Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-10-18
KENTUCKY's FAMOUS FEUD.

The French-Eversole feud has started
afresh in Perry county, Ky. Bob May,
an ex-member of the Kentucky legisla
ture, and one Of the principals on the
Eversole side, is at Big Stone Gap, Va,
from Hazard, the seat of the county
and of the war. Judge Josiah Combs,
the father-in-law of the dead Evelsole
leader, is dead. The leader of the
French faction, whose name was Frazer
Fulton French, and two others of his
faction have been arrested for his MUIR
der, and more trouble will follow.
Judge Combs was 70 years old and
lived in Hazard. Early on Sunday
morning, two weeks ago, he stepped
across the street where young Cash
Eversole and two others were talking.
A rifle cracked from the corn field just
over the fence and the bullet struck the
old man in his breast, and he fell. Cash
Eversole wheeled and saw man with
blackened face spring up and dash
through the corn field. He says the
man was Joe Adkins. AT the same time
other Trenches began firing and shout
ing from another direction to divert at
tention from Adkins. Young Cash with
several others ran across little spur
and hid themselves in ravine. Three
men with blackened faces soon appear
ed, who, the Eversoles said, were Ad-
kins, Frazer and Jessie Field. AS they
climbed over bank Will Martin, boy
in the Eversole crowd, fired and killed
Frazer; the other two escaped, but were
captured later with Fulton French in
Breathitt county. Adkins is said to
have escaped, but French and Fields are
held. They are trying to get the coun-
ty Judge to come to the Breathitt line
and try them, as they are afraid to go
to Hazard.
Judge Coombs died in a few hours.
He had never taken part in the feud,
though he was man of wealth and in
sympathy with the Eversoles, and had
always tried to get the Trenches to
trial. 1t was his influence that was
feared.
Adkins is a noted desperate. More
than thirty men have been killed in
this feud in the last half a dozen years.
1t began with the killing of the head of
the Confederate Gambrills, a strong
Breathitt county family, by the Union
Eversoles during the war. Soon the
Gambrills killed the Eversole leader,
and desultory fighting went on after
the war until 1884. Then Fulton French
came from Virginia to Hazard and
taught school and read law with Joe
Eversole, the leader of the Eyersole
faction. The Eversoles were the rich
est and strongest family in the county
and had store in Hazard, which was
the republican headquarters.
French rented this store from Joe
Esersole for year, and opened with
his clerk, Bob May. French and May
disagreed, and May opened just across
the street and made his store the demo
cratic headquarters of the town. When
French's year was up Eversole sent
him word that he must move out.
French refused for some reason, and on
the day the lease expired Eversole
drove into town with twenty wagons of
goods, moved French into the street,
and opened the store the next morning
himself.
That started the war. The Gambrills
took sides with the Freuches against
their old foes, and May and Eversole,
though political enemies, joined their
forces. and in time there were hundred
men on each side. The deadly mutual
bitterness probably will outlive this
generation. Sherifis, lawyers, and
judges have been with the Eversoles.
French is said to have hired many of
his fighters. May has left Hazard, he
says, through fear of assassination.