Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1863-08-20

(sIxty years OF age) cfieu ou'' 'oi
God s sake men, you are not gong to
shoot US? If you are going to murder
us, give us time to pray Col Allen
was reminded ofhis promise to give them
trial. They were informed that A lien
had no authority. that Keith was in COM
. mand. and there was notime for praying.
The order was given to fire, the old men
md boys put their hands to their faces,
and rent the air with agonizng cries of
despair; the soldiers wavcred and H. slta,
ted to obey the. command. Keith SAID
it they did not Ere Instantly he would
make them change place with the prison
crs. The soldiers raised their guns, the
victims shuddercd convulsively, the
word was given to fire and the five men
fell pi, reed with rebel bullets. Wood
and Shelton were shot in the head. their
brains scattered on the ground, and they
dick without struggle. The other
three lived on y a few moments.
MURDER OF Boy OF TWELVE YEARS.
Five others were ordered TO kneel,
among them little Billy Shelton, mere
child, only twelve years old He i'm
plored the men not to shoot him in the
face You have killed my father and
brothers, said he, you have shot my
father in the face: do not shoot me IN the
fuce He covered his face with his hands
he soldiers received the order to fire,
and FIVE mere fell Poor little Billy
was wounded in botn arms. He ran to
an tfficor, c'asped him around the legs,
and bc>ought him to spare his life, You
have killed my father and my three
brothers; you have shot me in both arms;
forgive you for all this, can get well.
Let me 90 home TO my mother and sis
tcrS. What a heart Of adamant the man
l. nst have who could disregard such an
appeal The little bov was dragged
! !,a, k To the place Of executions; again the
terrible w'rl fire. was given, and he
f. II drnl. eight balls having entered the
body. The remaining three were mur
d O., Il il. the same ma ucr. These in
wLa.u lifp was not entirely extinct The
hcal,c "tiircrs dispatched with their
p;s.ols. .. ...'..
TEE BURIAL
A hoe was then dug. and thirteen
bodies pitched into it. fhc grave was
scarcely large enough, some OF the bod
les lay obove found A wretch jumped
upon the bleeding bodies, aud said to
some of the m,n; Pat Juba for me,
while dance the d ID scoundrels down
to and through hcll.' The grave was
lightly covered with earth. and the next
day when the wives and families OF the
murdered men heard of their fate,
searched for anl found their grave the
hogs had rooted up one mans body and
eaten his head off.
TcRrURING DEFENCELEss WOMEN.
Upon the return of Keith and his men
to Laurel, they began systematically to
torture the women of loyal men, to force
thrr to tell where their fathers and hus-
bands were. and what part each one had
taken in the salt raid. The women re-
f d to JlvuIge anything They were
then whipped with hickory switches =
many of them till the blood coursed in
sIe,mS Gown their persons to the groun1
aud rh mrn vho did this were called
soldiers! Mrs. Sarah Shelton, wife of
] s.u SL,'t,n, who escaped from the
town, and Ms. Mary Shelton, wife of
Lfus Shelton, were whipped and hung
by the neck till they were almost dead,
but would give no inform alton. Martha
White, an idiotic gIrl. was beaten aud
80; l. la, ,,.,,E ,li lax, ia trn
Mrs Unus Riddle, aged cighty-fvc
years, was whipped, hung and robbed
of considerable amount of money
Many others were treated with the same
barbariiy.
Mrs. Sallic Moore, seventy years of
age, was whipped with hickory rods till
the blood ran in streams down her back
to the ground. and the, perpetrators OF
this were clothed in the habilament of
rebellion. and bore the name of soldiers
One woman, who had an infant five
or six weeks old was tied i'll the snow
to tree, her child placed in the door
way in her sight and she was informed
that if she did not tell she knew about
the seizure Of the salt. both herself and
the child would be allowed to perish.
1NTERFERENCE OF GEN DoNELsoN.
All the women aud children OF the
Union men who we're shot, and OF those
who escaped. were ordered by Gen. AL
ferd Il. Jackson to be sent through the
lines by way of Knoxville. When the
first OF them arrived the officer in charge
applied to Gen. Donelson (formerly
speaker in the House of Representatives
a. Nashvlle) to know by which route
they should be sent from there, whether
by Cumberland Gap or Mas vi lie Gen
Donnelson Immediately ordered them to
be released and sent home, saying that
such thing was unknown in civilized
countries They were then sent home,
aud the refugees met on the road were
also turned back.