Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-05-28
DEAD SOLDIERS. BONES.


Recalls War Time Execution.
WOrkmen excavating for an addition
% building on North Main street. 10
this city. made a ghastly find to-day.
writes an Asheville y. c. correspon-
lent While digging a few feet below
The surface they found q skull and
pieces Of wood rotten and with nails in
l. presumably part Of q coffin Later
IN the day another skull and the bones
u two persons were dug up. Partially
preserved shoes and some blue sub
stance, recognized a. a part Of the
union uniforEa- were mingled with the
bones The skeletons were immediate
" reburied. and no amount Of question
ng could make the worLrmen disclose
The whereabouts Of tie new grave
This incident recalls an interesting his
sOrical event which occurred in AShe-
nile just after the war. In May, ls55. just
tx weeks after Lees surrender. Gen
TilsOn.of Maine. came 70 Asheville. then
town of one thousand five hundred in
aabitants- He had with him and under
MS command about four thousand sol
Hers Gen. Tilson took up bis quarters
At the old Patton house. one Of the
landsomest dwellings here al that time.
and now occupied BY prominent club
That afternoon the One Hundred and
Fifth Ohio regiment composed Of ne
Zroes, entered the town from Tenn
sssee. After marching through the
place they pitched their camp n the
western suburbs. On the following
morning a farmer living a few miles
north Of here hurriedly entered Ashe-
vile and Tent 10 the mayor. reporting
10 that official that young white girl
Of highly respectable family had been
assaulted By some Of the negro soldiers
the night before The report was con
frrned. when. few hours later. the
father Of the unfortunate lady came 70
the town and gave the facts.
When the facts were made known %
Gen. Tilson ne caused the colored regi.
ment 70 be drawn up 10 line. The girls
father then passed down the column
On close scrutiny he soon recognized
one Of the villains. and soon picked out
the other four Of them When the trial
Of the court martial came of in the az
-ElnAAtAr tAAE "a tit ~ A-f4iEA-s Al4NAIA
by that means TO escape punishment,
turned states evidence The four re
naming prisoners were convicted on
the evidence Of the parents, the neigh
bors and their partner in crime The
four wretehes were sentenced TO be
shot the next day. They were taken to
the county jail for safe keeping. incom-
pany with the one who had testified /.
against them The next morning the I
doomed men were taken from their
cells and placed in a wagon. Accom-
panied BY their regiment they were
driven to the northern outskirts Of the 4
town. where an immense crowd had
assembled 10 witness the execution
The regiment formed hollow square,
facing the empty graves prepared for 4
the men, and file Of eighteen soldiers 1
selected for the purpose were drawn up
Immediately in front Of and facing the I
condemned men. The hands OF the /
prisoners were tied together in front Of 4
hem and their eyes were bandaged. +
They were then forced to take their /
seats on their collins. rude boxes, each /
one large enough for two men. and the /
burial service was read BY the Meth t
odist circuit rider. Rev A. W. Cum. /
mings. The death warrant was then /
read and the command to fire was given /
by an officer. The four men fell dead /
IN their coffins. each one having four
or FIVE bullets in bis body. They were
buried Immediately. two in box, and /
it was one Of these graves that was dis
turbed by the laborers
The prompt action Of Gen. Tilson in
the matter was source of great salts
faction. The prisoner who had turned
states evidence. it was thought. had
expected to be released, but the body Of
a negro. supposed 70 be his. was found
near the scene Of the execution on the
morning following twas conjeetured +
that he had been taken from the Jail by
the union soldiers and lynched- Judge
+. 5. Aston. a prominent figure Of the /
present day. was mayor Of the town at
that time. and furnished the story Of
the executions Louis Globe-Dem-
ocrat
GIN WADE HAMPTON IS one Of the
-.