Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-03-13
KENTUCKY FUED
DISTRICT CASES
VerdiCtS In Trials Causing
Much Interest In
State
Special TO Evening Teller.

LEXINGTON, Ky. March 13.-That
portion of Kentucky long known as
/ the fcud district during the past week
pr So has leen the scene Of two trials
the results of which are awaited with
lively interest.
! in the little court house at Jackson
Judge James Hargis, notorious as the
Rreathhitt county feud leader, is be
ing tried for the alleged assassination
of Or. B, d. Cox. At Reattyvine Lee
! county John Smith. 3. Fulton French
and John Ahner are on trial for the
! assassination Of James r. Marcum at
/ Jackson.
DIR. p. II. Cox was assassinated in
April, 1902, as he was passing the Har-
els residence in Jackson, TO visit his
child who was i'll The fatal shots
We're fired from a shed belonging to
Judge James Hargis. Judge Hargis
and Sheriff Ed. Callahan were charged
with the assassination.
Noted Feudist Makes Confession
Last June Ausbury Spicer. a noted
feudist, made confession in which
he swore that Judge Hargis and Ed.
Callahan had employed John Smith,
John Abner and himself to murder
DR. Cox.
He said that after waiting every
night for a week for DR.. Cox to pass
the she'd Ebert Fargis. a brother of
the Judge. one night signaned to
Smith, Ahner and himself that Cox
was coming. Spicer swore that he
dozed and was awakened by the crack
of gun.
He looked up and saw that Smith
had just fired, and Abner was in the
act Of shooting Cox. who lay on the
ground groaning. When Cox was
dead, Spicer, Smith and Abner went
into Judges Hargis' yard, where Judge
James and Senator Alex Hargis and
Ed. Callahan awaited them.
Judge Hargis commended them for
killing Cox.
Spicer's confession was corroborat-
ed in full last January, when John
Smith also made a confession, telling
the same story that Spicer had told,
saying, however, that he had not fired
at Cox.
Assassination of J. 3. Marcum.
The assassination of James B. Mar
cum occurred May 4, 1903. He was
killed as he stood in the courthouse
door at Jackson. Judge Hargis and
ploying Curtis Jet and Tom White to
Sheriff Callahan were accused of en-
do the killing.
Jeet was sentenced to hang and
White was given a life term in the
penitentiary. Last June Jett confessed,
saying that he had killed Marcum at
the behest of Hargis and Callahan.
He said White had nothing to do
with it. Later, hawever, Jet was
placed on the witness stand and he
then repudiated in full his confession,
Sdyhi5 hC iad pSSli IOICCd W MAKE II
by attorneys for the prosecution.
Judge Hargis and Callahan were
acquitted, while Mrs. Marcum, widow
of he murdered man, swore vengeance
Later Curt Jet was given a life
sentence for the murder of James
Cockrill, and upon a reversal of his
death sentence for the killing of Mar
cum was given life sentence for that
murder also. Jett is now in the peni-
Tertiary with two life sentences hang
ing over him.
Feud Costs 100 Lives.
Fulton. French, Smith and Abner |
were charged with completely in the
assassination of Marcum, and were
tried at Beattyville on a change of
venue from Breathitt county.
The jury stood eight for hanging
and four for acquittal They could
not agree and were dicharged.
French is the former leader of his
faction in the French Eversole feud |
war in Perry county. In which nearly
one hundred men were killed.