The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-26
A FEUD In KENTUCKY.
THE WAR OF THE FRENCH AND
EVERSOLES RENEWED.

Four Men Assassineted Who We're
Witnesses in the Murder Case
Against the Frenches-A Jailer
Wounded by Stray Bullet.
From the NeiC York Sum-
LOUISVILLE, Dec. 21.-A terrible affray
between the French and Eversole factions
occurred last Friday at Hindman, the seat
of justice of Knox county, Kentucky. 1t was
a renewal of the feud described in last Sun
days Sum- Hindman is two mics from
any railroad, and tne news of the affray has
only just reached here On a change of
venue the cases against Ben Franklin French.
Bob Profit, Anderson Coldiron and Tom
Smith. alias Red Mule, indicted by
the Perry county grand jury for
the assassination of Joe Ever
sole, the leader of the Eversole faction. and
his friend, Martin Combs, had bsen taken
from Perry county to Hindman. French
and all his friends were released on bond at
Hindman. French's party gathered there
heavily armed Many of the Eversoe
faction were also present. Judge Lilly.
fearing an outbreak, refused to hold court
at Hindman unless Gov. Buckner furnished
a detail Of soldiers to guard the court.
SfOV. buckDoT declined TO 90 so. FINALLY
Judge Lilly decided to hold court at Hind
man.
Last Friday John and Andrew Sloan, two
of the witnesses against French, went to
Hindman to await their turn to testify
The town was full of armed men. French
and an his friends were present The Sloan
brothers were the lifelong friends of the
Eversole party. Lewis Hays, Lib Hays,
Andrew Hays three brothers), and 'Red
Mule" Smith, members of the French party,
were together. They met the Sloan brotn-
ers and at once picked quarrel with them.
This was about noon. The French party
drew their pistols and drove the Sloans off
the streets at the muzzles of their weapons.
Smith and the Hays followed close upon
the Sloans until they reached point where
they had every advantage. "Red Mule
Smith was in advance. Suddenly he shouted
to the Sloans:
"Look out for yourselves; -- you,
we are going to kill you.n
Smith and his companions at once opened
fire upon the retreatirg Sloans. They took
deadly aim, and their bullets counted. At
the first discharge John Sloan fell MORALLY
wounded. Andy was also hit several times,
but he managed to keep his feet, although
he was SO weakened that he was barely
able 10 run. Knowing that they could soon
overtake Andy. the members of the French
party advanced to where John was lying,
bleeding to death.
"Mercym cried the mortally wounded
man. "Do not shoot me again. l Will soon
die, anyhow"
The men did not pay any heed to his sup
plications, but, standing over him, they
emptied into his body the contents of their
44-caliber revolvers. Fifteen or twenty
bullets pierced his body. His corpse was
left lying on the ground, while the slayers
turned their fire upon Andy Sloan, who
e-et., rsw,-r oil n1@ 4 81 49,.
bullet struck Andy Sloan in the right jaw
and severed his juglar vein. The wounded
man staggered and fell short distance
from where his brother John lay dead.
The murderers came up and fired a few
more shots into his body. Andy died a few
hours later in the most intense agony.
During the shooting another man, who
was not connected with the feud, was badly
hurt. Clabe Jones. the jailer of Knott
county, was standing near. AS soon as the
ARRAY began he endeavored to get out of
the way, but one of the big bullets struck
him. 1t was not a centre shot, however,
and the wound, it is thought, will not prove
fatal. The missile went through his right
shoulder.
AS soon as their crime was done all four of
the murderers slowly withdrew from Hind
man. Not the slightest attempt was made
to arrest them. The people of Hindman
dared not risk such thing. Many men,
bers of the French faction are still in Hind
man. All of them are heavily armed, each
having one or two large revolvers and
keen-edged knife hid on his person,
while many OF them carry in addition
Winchester rifles and double-barreled shot
guns. Had any effort been made to arrest
the four murderers it would have caused all
The French partisans to rally to the rescue
of their friends and as they were the most
numerous, they could have easily captured
the town and driven from it anybody they
did not wish to remain there.
1t was charged by the Eversole party that
the murder of the Sloan brothers was a
part of carefully planned plot on the part
of the French faction to put out of the way
all the witnesses who were likely to give
damaging evidence against French and the
other defendants in the murder cases.
About week preceding this two other wit
nesses agains French and his companions
were killed, but the news of their deaths
was not received until to-day. The two
other victims were Richard Vance, and
a man whose name has not been
learned. They were warm friends of
the Eversoles. Riding along together in
the edge of Perry county they were shot
from ambush and instantly killed. Merely
the bare facts of these two assassinations is
all that is known this side the rugged range
of mountains, in the fastness Of which the
murders were accomplished. These men
had been subpoenaed to appear at Hlndman
and testify against French and his asso-
ciates.
The murder of Vance and his companions
did not arouse the Eversoles SO much, for
they had grown accustomed to seeing their
men put out of the way. But when the
Sloan boys, who were very popular in the
mountain section, fell, they began to prepare
for fight.