| Show iGo I ION LIGHT THROWN ON HI BLOODY FEUD Go Confession f of Curtis Jett Ref Reveals Reveals Re Re- V eats Secrets of Ref Reign n of Terror SLAYERS N NOW 0 W ON TRIAL Murder of or T i. II li B the tho g Incident In n LOUR s sor oT or A yas hlll Jackson K ip Jul July Curtis U. J Jett Jelt tt under under under un un- der sentence of or life Ilfe Imprisonment for tor the mur murder er of or J. J D. D In 1903 hns has m made madea HIE a confession lon which has aroused arousell the whole state slate This confession which Is corroborated by Asbur Asbury Spicer Implicated In thA the Marcum murder glees Ive all nil the harrowing Ing details of or the murders that have hate startled d dIhe the country countr during the last Iasi lea few years Ears and ind furthermore shows snows If It their Ir confessions confes contes- slon ar art are to 10 be belle believed d that II Breathitt reU hilt count county ha has lias been in the grasp of a poll political II- II c cal al al machine for live ears years past whose chief weapon has been assassination The rhe confession which is said sold to have been given en In rr the coolest coole l and most unImpassioned un un- Impassioned lonell manner mallner covers twenty typewritten type type- written pages and corroborates all o of the tyre thele testimony le given ghen by h Captain B ll J EWton a who ho was as a star stal witness for the lon lion In the trials o of Jett and While for forthe forthe the he murder o of or Marcum Jett quotes Tom White as sa saying Ing that Most Iose Feltnor also told old the truth In hl his now famous affidavit made shortly after the trial of th the Mar Mar- cum cum damage suit cult at Winchester in which he told of the man many plots formed against aln t the life me of Marcum and Jim Cockrill Cockrill Cock- Cock rill b by Jud Judge e lIar ls Sheriff Callahan and others and how hoa White John Abnee Abner Ab Ab- nee ncr and md John Smith la lay In wall wait for Mar Mar- cum urn In a swamp near the l Marcum um home for or the flee purpose o of killing him as he went from rom his homo home to the depot In his iris confession tl J-tl tells how he h. coolly cooly cool- cool l ly y entered the courthouse and fired Ored the shots hots from the a window ow of the circuit courtroom court room com that laid Jim cold In death eath and nd how also he entert entered the rear ear door of f the courthouse on the fatal May Ia 1 4 to Wl 1003 and made his exit out of or the front door shooting James B. B Marcum as he hepas pas passed assed ed out TeU Jett Cool Coal and amI Collected According to Attorney y Webster who claims to have obtained the evidence Jett madE his confession slon In the coolest possible manner never Indicating In for a n moment any W ny sorrow for tor his man many deeds and only expressing contempt for or his hla uncle Jim who seems to hive have deserted him himin himin in n his Iris hour of need The confession of Jt Jett ett tt has teas In a manner repaid Mrs Irs James JamesB B 13 Marcum for all the sleepless nights she he has spent In tr trying Ing to run down own the murderers of her husband and It Is lJ believed be- be eved lle she ahe has succeeded almost beyond her er fondest dreams reams Jett says he had nothing to do o with the killing of Dr Cox ox but ut sa says sas s ho by was wal on the shortly after fter th the shots were f fired and jaw aw Dr Ur ox dying on the ground It ha has always been een contended by people c In hr Jackson that Dr Ur r. r Cox a was as the t victim of bullets t tired b by Ilbert H Hargis and William Britton nd Ind while Jett Jell It Is s said sold t verified this t belief ellef In his confession Judge lIar lg says ms hl his brother Elbert tt was wa ag at his home one ne me mile from Jackson the night Dr Cox ox was killed Confesses s 's to Killing Mett Jett says saps that he and John r and John ohn Smith Jim Cockrill from the theS S second stoy SIO of oC the courthouse lm Im- tes Bob Deaton Denton Elbert Hargis Jim Hargis 18 Kd Gd Callahan Jesse Spicer and Bill Dill Bruton Britton When Cockrill attempted to arrest Judge Jim Hargis the Judge and Hd Gd Callahan and Jell Jett according to tits his history tor tory arranged to kill lie Ile says say they hey objected to his killing Cockrill In Ina l a street fight ht and planned an llon on At Al their suggestion su says sas Jett Jelt Abner ALner Aber Ab- Ab ner er and Smith and Jim Hargis came to fo 0 Jack Jackson ackson on the Satin Saturday day night before the the- shooting hooting The They spent part put of Sunday nt at JellS Jett grandmothers grandmother's and Sunday after ark dark went Into Inlo the town and to the old office In the courthouse sta thEre therb lere all night Hargis told him that Cockrill would be La In t wn Monday Jella's Jett Jell says ays he and Smith fired aT on Cockrill from ho the window next to to the Crawford In Inq ng and that Ab r shot from a 11 window farther r down dori on the thc street from the same sam side Ide o of the courthouse All of or the men had Winchester ter rifles elites