The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1890-09-12
OF PERRY.
Sketches Of the Men Now In the
Winchester Jail Awaiting
Their Trial for Many
Murders.
Talks With Both Factions and What They
Have to Say About the Feuds That
HIVE Disgrnccd the State.
INTERESTING INTERVIEWS.

INTERESTING INTERVIEWS.
Especial by Couricr.l
WNcHEsrER, Ky, Sept. 10, lS90.-Of the
Perry county prisoners, twelve have been
arrested for crimes said to have been COM
mittcd rs members of either the French or
Eversoc bands, who have shed so much
blood during the past four years. Five
belong to The French faction and seven to
the Evcrso,c side All were lodged in the
same room at the Jail and they appear to
get along together pcacably.
Since their arrest French and Eversolc
hatc been continually together, and they
have been noticed in long conversations
with each other They are both known to
be smooth citizens, and fairly well posted
on the criminal laws Of the State. and the
conclusion is reached that they are laying
their plans 10 shield each other as far Is
possible In fact French has been heard
to say that he and Evcrsole have an UNI
Outstanding by which they expect to make
the evidence against them very light.
The followers OF the French faction now
in Jail 1T Winchester are b. F. French.
William Smith, Jessie Fields. John Jones
and Joe Davidson, all of whom are charged
with murder on several indictments. The
Evcrsolc party consists of George W. and
john c. Evcrsolc. IVES. Whitaker, Frank
Polly. Green Morris, job Bowling and Ed.
Combs. The four are charged with muir
der on several indictments, and the last
three with malicious shooting.
The other four prisoners are Henry
Fugatc, Mort Whitaker. Brcnton Brasil
ears and Shade Duff. Henry Fugatc is
the Young boy, who. with his brother,
lack Fugatc, wavlaid Constable Allen, in
Perry county, the latter part of last July,
and shot him. Allen had Buck Fugale,
another brother under arrest, and was
conducting him to the Perry county Jail
when he was killed. All got away, but
Buck and Henry have since been arrested,
while lack is still at large. Buck Fugate
passed through Winchester Yesterday on
the way to the pentcntiarv at Frankfort.
Henry Fugatc. the one in Jail, charged
with murder, is bcardlcss boy only sew
cntecn wears of age.
1t has been rcckoned that ut least thirty
men have been killed in the French
EvcrSole iucd since lis organization, a
litllc more than four years ago. Yet the
indictments against those now under ar
rest are nearly all for the murder of John
Mcknight and Ed Campbell, both of
whom were members OF the EverSole
faction, and met their their death early in
the action.
John c. Eversolc claims that he had no
hand in killing Mcknight and Campbell,
and saws that both of the men were his
friends He asserts that Judge Lilly
committed him without bail in order to vim
dcatc himself from the charge of lenicncy
i'm the discharge Of his official duties.
Evcrsolc will make an immediate effort to
be released Oh bail, as will number of
others.
The prisoners were accompanied to
Winchester by Judge X. I. Fields, county
Judge of Perry, and brother of Jesse
Fields. one Of the prisoners. Judge Fields
is confident that the fucd that has so
long kept the county in astate OF anarchy
is now at an end, and that Perry may
now enjoy peace and prosperity.
at is fact said he, that there is
not church in Perry county and very
few school houses bat We do hope to do
better in the near future. guess it has
been nearly two Years since sermon was
preached in Hazard, or any other religious
exercises were held, but when our new
church is built we will invite some
preacher to hold services.
The last grand jury did good work in
Perry county, and found ISL indictments.
This fact alone will go long ways toward
quoting the disturbing element in the
in Perry who long TO see the law enforced
and peace established, and ! hope and
believe that their wishes will now be
realized
By means Of hard begging, your courier
was admitted TO the Jail Yesterday morn
ing and had few minutes conversation
with French and the two EversoleS. Each
of the men was perfectly willing to give
his version of the fucd from beginning to
end, but they had hardly started to talk
before the jailcr pcremptorily demanded
that the reporter come out.
The alleged leaders Of the Eversolc
faction are Judge George W. and John c.
Eversole, brothers Of Joseph Eversole,
who was the original member of the
family to have Il difficulty with French.
When Joe Evcrsoc was shot down on the
highway by unknown men his two brothers,
it is claimed, took up the fight, just where
lac left of. and have kept it going vigor-
ously ever since. Both are young men,
and possess more than ordinary intelli-
gence. G. W. Eyersole was county Judge
Of Perry at the beginning and during the
bloodiest period of the fcud. His brother,
John c. Eversolc, is about twenty-five
years of age, and appears to be very we'll
educated. He taught school for some
time in his native county and for while
was a drummer for Il Cincinnati house.
From him partial statement was obtained,
which is the substance us follows:
In 1885 Joseph Eversole was merchant
and practicing lawyer in Hazard. B. F.
French was also lawyer living at the
same town and occasionally clerked for
Eversole Some time in the year 1885
French bought Eversole's stock of goods