The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-11-15
The Late Rebel AtrOclty I'm Kentucky.
From the Louisville Journal, 10th.

The following letter gives the minute details
of the most fendish act which the rebellion has
Trough. forth Sixteen Union men were hung
bv the rebel Bragg on his retreat from Cumber-
land Ford A correspondent of the Frankfort
Commonwealth, writing from Mt Vernon, says
wagon arrived on the I'd inst with three cof-
Fms, for the remains of Captain King and his two
sons We learn, also, that the body of Mr.. R
N. Singleton will be removed; his father ia q
captain in Gel Shackletord's Sth Kentucky cav
airy, now on the way from Henderson to Bow
ling Green. We can hardly credit the assertion
Of the Commonwealth's correspondent that Cap
tain Kings brother Jack and Will Owsley, a re-
lsiion Of Kings living at Hus,oa,i!le, Lincoln
county, with some of the Colyers of.Roekcastle,
we're with the rebels and gave sanction to the
charge.
The victims were mostly members of Captain
Kings company, raised for the defense Of Crab
Orchard The charge of bushwhacking says the
correspondent, was false. Capt. King was taken
prisoner in charge, at the heal of his company,
upon Kirby Smiths pickets, in the Crab Orchard
raid. He, with his sons, were confined in the
Danvile Jail until after the battle of Perryvile.
Some Of the citizens OF Rockcastle, together with
citizens from Lincoln and Pulaski counties, ar
rested loyal citizen of Rockcastle, formerly Of
the Union army, and it is said he was hung with
King The letter of Mr.. Hobbs will, we fear, be
the only evidence OF identity which the friends Of
the victims will be able 60 obtain:
CRAB ORCHARD, Lincoln Co, Ky.,l
Oct. 81, 1852.
On Saturday, the 25th inst, started in pur-
suit of Capt. II. King and bis two sons and R.
NJ Singleton. reached Knox county On Mon
day, the 9th inst, and there heard that there
lo5b oon - h,,,,, (N,p ,har
land Ford, by the rebels. On the next day
WIN Polk, Judge of Knox county Court, John
G. Amos, I'M. York, Hugh d. York, Esq, Mil
ton York. Coroner, W. F. Westerfeld, U. d.
Smith, Saul G. Smith, Sd regiment KY. volun-
teers company Il; s. N. Smith, A. F. Bangham,
Ed. Hoame, A. Britton and others. We pro-
oeeied in search of the place. About half mile
from the Ford (due west,) on the south side of
the river, near dead cherry tree, about half
vay from the river to the woods we found pit,
removed the slight covering Of dirt, and there
vas presented the most horrible sight that ever
human eyes beheld in Christian land. Sixteen
men in one pile, some of them with their hands
tied behind them, some of them with a rope
about their neck, some on their back, some on
their faces, some stripped to their shirt and
drawers, some with apparently their own CLOTH
ingon. They we're in such state of putrefac-
ton that they could not be recognized by their
features From the appearance Of the hair and
beard and all other proof, Capt King and two
sons and r. N. Singleton were four of the mum.
Der in that horrible pile; the others were not
recognized BY any one present There we're
three neu with black hair smartly gray, two
seeued to be large men; one had on grey jeans
pants, one with pants that looked like reddish
tweed, one tall man with Union cavalry clothes
on. The most OF them we're in their sock feet
Alter We had made an examination, We cleaned
out toe pit and placed them back a. we'll ss the
nature Of the case would admit We then cree.
J sd temporary stone wall around it and filed
I "op, and rounded it up in the middle 90 % to
make their burial sufficiently deep. They would
oave been taken up by the good citizens of Knox
county aud inferred in cofins, but the surround
ing country was stripped Of plank of all kinda
bic.