After the shooting Jell Jett slipped down the th and went out the side floor door of or orthe the he courthouse and to Hargis' Hargis store Hargis lIarI lIar Har gis I Is sent him back to the courthouse to the men In there Ho Iio went back and stood guard at the courthouse That night after dark all the men escaped from the he building by the tho Lack back stairway They spent the night at Ed Id Callahans Callahan's place lett Jett sa says Sll'S s Alexander Hargis Is s Innocent and was alwa always trying to avoid trouble Jett Jelt sa says ss s that Callahan and he had frequently fre fre- discussed the killing o of or Cockrill un ind he o al also o sa says sas s that Jim Har Hargis l ls furnished furnished furnished fur fur- the lire rifles tor for the killing He tic sa says s hat thOl Jesse Spicer a was wag as the tho only other person person per per- son iton who knew of or this thing except Bill BUI Bruton Bob Denton Deaton John Smith John Abner Jim and Albert Elbert and Ed Gd Callahan Wanted anted Killed Ju Judge sC nar Hargis ls wanted wante Cockrill killed because because be cause he said sold Tom and Jim Cockrill had tried to kill him Regarding the murder of J. J B. B Mar Marcum cum Jott Jett sa says sas s that before this murder he hl and Jim Hargis had hod been on bad terms on account of the fact that Hargis had hall him sent to prison for or assaulting several set sev era eral Cral I men meu On the Sunday before Marcum was teas killed Callahan he sa sn S R s sent for him to come to the courthouse and the latter told him that Tom White was in town and that it a was as de desired to kill Jim Mar Mar- curn cum on Monday He lIc said Callahan supplied sup MUI- filled plied him film with a is AS revolver and that h he e stayed In town loan that night Jell Jett further says Ia's that the plan was for Tom loin White to raise a fuss tuss with Marcum and kill him film but hut that If In the n fight ht Marcum Mar cum should get the better Letter of ot White Jett w was 1 to take a hand and shoot hoot Marcum Jett Jell says Gwen's Ewens testimony concerning this Is s correct H He lie ea says s White walked b by Marcum Into Inlo the courthouse but did not shoot Jett himself u was as about aboul three sheets In the tho wind an and he says seeing see that thaI White While was wag not going to shoot shot Marcum Mar cum himself and when the rho wounded man had fallen a walkr-ri walkr i up and fired OrEd another bullet into his lets body Jett further sa says that when he asked White a why hy he let Marcum get et away him film White said Bald that the agreement was w that If there were w n re man many people around t they rey were to pass the thing thing- up I Conc Concerning the happenings after the killing Jett Jell says th that t promised to toH get H him film out of the trouble He Ile and Tom While went nt to Hargis' Hargis store after aUer the shooting and from there to Jests Jett's grand grand- mother He lIe ic says the only people connected co con netted with th the Marcum killing killing- so o far faras faras faras as he knew were Jim ls Ed Gd Callahan Callahan Calla Calla- han han Asbury Asbur Spicer Tom White While and Jett He lie denies 8 that shat Fulton French had an anything any an- thing to do tt with Ith the killing Jett Jell says sars that he te knows very little about the killing o of f Dr Cox and md that thal he ire dad had no hand In It It He lie says that drat after aCler fox ox x was teas killed he had been upstairs at att atthe atthe t the h e Jailers Jailer's house and that he Ire a was as called to the phone Jett Jolt started to run down the flee street and on his way met et Alex Har- Har who had also 1180 heard Fearing that some of or lb the members of the faintly had been shot the they ran to Jim 1 garden and anti saw near an outhouse Jim and I Elbert Ii Har hc Bill Drillon Britton Cd W Callahan Callahan Calla Calla- han hm and Jess Spicer Thorn Them were two shotguns In the crowd Th wa was wait about or twenty minutes after the killing kill ing of Dr Cox Ile II also says sas that Jim Hargis Insl insisted ted tedon on his staying slaying all night and ami keeping watch and that when he Inquired 1 If anIlO any any- IlO lady was shot Rome some one told him lr Ur Cox had teen been killed He lie also heard hear Judge say a H JI bellowed powerful It i Is n Political I Tend cud The trouble Is la called the Cock rill feud but It t Is s ha hardly 13 old enough tor to r I ha have t attained thE Ihfe dignity of or a feud It began barely live 3 lars ears ago In Ii 1001 OI n James Hargis headed the ticket in Breathitt county count as candidate for or county Ju Judge ge 11 ll was charged that the thc primary which nominated d him film himas was ass and A strong steeped st In ht fraud faud corruption fusion ticket was nominated In opposition and a most bitter political war was tea wa wag d d dIn 1 In n the final election Hargis made a personal personal per per- canvass of the count county and a halfhearted halfhearted halfhearted half half- hearted attempt to answer