The record-union., 1894-10-18
A KENTUCKY FEUD.
TROUBLE OVER THE FREN CHI
EVERSON AFFAIR.
More Than Thirty Men Killed in
the Last Half Dozen
of Years,
Special to the RECoRD-UNrox.

Special to the RECoRD-UNGoN.
Big STONE GAP (Va), Oct. 1.-THE
French Everson feud has started afresh
in Perry County, Ky. Bob May, an ex
member of the Kentucky Legislature,
| and one of the principals on the Everson
side, is here from Hazard, the seat OF the
county and of the war. Judge Combs,
the father-in-law of the dead Everson
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 this murder, and more
trouble will follow.
Judge Combs was 20 years old and
| lived i'll Hazard. Early on Sunday MORN
| ing, two weeks ago, he stepped across the
street where young Cush Everson and
two others were talking. A rifle crack ed
| from the corntield just over the fence, and
the bullet struck the old man in his breast
and he fell. Cush Everson wheeled ana
saw man with blackened face spring
! up and dash through the cornfeld. He
! says the man was Joe Adkins.
At the same time some of the Trenches
began firing and shouting from another
| direction TO divert attent ton from Adkins
! Young Cush with several others ran
across a little spur and hid themselves i'll
| a ravine. Other men with blackened
faces soon appeared, who the Eversons
said were Adkins, Frazer and Jesse
Fields. After they climbed over the fence
| Will Martin, a boy in the Eyerson crowd,
| fired and killed Frazer. The two other
men 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 County Judge to come to
the Breathitt line and try them, as they
0n Anlx 1uct
night they received all anonymous letter
saying that they would be shot the mo-
ment they put foot across the county line.
Judge Combs died in few hours. He
had never taken part IN the feud, though
he was man Of wealth and in sympathy
with the Eversons, and had always tried
to get the trenches to trial. 1t was his
influence that was feared. Adkins is a
noted desperado.
More than thirty men have been killed
in this feud in the last half dozen wears
1t began with the killing OF the Confeder-
ate Gam Drills, strong Breathitt County
family, by the Union Eversons during
the war. soon the Gambrills killed the
EYersou leader, and desultory fighting
went on after the war until 1874. Then
Fulton French came from Virginia to
Hazard and taught school and read law
with Joe Everson, the leader of the Ever
son faction. The Eversons were the rich
est ana strongest amlIy III the county,
and they always had a store in Hazard
which was their headquarters.
French rented this store from Joe Ever
son for a year and opened with his clerk,
| Bob May. French ami May disagreed
and May opened just across the street
and made his store the Democratic head
| quarters of the town. When French's
year was up, Everson sent him word that
he must move out. French refused for
some reason, and, on the lease expiring,
| Everson drove into town and moved
| French into the street That started the
war. The Gambrills took sides with the
| Trenches against their foes, May and
Everson. Sheriffs, Mayors and Judges
have been with the Eversons. French is
said to have hired many of his fighters.
Trouble is feared i'll the immediate fu-
ture, as the men on both sides are out
cunning for their enemies.