Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-06-18
DEAD SOLDIERS BONES.


The Discovery of Them at Ashvine. y. c.,
Recalls a War Time Execution.
Workmen eXcavating for an addition
10 building ON North Main street, in
this city, made a CHASTITY find to-day,
writes an Asheville IN. c. correspon-
dent. While digging few feet below
the surface they found skull and
pieces of wood, rotten and with nails in
it, presumably part of coffin Later
in the day another skull and the bones
of two persons were dug up. Partially
preserved shoes and some blue sub
stance, recognized as a part of the
union uniform, were mingled with the
bones. The skeletons were Immediate
ly reburied, and no amount of question
ing could make the worlmen disclose
the whereabouts of the new grave
This incident recalls an in Interesting his
torical event which occurred in Ashe-
vile just after the war. In May, 1865, just
six weeks after Lees surrender, Gen.
Tilson, of Maine, came to Asheville, then
atown of one thousand five hundred in
habitants. He had with him and under
his command about four thousand sol
diers. Gen. Tilson took up his quarters
at the old Patton house, one of the
handsomest dwellings here at that time,
and now occupied by prominent club.
That afternoon the One Hundred and
Fifth Ohio regiment, composed of ne
groes, entered the town from Tenn
essee. After maYching through the
place they pitched their camp In the
western suburbs. On the following
morning a farmer living a few miles
north of here hurriedly entered Ashe-
vile and went to the mayor, reporting
to 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-
frmed, when, a few hours later, the
father of the unfortunate lady came to
i the town and gave the facts.
When the facts were made known to
Gen. Tilson he caused the colored regi-
ment to be drawn up in 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 off in the af-
ternoon, one of the prisoners, hoping
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 wretches were sentenced to be
shot the next day. They were taken to
the county Jail for safe keeping, in com
pany with the one who had testified
against them. The next morning the
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
town, where an immense crowd had
assembled to witness the execution.
The regiment formed hollow square,
facing the empty graves prepared for
the men, and file of eighteen soldiers
selected for the purpose We're drawn up
Immediately in front of and facing the
condemned men. The hands of the
prisoners were tied together in front of
them and their eyes were bandaged.
They were then forced to take their
seats on their cotfins, rude boxes, each
one large enough for two men, and the
burial service was read by the Meth
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 collins, each one having four
or five bullets in his 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 to be his, was found
near the scene of the execution on the
morning following. 1t was conjectured
that he had been taken from the Jail by
the union soldiers and lynched. Judge
E. S. Aston, prominent figure of the
present day, was mayor of the town at
that time, and furnished the story Of
the execution.-St. Louis Globe-Dem-
ocrat
GEN WADE HAMPTON is one of the