Women, Broken By Sorrow of Feud War, Tragic Figures at Trial

Louisville Herald, June 13, 1922

The beautiful little town of Catlettsburg traditionally famous for its long line of events of a historic nature, lends itself as a picturesque background for a new page in its old volume.

Mountain folks of the John Fox, Jr., type have left their little cabins on the hills of Breathitt to tell the world the story of the "settle election at Clayhole." The scene is too tragic to be picturesque.

Silver-haired and bent with age, men and women sat together on the lawns of small hotels on side streets discussing scenes of tragedy. What mother ever had a sadder story than Aunt America Combs.

"I saw three of my sons shot down before my very eyes," she said in relating the story. "Two of them, my baby boy, Asbury, and my older son, Cleveland, died on the scene. The other one, Leslie, lay wounded in a hospital for weeks. Today he is on trial for his life." Aunt America could tell no more, and tenderly she was carried to her room.

On a little wooden bench sat two younger brothers, holding in their arms their wives and babies. Mrs. Ethan Allen, widow of one of the men killed, told of her longing for six fatherless little ones taken from her to an orphan home because "Daddy was killed."

Shade Combs, now on trial for his life, is supporting Mrs. Allen, his sister, and three little tots, too small yet to take away from their mother.

On the bench with her and holding a six-month-old baby sat the widow of Cleveland Combs. To Leslie Combs, also on trial for his life, falls the task of the support of his mother and brother's widow and children. Then there is a small boy, scarcely more than 14 years old, who today stands with shattered nerves to face life.

"It is something awful," said Uncle Ike, an eyewitness, who related the story of the Christmas of the little orphans whose only remembrance will be a trip to new-made graves near their cabins on the hill.

"It is a wonder," he said, "that any of the wounded ever got well, because they lay there so long in the dirt."

The door of the election house was used to carry some of the dead and wounded over hills of rocky roads to a railroad station. Within sight of the bullet-scared cabin used as the voting place are three graves standing as monuments of the day.

One of the most touching points of the tragedy is the close relationship of those who engaged in the fight. Cleveland, Asbury, and Leslie Combs are brothers and first cousins of Shade and French Combs. George Allen is also their first cousin. Ethan Allen was a brother-in-law of the Combs boys, and Ed Combs is a second cousin.

Practically all of the men indicted on the Republican side are related in some way by marriage to the four.