the lyre charges c o of fraud raull which had teen been Hung lung at him Alter After the bitterest contest that county county coun loun I ty had hall up to that dial time known n the regular teas declared elected but Lul the fu fusion fusion fu- fu sion Ion candidates were not satisfied with the tho figures and gave notice o of or their In Intention tn- tn to contest the tho offices of or sheriff and Jailer Ed Gd Callahan being the Democratic Dem Deny sheriff elect It Is right hero that Marcum comes In lie Ice represented the contestants and th the preparation of the case cases lasted over three months and It H was In the course cours of it that the difficulty arose which made the lIw breach between Marcum and the Cock- Cock rills on the one side and Hargis and Callahan Callahan Cal Cal- lahan on orl the flee other Jerry Car Cardwell well and John 0 G. G had a light John was killed One of nephews Tom met young Ben a u young young- younger er brother of oC the Judge In Ire a saloon in Jackson an and lIw they had a tight fight Ben Den was wa wounded So tu killed and Tom lOom was ryas far tar at any rate It was fair lighting nl as as as fighting O goes hoes In and Kentucky and the lIar Ilar his faction gut got the worst of It It 1 From rum that time on It Is la a story of or conspiracy und and assassination an and l the Cockrill faction fac tac- tion wa was ryas wiped out o of or existence existence all all but Tom Tam who reapIng realizing that there Is a u time timeto to 10 fight and a time limo to run awa away made his escape to Mexico to walt wait till the storm hall had blown ot over er Plot an nn Ln ol Iu Out One killed At the time that Tom lom Cockrill Ben Den Hargis Jim Hargis a was as county Judge and anti his hb right right hand hand man ld Ed Callahan a was us sherin sheriff Curda ells ell's brother was a municipal Judge and Tom Tum Ills Ill's brother brather broth brath- er r Jim was teas town n mar marshal Tom was In Indicted In- In for tor the flee killing o of or Den Ben Hargis and got a change o of venue Dr B B. D ll Cox a Jackson physician lan w was as o of the Cockrill faction lie Ile He had lead been guardian to the Cockrill boy boys Loya He Ill harbored Tom Torn Cock Cock- after the shooting dressed his wound cared carell for him in his Iris own uteri house and put pUl up the mone money for his defense That Thill is s where Cox comes In lie Ill a was walt as decoyed from root his home soon after arter by Ly a pretended summons to a patient and was killed on the life street a while going from his Ills office to his house about S 8 o'clock of a balmy Sunday Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- day evening April 13 13 1 IJ 03 Marcum already In the bad hall graces of or orth th the tho faction as the flee attorney tor for forthe the contestants In Its the election cases calles sealed his tia fate fato by defending Tom Cockrill Cock Cock- Cockrill rill In his file trial for the shooting of young Ben Hargis Tom wa wag wad acquitted and prudently pru dt dently nU put a n wide stretch of country countr be between between hf be- tween himself nod and Breathitt county count and only rf recently returned d. d His ills brother Jim Cockrill Intending to follow this coon ronn canny example came come to Jackson in Jul July to got get his personal effects expecting to lea leave vc town lown the same sam night He lIe was shot down at 10 midday liMa when the streets were full fullor of or people from the windows s of the county count coun coun- t ty courthouse He Ile was curried carried lJ by friends to 10 a hospital In 1 coun cowl county ty where h he died Marcum n was aa spare spared fitting filling opportunity to g ht get t rid of or him not notarising arising until the flee following Ing May Ia His tits time came however and h he too was Va r shot hot down own earl early In t the re morning of or May flay la 4 A. A 1 3 while standing In the doorway of or the courthouse at Jackson talking to Captain B. B J. J Ewen Gwen For th the Cox murder no one a was as et ever er er tried Tom R White and Curtis Jett were tried bled In K Ky Icy first for the murder murder mur mur- der er of or Marcum then for that of at Jim Cockrill They were ere found guilty guilt of th the mur murder er of at Marcum and sentenced to life Imprisonment Jett was found guilty of the murder of Cockrill and sentenced to 10 tobe he be hanged The Th latter sentence was teas re reversed rr- rr versed and a motion for a new nea trial granted Mrs Irs Marcum brought au suit ull i l for tor dama damages el against the Callahan and anti B. B F P. French holding them thorn responsible sll sible le roc for t her husbands husband's death and secured a verdict of ot 8 11 against them and later laler about a n year ear ago ago accused accused ll them of ot conspiracy con con- to murder but Lut the trial was wag fn In- In b by her lawyers throwing up the case cast declaring that the trial was wa a farce and that under existing conditions it was impossible Impassible to set gel Justice |
