Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-04-19
MURDERER OF EIGHT
CAREER OF A KENTUCKY OUTLAW
ABOUT TO BE HANGED.

'Be sure and come up to the hanging"
Il the parting admonition of every leading
citizen of jackson, KY. as the stranger
turns his face toward the city. They are
rs proud up there of the fact that Bad Tom
Smith is going to be hanged on May 81
next as boy with his first pair of trousers.
This first execution marks the dawn of
new era for eastern Kentucky. Her
criminal class has heretofore almost wholly
controlled public affairs.
Bad Tom Smith is confined in the
Breathitt county Jail awaiting his execu-
ton for the murder of DR.. J. Il. RAIDER
last January. He is below the medium
height, but possesses a well knit figure.
Mrs. Catherine McQuinn was convicted
as an accessory to the murder and SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for life
Thomas Smith, murderer of eight men,
inccndiary, horse thief and robber, was
born in Perry county, KY, of humble but
respectable parents, 80 years ago. Owing
to the poverty of his father he received no
education. From his earliest boyhood he
was classed among the widest boys of the
neighborhood. He possessed daredevil
nature, and he was always getting into
trouble. He began stealing when mere
boy.
When 20 years old he engaged in his first
serious fight in the town of Hazard, the
county seat of Perry county. 1t was on
election day, and several of his friends were
being fired upon by their enemies. Smith
had no weapons, and he began throwing
stones. He knocked one man down with a
large stone and secured a musket from
him, with which he seriously wounded Eli
Combs and several others.
From the day of this fight he seemed to
have a burning desire to shed human blood
Soon he was the acknowledged leader of
the French forces in the famous French
Eversole feud of Perry county. In 1887 he
decOyed Joe Hurt, a young man, to his
house and shot him dead. No one saw him
commit this crime but Hurts wife and
little children, and although an effort was
made to bring him to justice it proved
abortive.
On April IS, 1888, Tom Smith, his
brother Bill, Joe Atkins and Elkana Ker-
net learned that Joe Eversole, the leader
of the Eversole faction, was to pass along
a certain road that day, and they secrcted
themselves five miles from Hazard
The road leads from Hazard to Hadcn,
Ky. Their action was the result of plan
conceived by the chief of the French fac
ton and two or three of his trusted adj
viSers.
Without suspecting any danger, Joe
EversOle and a young man named Nicholas
Combs approached the ambush When
they arrived opposite the place of conceal
ment, three winchesters and shotgun
belched forth, and Joe Eversole fell
Young Combs pitched over his horses
head, bleeding from three wounds
Tom Smith, springing from the bushes
was soon at the side of Combs. The boy
had tainted, and believing him dead Smith
stopped over the body of Eversole and rincd
it. AS he finished searching the pockets
of Combs the latter opened his eyes and
said:
ooh, Tom why did you do this awful
deed?"
For answer Smith took atm at Combs
head. The boy, who was dying, looked
Smith in the face and in weak voice
pleaded:
"Oh, Tom, Tom, don't shoot me any
more, for an killed and am dying fast
enough
Smith with his pistol still levelcd said
"Nick, can't afford to leave any wit
ncSscs.
As the last word was uttered he RULED
the trigger, and the bullet entered &c
boys right temple and came out through
the left temple.
For this crime he was tried before
magistrate lack Fugate, as the county
judge, brother of Joe Evcrsoc was
afraid to hold court. The county attorney
was also absent, and rs Smith spirited
nv Eu,
do nothing but release him.
After killing Combs, Smith continued
bushwhacking friends of Eversole. He and
his brother Bill sccrcteG themselves in
cellar of house in Hindman, the county
seat of Knott county, and in broad day
light assasSinatcd Ambrose Amburgy.
This crime occurred in 1889. In the latter
part of that year everything was quiet in
Perry county, and French having removed
to Winchester, KY, the grand jury re-
turned several indictments against Smith
for his crimes.
This alarmed the murderer, and, gather
ing crowd of his friends, he visited Haz-
ard one dark night and set fire to the Per-
ry county courthouse. All the indictments
and court records were destroyed except
some documents which were saved by Cole
man Reed of Mount Sterling. By threats
and by spiriting away witnesses Smith
once more evaded the law
After the courthouse was burned, a reign
of terror prevailed in Perry county. Men
who had denounced his crimes left the
county.
The county superintendent of schools,
Abner Eversole, also had to leave. Several
other friends Of Eversole were notified to
leave the county or die. Among these was
Robin Cornett, who lived just beyond Haz-
ard. He owned very poor farm, on which
he was unable to make n living. On this
account he worked during the winter get
ting out logs One day, while he was so
engaged, and while in sight of his own
door and surrounded by his four little
boys, Tom Smith, Jesse Morgan and Bob
Prophet surrounded him and from the
bush shot him to death. Smith was in
dicted for this crime, but evaded trial by
having the case put off from court to court
and by FORGETTING his bond.
During the session of the Perry circuit
court in the fall of 1885, the French and
Eversole factions met in the streets of Haz-
ard. Henry Davidson, one of French's
men, and Wesley Whitaker, an Eversole
man, got into a dispute. Davidson ran
into Jesse Fields house, from which safe
retreat he fired on Whitaker Then the
fight became general
1t was begun about 2 O'Clock on Tues |