The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-27
looking as grave and digniged as any
judge who ever wore the ermine.
But the valI M bfttarnass wao ooor ~

ye be judged" While Hall was in Jail
awaiting death, Taylor was placed in an
adjoining cell to await trial for a
Similar crime, only more brutal and bar
oarous by far than that which Hall had
committed. When Taylor was ushered
into the presence OF Hall he advanced
and offered him his hand. Hall turned
away from him in disgust, saying he
would not shake hands wi III man who
murdered women and children.
THE STORY OF THE CRIME.
The crime for which Taylor paid the
penalty to-day was committed Nav II,
1897, and was more in the nature OF a
massacre than an ordinary murder;
nothing 80 hideous was ever known here
before; 80 Wholesale in its plans, so
neartless In its execut ton that it shocked
the inhabitants of this whole mountain
region who are not unused to hearing
tales Of murder.
Old Ira Mullins, o man who was go
lame that he could not walk step,
lived at Pound Gap, near the State line
between Kentucky and Virginia. At
the time the murder was committed he
mad been to Letcher county, Ky, to
dispose OF q tract of land and was re-
turning to his home in company with
his wife, his daughter, his brother, John
Mullins, and his wife and son. This
with silly boy, who was the driver,
composed the party, and John Mullins
wife and son were all that were left to
tell the story.
Where the road crosses Pound Gap it
makes devious turn to take advantage
OF the grade in the ascent of the little
mountain. There is a pathway which
fro un1t
reach the top of the mountain much
nearer than by the road. On this oc-
casion John Mullins and his son walked
up the pathway and his wife followed
the Ira Mullins party on horseback.
1t was this John Mullins wife who
was the principal witness against
Taylor. Her evidence in court was to
the effect that Ira Mullins and family
were in wagon short distance in
front of her, and where the pathway
led into the main road, whom she heard
q volley fred. fastening up to where
they were she saw the horses and driver
dead. Immediately Doc. Taylor and
two others, John and Henan Elem ming,
came out OF the woods that lay between
the pathway and the road and com.
menced firing at close range into the
wagon. Ira Mullins, wife and son were
killed in that volley.
At that instant her husband, John
Mlllins, and her son came up the path
way. The presence Of fresh victims
then made possible the continuation of
the slaughter and the guns of the muir
derers were turned on them and John
Mullins fell lifeless; his son fled, a
parting shot cutting his suspender in
two, but he made his escape. In the
meantime Mrs. Mullins had alighted
from her horse and ran up to them,
begged them "for Gods sake to Quit
shooting as they are all killed now
when one of them turned to her and
said: THAT If she didn't leave there
ID quick they would kill her too"
She then ran away and left them.
They then proceeded to rife the
Ira Mullins the price of the land he had
sold, which was about $1,000. The
shocking part remains to be told. None
but drunken demons could possibly have
done what they did then. They mutt
lated the bodies of their victims in the
most indecent manner possible; common
decency forbids any further desert ption
Taylor then made his abode with the
Flemings for a while. where he was in
tolerably safe hiding. Fearing capture
there he went to Norton and boarded a
freight train and went to Bluefield. The
authorities Of Norton wired Detective
w. G. Baldwin, of the Norfolk and
Western railroad, who arrested him
there as he was boarding westbound
passenger train.
After his preliminary trial he waived
trial in the county court and was tried
in the circuit court by Judge Morrison.
The verdict was guilt as charged and he
% G rNlo
being taken to Lynchburg for safe.
keeping. His counsel secured a writ of
error and argued the case before the
court OF appeals which sustained the
verdict of the lower court, and he was
brought back and reseutenced to be
hanged to morrow.
He leaves family all we'll grown and
we'll respected. His son, Sylvan Tay-
lor, of Norton, is merchant and
man universally respected. 1t
was claimed by his friends that he was
insane and petitions were circulated last
week to ask the governor to extend his
Time or commute the sentence to life
imprisonment, but not many signed It..
AS has been said he was very eccentric
and had queer religious ideas, kind Of
Swedenborgian faith, which may cause
some to think his mind was unbalanced,
but men who have known him all his
life say that they could not see any
change in him whatever.
THE FLEMMINGs.
The Flemmings are still at large al
though strenuous efforts have been
made for their capture. They are in
their mountain Businesses and when dis.
turbed they fight like lions in their
dens. Last July Deputy Sheriff Miller
led posse OF twenty in quest OF them