St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-30
THE List HOT IN KENTUoKFS
BLOODY TP4GEUy


Last Friday WILLIAM NEAL, the last of the
Ashland fiends, was executed at Grayson,
thus closing the last act in the most horrid
drama ever enacted upon the historic dark
and bloody ground of Kentucky. The crime
for which he was hung stands pre-eminent
among bloody tragedies for its CHASTITY atroc-
ity. GEORGE ELLIS, who was the first one
to hang, confessed his guilt and implicated
ELLIS CROFT and WILLIAM NEAL as his ac-
completes. Both CROFT and NEAL died with
protestations OF innocence upon their lips,
and as the evidence against them, independ-
ent of ELLIS confession, was entirely cir
cumstantal, there is not an absolute Ger
guilty. ELLIS, subsequent to his confession
involving Croft and NEAL in the crime,
made retraction and said that they were
innocent men.
In describing the execution of WILLIAM
NEAL an outline history of the celebrated
tragedy is recalled by the Courier-Journal.
In December, 1881, there was standing on
the outskirts of Ashland little cottage, in
which lived a respectable family named Glib
BoNs, consisting of father and mother,
daughter, FANNIE, and Ii tile crippled son,
ROBERT The father left home on two
weeks visit to West Virginia, and few days
afterward the mother went to Ports
mouth, O., on a visit, leaving the
two children in charge of the
house. Near by lived family
named CARRICo, and between EMMA
CARRIco and FANNIE GIBBONS there
was a strong affection. Both the girls
were about 16 years of age, and were
universal favorites on account of their
sunny tcmpers and their more than ordinary
beauty. During the absence of her parents
FANNIE GIBBONS had induced EMMA CARRIco
to spend the nights with her. About
O'Clock on the night of the tragedy villager
who CHANGED to pass by the little cottage saw
the light burning brightly in the front parlor
and by the pathway OF light that led out from
the window into the darkness ne saw the two
girls and the crippled boy sitting about the
table talking happily together. He was the
last human being who saw them alive until
the brutal executioners came.
At an early hour the next mornin g neigh
bors living nearest the GIBBONS cottage were
startled to see the house wrapped in dense
cloud of smoke. Before tne sun rose there
was only blackened mass Of rafters and
beams to mark the place where the cottage
stood. The most strenuous efforts were
made to save the inmates and finally they
were dragged out from among the
ruins. An examination of the three
charred and blackened forms showed
that the skulls had been crushed
and that a nameless crime had been commit
ted upon the two girls. The whole country
rose up and thousands of men devoted weeks
in the search to discover tie perpetrators OF
this awful outrage. At length suspicion fell
upon GEORGE ELLIS, drunken ruffian who
hung about the village When arrested he
made confession, giving the horrible de-
tails of the crime, and begging for mercy.
His story was in substance as follows:
About midnight ELLIS CROFT and WILLIAM
NEAL came to his lodging place, awoke him
and ordered him to follow them. They went
to the GIBBONS cottage. All was quiet
within and the lights were extinguished.
NEAL forced open window with crow
bar and they entered. They found them
selves in the sleeping room Of the three in
nocent children. The boy lay on the sofa,
his face turned to the wall, sound asleep.
The two girls were in a bed at the other side
of the room, their arms clasped about each
other with girlish affection, their hair woven
together and surrounding their faces in
setting of gold. The fire tinged the faces of
the sleepers with its rosy light. The three
men stood looking about them moment
and then CROFT laid his hand on FANNIE
GIBBONS and rudely awakened her. The
girls sprang up and when they saw three
strange men in the room screamed for help.
CRoFr stiAed FANNIE's cries and NEAL seized
EMMA CARRICo. The boy turned over,
awakened by the outcry, but blow from an
axe in the hand of ELLIS silenced him for
ever. When the girls had been outraged
NEAL. seized the axe, which was yet dripping
with little ROBERTS blood, and sank it into
EMMAs brain. CROFT then took the axe and
killed his victim. Oil was then poured over
the floor and furniture, over the dead
bodies Of the children, match was applied,
and the three wretches skunk away in the
darkness. This was the story that GEORGE
ELLIS told, and upon that statement the
three men have been hung.