The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-26
SOME KENTUCKY FEUDS
LEADERS IN BLOODY ENTERPRISES
ARE NOT IGNORANT MEN.
The White-Baker Vendetta, the
French-EversOle Feud and the Toll
liver-Martfn Trouble.
Lexington Ky) Letter in New York

results OF natural causes. II Is dinlcult 10
impress this fact on the minds of men who
live in law-abiding communities, where the
means Of communication are ample and
where new men are constantly coming in
and members of old families going out. A
faction in a political party obtains control
Of the official machinery and exercises 1t so
tyrannically that the opposing faction be-
gins to chafe under the injustice practiced
against those who are not friends and re-
tainers Of the men in power, a personal
encounter occurs-it may be between men
of little standing-the factions take sides
and support the actual belligerents, and
within few months the war Is on between
powerful political enemies. albeit they may
belong to the same party.
The feud that has been raging In Clay
county is a pointed illustration OF these
facts. For more than half century the
White family has been ruling the political
destinies OF the people Of Clay county, and
its members have either held all the offices
or dictated the choice Of the incumbents.
Shut out from the world by the hills and
mountains. the Whites have been enabled
to hold their own against the opposing fac
ton In their own party, as no new citizens
ever come into the county.
This was the political situation IN Clay
county two years ago. when VIII Whites
term of Office as sheriff expired and his
brother, Bev White. jr., who had been
Wills deputy, became candidate for
sheriff. At that time nearly every county
Office was filled by White. and the in
cumbents had managed the affairs Of the
county In such way as to secure the most
financial and political benefit TO the White
"a mil
family of Republicans, became SO much/dis-
satisfied with the way in which the Whites
were holding all the -. offices ,h mat iih they en-
rard, son OF General L. L. Garrard and a
Strong Democrat, TO support him Tor sherlft
If he would make the race Th av norma normal
is 1000, so that the Whites felt safe, but
the Philpotts made so vigorous canvass
for the independent Democrat that Gilbert
Garrard came within less than hundred
votes Of being elected.
This bitter campaign aroused great deal
of ill-feeling between the Whites on the one
side and the Garrards. Philpotts and Bakers
on the other. 1t was when this feeling was
at its highest point that A. b. Howard,
friend of the Whites. and Tom Baker Re.
publican. but a strong supporter OF Gilbert
Garrard, became involved In the difhcuity
over the Judgment against Howard which
hsd a6s fe Wes
urally took sides with the Towards, and
the Garrards supported the Bakers 1t was
Baker killed viii White Will had been
abusing the Bakers to old Mrs: Lucas, and
she had told them that VIII White had
threatened to kill all of the Baker family.
When Tom heard of this ne armed himself.
and when he met Will White he shot and
killed him. This aroused all the dormant
fire Of the Whites, and they determined to
avenge their brothers death by Staying
Tom Baker at any cost, and SO 1t was that
when the State Guards took Baker TO Man.
chester for trial this month his assassina:
ton was assured, at least in the minds OK
those who know how intensely the Whites
can hate.
FRENCH-EvERSOL
The famous French-Eversole feud Of
Perry county was another illustration Of the
power of life tenure in Office to promote a
vendetta The Eversole family in Perry
county occupied about the same position
there as the Whites do in Clay county. No
office could be held. it appeared, save by an
Eversole or a relative of an Eversole. Full
ton French had political aspirations. at least
for his friends, but he could not induce the
Everscles to allow any of them to be elected.
A trivial encounter brought on hostflities,
and mountain war resulted which cost
and filled thirty-eight graves. OF these
there are seventeen occupied by Eversoies
who died with their boots on and at the
hands of Fulton Frenchs men.
The Toliver- Martin feud in Rowan coun-
ty, which was settled twelve years ago by
Boone Logan, then a young lawyer. taking
ating the Tollivers, was another of the
same kind The Tollivers ran everything in
the way of an office In Rowan county with
a high hand and their followers became So
terrifying to law-abiding citizens who had
taken no interest in the fight that they de-
termined to stamp out the ,, ToatiVers' altef
The Strons-Amy feud OF Bgeathitt county
was also built on political oppression: The
Strongs dictated the political destinies OF
@l.1 Nd rhn Arorc
actual fighting began, as usual. over some
trivial matter, and it was kept UP with un-
varying regularity until not only were thirty
two men killed, but Capt. Bill Strong leader
of his faction, and John Amy, leader Of he
opposing clan, were shot to death.
The popular idea that the. leaders, of these
ture is erroneous. The Whites are descend.
ed from the same family that produced
John White. once speaker Of the House OF
Representatives of the United States: and
they are closely related to John ID, White
of Clay county, who has served TWO terms
as congressman from the Tenth district
Fulton French is a leading lawyer, and his
opponent. Joe" Eversole. was prosper
Gus merchant and real-estate owner, whose
brother. H. c. Eversole, is circuit judge
of the Clay county district to-day. Boone
Logan the man who raised a little army OF
150 men and exterminated Craig Toilivel
and his clan. is now one of the leading at
o Can't Pn kS w are aRs rsa
In politics in this and other States. One Of
his nephews Is to-day United States com
| missioner at Jackson, the county seat q
Breathitt.
BAD TONI SMITH.
1t is true that the actual fighting men II
| the average feud belong to the loves
strata of mountain society many of then
being unable to read and ready to kill
| man for a small sum, provided their EN-
ployer pays them promptly and stands be
tween them and all danger of the law. On
Of the most accomplished man-killers de
veloped by these feuds was bad Tom
Smith. who was the champion killer in tn,
employ of FELTON, French. He wa.
charged with killing eight men, and on tn,
scaffold he confessed to having killed six
and gave details Of his bloody work. H,
| GERS say, for the killing he did for French
| and II was only when he went to killing OF
his own account that he ran afoul of tn,
| law. He murdered one DR.. RAIDER whil
the latter was asleep in bed, and for thi
| he was hanged. French succeeded in having
him cleared for killing the five men he con
| fessed to killing for him. In telling on tn,
scanold about the killing of one man wh'
| was especially obnoxious to French, Smith
| said: Mr.. French paid me 81 a day ant
| gave me all the bacon and meal / neede,
| while / way lying out and when 1 killed
| a man who was badly wanted out of the wa.
| he would give me new suit of clothes
You see. 1t is mighty hard on clothes to Ia,
| out for men We have to cut bushes ant
| lean them against a pole, so as TO make
| blind. behind which we eat and sleep an,
| Watch Tor the man we are to kill. It's aw
| ful tresome business, and 81 day amt an,
clothes lying in the dirt. there is nothin,
| wrong for Mr. French 20 buy him new
| clothes"
The masses of the people in these isolate,