Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-09-10
TALTON HALL,
When he Meets Death Face to Face
or the Scaffod Breaks Down.


NoRToN, Va. Sept. 3--Talt Hall, the
Kentucky desperate, was safel ly hanged
at Wise courthouse, Va, at noon Fri-
day.
At 9:30 a. m. there were 5000 peo-
pie pouring into the village from every
direction to get one glimpse of man
after death who has become so motor
ious. BY noon there were thousands
more.
Talton Hall, the condemned man,
usually noted for his bravery, broke
down completely and stood a coward in
the shadow of the gallows. He had
stood in front of showering bullets, but
grim death, the antagonist of life,
had too many terrors for him.
A tempting breakfast prepared by his
sister was placed before him about
o'clock, but he refused to eat. He drank
cup of coffee and then called for
whisky. A drink was given him, but it
had little effect.
Guards were on duty around the Jail
and in the vicinity Of the courthouse all
night. Outposts of three men were sta
toned on each road leading into the
town during the night, and every man
who came in was searched, and if found
to carry Winchester or pistol, such
weapons We're confiscated.
The crime for which Tslton Hall suffered the
extreme penalty of the law Friday was one Of
the most atrocio-s murders ever perpetratcd in
this section. On July ., 1891. Enos b. Hylton,
Il. At Lgt- I.al Ln.., ,,nl
special policeman OF the town OF Norton, Wise
county, Va, had taken into custody Miles
Bates, a desperate character Of that region for
the theft Of a watch and pistol. While taking
his prisoner down the railroad, Talton Hail
came across the field. diagonally from the
town, and overlook them He deYsAnded the
release Of the prisoner, which Hylton, Of course,
refused, Before Hylion had time to draw his
weapon or say anything further Hall pulled out
3S-calibcr pistol and shot him, killing him in.
stantly Hall and Bates started of together.
and, after going a short distance turned into
the woods and made their escape before pur.
suit was organized
Next seen Of Hall was at Coburn, whence he
went to Roanoke. lie remained in Southwest
Virginia several weeks and then went back
through Norton, Big Store Gap TO Middlesboro.
whore he stayed all night, regis iering at the
hotel Then he went by way of Knoxville and
Chattanooga 10 Memphis where he was sub
seQuently arrested Hall claimed on his trial
| that he had not seen Hylton teforc that day,
which was possibly true; but it is not believed
| that the murderer's only motive was the re-
| fusal OF Hylton to release his prisoner Hall
| had eloped with n married woman named Say.
| lor, who was the the stster-in-law OF Hylton.
! Shortly aftcrw0rd Saylor was assassnated,
! Il is now pretty certain, by the hand OF Talt
| Hall Hyiton is sad to have sworn 10 kill the
| man who murdered his brother-in-aw, and il is
| pretty certain that Hall heard OF ii and took
advantage of the fact of Hylton having Bates
under arrest 10 pick quarrel with him and kill
| him.
After stay of several months in Memphis
he was arrested and brought back to Wise c.
| H., where he was brought to trial in the early
! spring, and convicted of murder in the first de-
| gree He was Immediately taken 10 Lynch
| burg after his sentence, and lodged in Jail for
safc-keepng.
His counsel took an appeal 10 the supreme
! couri. where the decision OF the lower court
| was affirmed, when Hall was taken 10 Wisc C.
| H., and resentenced to hang on the I'd of Sep
| temDcr, Instead OF returning him 10 Lynch
| burg the sheriff summoned guard Of fifty men
| from Big Stone Gap Morton and other towns
| in the county, who have been on guard, heavily
| armed up to the day Of the execution.
The first killing he took into account was
/ when he was a Confederate guerilla among the
| East Tennessee mountains.
| While out scouting one day he encountered
| Union soldier in road The men both halted,
and before the soldier recovered from his as.
| tonishment Hall threw mp his gun and shot
! him through his head Rejecting on his maiden
| effort Mr. lIall said: Il felt kinder sorry for
/ the tecr but made suit Of clothes and
| pair Of tooIs that were selling for 'l1' Conlin-
| uing he said: II killed SIX or seven men during
| the war. They were not all Uuon soldiers,
! though Two Of them were meSsma,es that
| disagreed with me over game of seven-up.'
| Before The war ended Hail had gotten into the
| habit of killing men, and when it was over
/. could not break himself Murders came fast
! and easy and his never too tender conscience
| became more callOus than ever. One night he
| walked out from little Virginia village with
| horse trader When he returned he had plenty
| Of money 10 spend. and nobody cared TO ask
| where he cot H. he body OF the horse, raider
| was found near the divide" OF creek in the
woods.
He varied the next incident in his sanguiuary
| career by planting knife up to the hilt in the
| groin of drunken companion. Before he
moved away frCm that part of the country
more than twenty murders were committed by
him and the band OF desperadoes that spraug
| into state Of terror by their bloody orgies ut
the villages. Hall was made United States
| marshal as an exred;crt 10 get rid of him. 1t
was hoped that some outlaw would kill HIM.
lie made u good officer in one rcspect-al
Illicit distillers who had crossed him were hunt.
ed cut OF their hiding places Hall did not arrest
those he caught, he killed them. 1t was not
long before most OF his enemies left the country.
Having killed al he male population he hnd "a
grudgc against, he began TO exceed even he
privileges of uninterrupted slaughter. He out
ragged women. This proved TO be beyond the
endurance of the people, and they at last organ.
lied a vigilance committee and hunted Hall and
his followers across the mountain range into
Tennessee. So long as he confined his bloody
work to the Businesses Ct tho Aleghanies he
had immunity from the law, but at Bristol,
after a murder more brutal than any OF the
others, he was forced to save his precious neck
by fight.
\ short time before tho execution Hall was
interviewed in the Jail He admitted the kill
ing Of Hylton and told Of his fight as narrated
above He is credited with killing 20 men, but
| of course, this is an eXaggcration. When asked
how many men he actually killed. he replied
mot counting those killed in the war, the
number will probably not reach FIVE. First,
killed Henry Maggart and was acquitted on
the ground OF sclf-detensc. ! killed Triplett
Trust and Mohall in Floyd county, Kentucky,
, between lS7b and 1>s1, and vas tried and ac'
Quilted in all These men were killed In politi
cal ouarrols The last one was Hylton,
killed him because l thought he was drawing
: his pistol and didn't want him to have the
drop on me-