of Eastern Kentucky. The resentment grew until they eventually raised their armies, which French reportedly paid $2 – $2.50 a day for his hired guns. The assassinations Ambush was the favored tactic of this feud rather than standard warfare. It was safer for the concealed perpetrators and responsibility for the attacks was more difficult to determine. Many people lived, justifiably, in fear. The first death of the feud was one of French's friends, Silas Gayheart. A dozen white men and a couple of African-Americans reportedly ambushed and killed Gayheart. The Eversoles denied the killing and many believed it was the cause of a different dispute that Gayheart had. French, however, blamed the Eversole clan. One night French left Hazard, possibly to gather more men to attack Eversole. Once Eversole discovered this, he withdrew his forces and left a few men in town. He waited for French to attack the town so he could make a surprise attack of his own. Neither was fooled by these tactical maneuvers and blood was spared. When French finally reentered the town in June 1887 Eversole set out to meet him. The two sides had a shootout in town; only one of French's men was wounded. After a day of shooting at each other, French's forces withdrew. This type of cat and mouse scuffle happened throughout the summer of 1887. The cost of paying these men day in and day out began taking their tolls on the businessmen as they almost were bankrupt (or at least were out of cash). Both sides owned most of the large land tracts in Perry County. Both sides agreed to a meeting at Big Creek and a peace was formulated. The written agreements were signed and witnessed. The agreement stated that they could return home, would disband their armies, and surrender their guns. The grudge was still there and, soon after their funds were replenished, French accused Eversole of taking his guns back from Judge Josiah Combs, Eversole's father-in-law. Eversole claimed that French hadn't witnessed that, that he hadn't disbanded his army, and that the deal only called for a partial surrender of arms. The short lived peace crumbled. The next major incident occurred on September 15, 1887. Joe Eversole and Bill Gambriel, a French supporter and itinerate preacher, began arguing in the street in Hazard. This formed into a scuffle or fist fight. Some of Eversole's men shot