WILLIAM NEAL HANGED.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 121, 30 May 1885, Page 5

WILLIAM NEAL HANGED.

A Tragedy that has Resulted in tho Death of Moro Than Twonty Persona.

Ukavsok, Ky„ March '.'7.—William Ncal, tho last of the Ashland murderers, ascended the seall'old with great composure. He said:

"I say to ono and all, you all know this is no place to toll a lio. I stand hero today to sudor for a heinous crime I did not commit, and ono day my innocence will bo established beyond a doubt. I bid you ono and all good-byo. Oh, Lord, Thou knowest lam innocent. Into Thy hands 1 commit my soul. lam innocent."

i Tho last words wore said just as tho drop foil. Ho was pronounced doad in ton minutes. Nono of his relatives was present. On tho morning of Dee. 24th, IS7I, the cottago of Mrs Gibbons in Ashland was discovered to bo in flames. The neighbours whoturnod out to subduo tho tire were horrified to find amid the ruins tho bodies of Fannio and Robert Gibbons and Emma Carrico. Tho girls wero about 15 years of ago, and the boy, who was a cripplo, was not moro than 12. Mrs Gibbons had gono away on a visit the provious day, and -tnma Carrico wont to stay with hor family during her absonco. A close inspection showed that the children had boon murdered, and that the girls had been outraged. Tho most intense excitement then prevailed, and vigilanco committees were orcaniscd to ferret out the murderers, and detectives wero employed for tho same purposo. Soveral weeks afterward Goorgo Ellis confessed, in the prosonco of United States Deputy Marshal Goorgo Heplin and sovoral citizens of Ashland, that he and Ellis Craft and William Ncal had committed tho crime. He said that on tho night of the tragedy Ellis Craft and William Neil camo to his house and told him thoy wanted him to go with them to the Gibbons' houso to accomplish tho purposo thoy had agreed upon, and whon ho objected thoy threatened to murdor him, and thus forced him to go. When thoy reached the houso thoy forced the window with a crowbar. Tho children becamo alarmed, and Moal struck and killed tho crippled boy with the crowbar. Noal then assaulted Fannio Gibbons and Craft assaulted Emma Carrico. Fannio Gibbons criod and said sho intended to toll her mothor, and Ncal killed her : and Craft, fetching an axo from tho yard, killed Emma Carrico. Craft then got tho coal-oil can, and saturated tho bodies of tho girls and the bed clothing, and sot tiro to thorn, aftor which the murderers departed. Neal, Craft, and Ellis all turned out to the (ire, and were as loud in their denunciations of tlio crime ns anybody.

Ellis's confession raised such a storm of indignation in Ashland that the Court ordered all throe of the murderers (who had been arrested before tho confession was mado public) to be sont to tho gaol in Lexington for safo keeping. They wero accordingly placed upon a steamboat and started down the river, but tho mob got wind of it and started in pursuit in another boat. After an oxciting claso the officers eluded the mob, and arrived safely in Lexington with tho prisoners. I_ the Lexington gaol George Ellis mado nnd swore to another statement, in which he alleged that his ff shtor confession was untrue, and had befciofortixxf from him by George lleplin ac tho ""point of a pistol. Ho afterward rotractod this statement, and reaffirmed it again. Ellis was generally behoved by tho people of Lexington to bo insane. In tho spring of 1 SS- Ellis was tried in Catlottsburg and sonttuced to tho ponitontiary for lifo. That night the mob broke opou tho gaol and took Ellis to Ashland, five miles away, and hangod him. Boforo his death, and whilo tho rope was around his nock, he reiterated his first confession about the murder.

Neal and Craft woro Iried in I'utloltsburg several timos, and wore oach timesontonced to death, but succeeded in getting now trials. Tho spirit of tho poople of Boyd county was so strong againßt tho prisoners that Gov. Blackburn sent a large contingent of State troops to protect thorn from the mob each time thoy were sont thero for trial. In tho fall of ISS-' tho prisonors wero sent to G'atlettsburg for trial, and the trial was posponed. Tho mob, then iv strong forco, demanded of Major Allen, commanding tho State forces, that he deliver Neal and Graft to them. This he, of courae, refused. Ho then churtored a steamboat, upon which ho embarked the troops and prisonors to return to Lexington. The mob boarded a train of flat cars on a railroad running along tbe river bank from Gatlettsburg to Ashland, aud kept up a dosultory tire upon tho troops in tho steamboat all the way to Ashland. Tho tire was not returned. At Ashland tho mob seized a ferryboat and swung out into tho rivor to intercept the steamboat, and when nearly up to it, opened fire upon tho troops, who woro rangod in lino along tho decks. Tho troops then returned tho fire with disastrous ,efl'ect. A number of persons on the ferryboat woro killed and wounded, and about twonty of the hundred of spectators who had congregated on tho river bank to sec tho mob whip tho soldiers wore killed and wounded. The boat then steamed on to Maysvillo without furthor molostution, und Noal and Craft were again landed in Lexington gaol. The noxt trial was hold undor a change of venue in (Irayson, and Craft was again sentouccd to death, Noal's trial not boing reached. A new hearing was refused

Craft, and ho was hanged in Grayson in August, 1653. Neal was tried later on, and ho was again soutonced to death. His application to tho Court of Appoals for a rehoaring boing doniod, ho was hangod today at Grayson.