Joseph C. Eversole

Joseph Castle Eversole was born on July 26, 1852[1] and died by assassination[2][3][4][5] on April 15, 1888.[6] He is the son of Major John C. Eversole of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry USA (1828-1864) and Nancy Ann Duff (1828-1900). Joseph was the leader of the Eversole side of the French-Eversole Feud.

Joseph Castle Eversole about 1884

Early life

Joe Eversole was the son of US Cavalry Major John C. Eversole (14th Kentucky USA) and Nancy Ann Duff.[7] He was one of nine known children. The Eversole, Duff, Combs, and Cornett families were early settlers of what became Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Joe is listed as both a 'merchant' and as practicing lawyer and media articles record him going to court in Hyden, Kentucky the morning of his assassination however no record is found of any legal degree. He owned a general store in Hazard. His father was also assassinated on May 2, 1864 when he was about 12 by Confederate forces. His Father-in-law, Josiah H. Combs would be assassinated by the same people that killed Joe in 1894. Joe is listed as holding various positions as an elected official (on the school board and as sheriff) so there is little question he was a politician that served the Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky area.

He was married to Susan Combs (1855-1947) on May 31, 1871 and had seven children of which 5 lived to be adults.

Joseph C. and Susan (Combs) Eversole on their wedding day

Their children were:

Delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention

Because of Joseph C. Eversole's political activity in Eastern Kentucky, he was a delegate[8] to the 1884 Republican National Convention held in June 1884. He was one of the delegates from the 10th district of Kentucky.[9] He named one of his children (Dr. Chester Arthur Eversole) after US President Chester A. Arthur.

1884 Delegate badge of Joseh C. Eversole

Feud and assassination

The individual arrested and hanged for the murder was known as 'Bad Tom' Smith.[10][11] Joe Adkins was also implicated and he was later convicted for the 1894 assassination of Judge Josiah H. Combs.[12] 'Bad Tom' said that the murders were committed on orders from the leader of the French faction, Benjamin Fulton French.[13] Media of the time recorded 'Bad Tom' Smith's confession in detail.[14] Several records written in 1889 (about a year after the assassination) said:

Grave of Joseph C. Eversole in Hazard, Ky

The June 28, 1895 Courier-Journal[17] (Louisville, Kentucky) reported Mr. Smith saying:

When asked why he did this he said in a separate article that he stole a horse from the Eversole's and that the Eversole's prosecuted him for this crime and 'he became their bitter enemy joining the French Faction'[18]

In addressing the crowd, 'Bad Tom' Smith said:

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. 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.[20]

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

"Bad Tom' Smith

Fulton French Charged with Murder over Marcum case

Fulton French and Mrs. Eversole meet

Fulton French dies

References

  1. Grave located on Graveyard Hill in Hazard, Kentucky
  2. June 28, 1895 Louisville Courier-Journal article 'Smith's bloody Record, Some of the Crimes he is known to have Committed'
  3. June 28, 1895 Louisville Courier-Journal 'Scene at the Scaffold, Smith Talked and Prayed and Confessed'
  4. July 5, 1895 The Coshocton (Ohio) Democrat Standard 'A noted Desperado Confesses on the Gallows to Many Murders'
  5. June 28, 1895 Louisville Courier-Journal 'Six murders Acknowledged by 'Bad Tom' Smith'
  6. Grave located on Graveyard Hill in Hazard, Kentucky
  7. Findagrave:http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11392806
  8. Delegate Badge worn by Joseph C. Eversole
  9. 1884 Republican National Convention delegate list
  10. April 14, 1895 St. Louis Post Dispatch, Page 21 'Bad Tom Smith, Wickedest man in the West
  11. April 14, 1895 Louisville Courier-Journal, Page 15 'The Noose now awaits a Cowardly and Brutal Assassin'
  12. April 25, 1895 Louisville Courier-Journal, Page 1 'Adkins Guilty'
  13. June 29, 1895 Daily Democrat, Huntington Indiana, Page 1, 'Bad Tom Smith confesses on Gallows
  14. June 29, 1895 Cincinnati Enquirer, Page 1 and 5, 'By a Neck, Bad Tom Smith lost life - Wonderful day in Kentucky town'
  15. School letter written by Malta Elle Davidson in 1891 for a school teacher
  16. School letter written by Malta Elle Davidson in 1891 for a school teacher
  17. June 28, 1985 Louisville, Courier-Journal
  18. June 28, 1895 Louisville Courier Journal 'Smith's Blood Record'
  19. June 28, 1895 Louisville Courier-Journal
  20. Singing from the Gallows: The story of 'Bad Tom Smith' by Wayne Combs
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