The Washington times., 1922-06-25
FINAL Scene
IN Ky. TRAGEDY
NEXT MONTH
Three Persons Dead, While
Seven Sit in Shadow Of
Electric Chair.
BRIDEGROOM FIRST VICTIM.
jealousy Said to Have Inspired
First Staying and Murder
Gus Raid on Jail.

- J u
Gus Raid on Jail.
Z JACKSON, KY, June 24.-Seven
men will sit in the shadow Of the
electric chair next month when the
Breathitt county circuit court be-
gins its July term and the fourth
act of a tragic drama Of Kentucky
mountain life.
The lives of three persons---a
man, boy and q woman--already
have been snuffed out by bullets;
another woman has been so serious
" wounded her recovery is not ex-
= pected, and the death sentence has
been passed upon one of the COM
rades of the seven awaiting trial,
while two more have heard the
court sentence them to spend the
remainder Of ther lives inside
prison walls,
Two Tragic Scenes.
Two scenes stand out In high and
shocking relief in this sordid. brutal
yet thrilling story of uncontrolled
passions, The first. and the first act
OF the tragedy, war the killing of O
young bridegroom, somewhere In the
businesses of Lost creek. When he
was shot down he fell in the arms
Of his wife Of few hours.
{ Jealousy was held to be the cause
of this killing. which has since caused
the death of two other persons.
death sentence for one of the alleged
participants and life terms in the
State reformatory for five others
Three more men are charged with
completely in the violent outbreaks,
while three others are still at large
In the mountains. -
The second act was the failure to
get a telephone message delivered.
Seemingly of trivial portent, 1t really
resulted in the raid on the jail and
the shooting down Of two women and
Pursuit Of the Outlaws.
Act 8 concerned the pursuit of the
outlaw band, the capture OF mum.
ber of its lesser members, and the es-
cape through a cave OF Bud Noble
and his two sons, Beecher and Sol
y der: the trial and conviction or three
Of the prisoners token.
hour after dark. that Peauregard
IL %
ter, and a rewly-married couple, Joe
Napier and his wife. were at the
Combs home, on Barge creek, Breath
itt county. Three men rode up,
Combs went to the door and asked
the Identity Of the men. They re.
piled Friends aud Combs inquired
what they wanted.
The men asked IL big Foot" nick.
name of Joe Napier. was there.
Napier went to the door. fusilade
OF shots followed and Napier fell
dying into his brides arms.
The slayers them entered the house
and in q few minutes all the furni-
ture in the place was wrecked.
Combs, Mrs. Napier and the Combs
family were not molested. 1t was al
legged that the assailants were Margis
Noble, Willis Noble, and Alton Grigs-
by., and that Isaac Watts and Ger
trude Thorpe was near by during the
shooting.
At the following November term Of
Breathitt Circuit Court juries re-
turned verdicts of life Imprisonment
for alf the men except Watts, who
drew two years in the State reform
atory. The womaH was not tried.
While at the railroad station in
Jackson in March, on the way to the
penitentiary in the custody Of Of.
ficers, the convicted men attempted
20 telephone Beeeher Noble and Sam
Grigsby not to come to Jackson with
clothing that night. as they (the con-
victed mem had been taken to Win
chester. The message was nsver de-
Nvered. Another tragedy followed.
About 1870 o'clock the next morn
ing Alfred Allen. the jailer, was
awakened by a party Of men who
told Allen they had a prisoner whom
they desired to lodge in Jail. The
taller called his son, Oscar Allen, his
chief deputy, and told the men to
take the, prisoner upstairs.
Oscar Allen, who had a search.
light, saw some Of the men were
masked and threw the keys hack
irito. the room he had left. Then the
pistols began to crack. One of the
Invaders sent q bullet through the
lobe of Aliens ear. knocking him
down. inflicting. however. only n
minor wound. His wife, hearing the
shots, ran out and was Immediately
shot down. Oscars sister Maggie
then, ran from her room and was
shot twice. She fell, and two more
bullets were fired into her body as
she lay there. Mrs. Sarah Allen,
WtLO NoCdIB 10 btiti III btTtOuS
condition. Physicians say she can
not recover. u.s..
ALBERT Roberts. nephew of the
tailor, a boy Of seventeen. rushed ou.
OF another room with q pistol and
opened fire. He was shot to death
Maggie Allen died few days after
ward at the jackson Hospital.
Bud Noble and his two sons,
Beecher and Soldier; Tom Porter and
Louis. Watts were the men Jailer
Allen swore he recognized. The situ-
alton grew 80 menacing that Circuit
Judge Samuel Hurst asked the gov.
ernor for protection for the county.
and Governor Edwin p. Morrow sent
State troops to Breathitt county
The courthouse and Jail were there.
after carefully guarded.
A squad of soldiers were sent into
the mountains and arrested Tom
Porter, William Penn Watts, Hagins
Noble, Luther Noble Sam Grigsby
and Louis Watts. Bud. Beecher and
soldier Noble escaped the net, but
latar hAataUoH In .,a x,a tIox.