Waterbury Evening Democrat

MERIDIAN, Miss., Nov, 8. -The notorious Tolbert feud has broken out in Kemper county, and, as a result, three men are lying dead in coffins at Fort Stevens, a small town 25 miles north of Meridian. John Tolbert, the youngest of the boys, has a Winchester bullet through his heart, while his father, Tom Tolbert, has his neck broken and his body filled with buckshot. Thomas Cole, a member of the sheriff's posse, has a bullet in his brain, the result of the unerring aim of one of the Tolberts.
The story of this family of desperadoes would fill a volume. Five years ago the family consisted of six, old man Tolbert and his sons, John, Tom, Jim, Bob and Bill. Led by their father, the gang has been a terror to the law abiding people of the county.
About four years ago Jim, Bob and Bill, were killed in a battle with a sheriff's posse. The remainder of the gang escaped into the dense swamps of Okatibbeha river, where they remained in hiding until three years ago, when they became more bold and renewed their course of outlawry.
Saturday night the sheriff and his posse attacked Tolbert's house, being armed with Winchesters. The battle raged fiercely for two hours when the ammunition of old man Tolbert became exhausted and he was forced to surrender.
The posse then started on its way back to Fort Stevens but was met by a mob, composed of 1,000 farmers who overpowered the guard and strung the old man up to a tree.
Young Tom escaped from his father's house and took refuge at the farm of a relative about five miles distant. When his whereabouts became known a mob of 1,500 men left for the scene for the purpose of lynching Tolbert and all of his relations.
Nothing has been heard from the mob since they left Fort Stevens, but news of a battle is expected as the mob will no doubt meet with a desperate resistance.
Fort Stevens is twenty-five miles from a railroad station and the only means of communication with Meridian is by courier. The last messenger left the scene at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon.