts of pain," reportedly enthralled spectators. By her third appearance in the championships, thousands were traveling from across the region to watch her "stompings."
Death
Accordingly to local history, Tabby's wrestling prowess and iron determination would unwittingly be the cause of her demise. Most accounts agree on the essentials: While having dinner at a local inn, Tabby reportedly overheard several men conversing about a frighteningly formidable wrestling opponent–one they judged that, on mere sight alone, could scare any sane man out of the ring. The men were allegedly speaking of a wrestler from a mountain near Leon County, Kentucky; Tabby, however, misheard them to be speaking of a "mountain lion," and understood the men to mean that no one could ever have the courage or strength to wrestle one into submission. Accepting their challenge on the spot, Tabby charged out of the building and into the woods. A week later, she reportedly returned to town covered in grievous wounds–and with not one, but two, bound, live, mountain lions in tow. She reportedly dragged her quarry into the town square, and after bellowing that "no man could now dare to set a horizon on her ambitions" dropped dead on the spot, earning immortality in local legend and the appellation, "hellcat," that attaches to this day.
