JUDGE HALL THEIR TARGET

TWO DESPERADOES CLEAR OUT A KENTUCKY COURTROOM
NARROW ESCAPE OF THE JUSTICE

Two Murderers Threaten Murder if They Are Committed to Jail

Flight After a Short Fight

Lexington, Kentucky Dec 11,1894

There was a sensational fight in the courtroom at Hazard, Ky., yesterday, which is thought
by the citizens of Perry County, to be the reopening of the French-Eversole feud. Judge 
Floyd Hall began the regular term of Circuit Court there, and the first case was the 
Commonwealth against Jesse fields and Joe Atkins, for the murder of Josiah Combs.

Combs, who was an old man and ex-County Judge, was murdered while standing on the front 
porch of his house last Summer by the defendants. There were several witnesses to the 
deed, but no attempt was made to arrest the men, since officers knew it meant certain 
death death at the time, but later both men were arrested and locked up. Field's brother
was County Judge, and refused to act in the examining trial, and a court county magistrate
a friend, allowed the men to go on bail of $2,000 each.

Judge Hall was given notice that if he ordered the men sent to jail there would be trouble.
The men and their friends were on hand all armed and violent in their threats to shoot Judge
Hall. The court-room was crowded, and there was much excitement from the moment the jury 
began to be made up.

After hearing the evidence, Judge Hall directed that they must go to jail, and instructed the 
Sheriff to lock them up. Immediately Fields drew a pistol and fired, barely missing the Judge.
Officers in the court held him while the Judge got out of the house by the back way, going 
into his boarding house near by. With the assistance of "Joe" Eversole and Atkins, Fields was
released, and, running out of the court room, they began firing into the house where the Judge
had retreated. People scattered in every direction, and finally Fields and Adkins left town. 
Eversole received a serious wound in the shoulder from an officer's pistol, but also made his 
escape. The court was broken up, and the friends of Judge Hall advise him to resign, believing
that the mountain desperadoes will kill him.