Josiah Henry Combs
Josiah Henry Combs was a lawyer and judge in Perry County, Kentucky. He was one of the central players involved in the French–Eversole Feud from 1887 to 1894 in Perry County. Combs was assassinated on September 23, 1894 in Hazard, the county seat. Early life. Josiah was born on November 25, 1832 to Jesse Combs (1798–1874) and Mary 'Polly' (Boling) Combs (1801–1875) of Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. His father, Jesse Combs, was the Clerk of Perry County, Kentucky. He is the grandson of Elijah Combs (1770–1855) the founder of Hazard and Perry County, Kentucky. Josiah married  Elizabeth 'Polly' Ann Mattingly on July 9, 1853, in Hazard. Combs and his wife had at least six children: Involvement in the French–Eversole Feud. Numerous books and media accounts have been recorded about the French-Eversole Feud and the various battles between supporters of Joseph C. Eversole and Benjamin Fulton French. Josiah Combs was the father-in-law of Joseph C. Eversole. He was also an Officer of the Court and had an obligation to the law. On February 15, 1887, a fight broke out in Hazard, Kentucky between Joe Eversole and an itinerant mountain preacher, William 'Bill' Gambriel  (or Gambrel), a French supporter. After a short exchange and a physical altercation, Gambriel was fired upon by Eversole supporters. Eventually, Gambriel was wounded by the Eversole men. As Gambriel was wounded, Joe Eversole shot him in the head killing him instantly. French supporters insisted that Joe Eversole be arrested. Eversole forces said that Gambriel pulled a gun and that the shooting was self-defense. Combs refused to issue a warrant and thereby became a partisan for the Eversole side of the feud. Eventually, Combs and his family were forced to leave Hazard for safety reasons. Governor Simon B. Buckner  sent troops into Hazard several times. In 1889 the 'Battle of Hazard' occurred and Hazard was occupied. After four years of tranquility, Combs decided to return to Hazard over the objections of his friends. Not long after he arrived a group of French supporters hiding in a corn field, opened fire on Combs, killing him at the door to his home. Eventually the man who fired the shot, Joseph Adkins was indicted, tried, and convicted. His accomplices, including Benjamin Fulton French were indicted but not convicted. The 1917 book "Famous Kentucky Feuds and Tragedies" by Chas. G. Mutzenbery provided this  account (roughly 13 years after Judge Combs' assassination): Conviction and trial of the accused. In this same 1917 book was a summary of the conviction and trial of the accused though in the end, no one was really punished by the courts. Joe Adkins was convicted and was supposed to serve life but was released under mysterious circumstances. Josiah was assassinated on September 23, 1894 the last murder from that local civil war. Final justice. A number of books outline that most people believed that B. Fulton French was responsible for the murders of Joseph C. Eversole, his father-in -law, Josiah Henry Combs, and many others. In 1913 (19 years after the death of Judge Josah Combs), French accidentally ran into Joe Eversole's widow, Susan Combs Eversole in the lobby of a hotel in Elkatawa, Kentucky (near Jackson, Kentucky). With Mrs. Eversole was her youngest son, Harry C. Eversole then 28 years old. Harry was both the son of Joseph C. Eversole and the grandson of Judge Josiah Henry Combs. When French spoke to Mrs. Eversole, Harry pulled out a revolver and aware that French wore a bullet proof vest – shot him in the spleen. French initially recovered  from his wounds and the Court fined Harry C. Eversole $75 for disturbing the peace. Susan Eversole paid the fine. In 1915, a little over a year after the shooting, French died from complications from the wound and was buried at the Winchester Cemetery in Clark County. While French never went to prison for the crime of orchestrating the Eversole clan murders, Harry was never tried for Fulton French's murder. Media articles. During the period from 1886 when notice arrived of Benjamin Fulton French amassing a private army to assassinate Joseph C. Eversole the public and media followed  the twists and turns of the French–Eversole Feud and the various trials, battles, indictments, convictions, re-trials, and death of the participants. This is a list of the newspapers that ran articles about the war in order of appearance: First Notice of Feud The Peace Treaty Assassination of Joseph C. Eversole Battle of Hazard Continuing Bloodshed Bad Tom Smith given Bail Continuing Bloodshed False reports that Josiah Combs elderly wife was murdered Indictments, Trials and Acquittals Judge Josiah Combs Targeted and killed More Trials, More indictments Bad Tom Smith Confesses Fulton French Charged with Murder over Marcum case Fulton  French and Mrs. Eversole meet Fulton French dies