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Click here for a list of my other Pulaski/Rockcastle/Laurel County KY articles
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[September 23, 1868] -
TERRIBLE AND BLOODY AFFAIR IN LINCOLN COUNTY.
Tragical Result of an Old Feud.
Two Men and One Woman Killed.
The Full Details of the Tragedy.
CRAB ORCHARD, KY., Sept. 20, 1868.
To the Editor of the Louisville Courier:
A year or two since an unfortunate difficulty occurred near this place at a meeting-house, in which men named Anderson and their friends upon one side, and the Adamses with their friends upon the other, were engaged. In this fracas a man named Simms, son-in-law of the elder Adams, was killed and several others on each side were shot or otherwise wounded. A trial at the time of each party resulted in an acquittal of all concerned. A short time after this as the elder Adams was returning home from Lancaster he was assassinated by being shot from his buggy by some one stationed in a church near the road side.
The most deadly enmity has existed ever since between the belligerents, and many men have been suspected by the Adamses ex particeps criminis to the murder of their father. Among the the number accused, or who was thought by the Adams family to have been concerned in his death, was a man named Cummins, who lived near the Lincoln and Pulaski county line, beyond this place eight or ten miles. Threats have been made, we learn, by the Adames, upon Cummins, and last night it culminated most tragically. It seems, from what we can learn, that two of the Adames, together with three or four of their friends went to the house of Mr. Cummins, at night -- demanded admission, which was refused; and thereupon Rodney Adams broke down the door and as he entered was shot dead. The [assault?]ing party then fired, killing a young lady, daughter of Mr. Cummins, and also shot and killed Cummins. They shot at Mrs. Cummins also, but missed. It is not known whether any others of the assaulting party were injured or not. It is reported that the party took young Adams away from the house, and carried him to a house on the wayside, and left him, and that one of the party told the landlord that there was a dead man, his brother, and he wanted him to stay there until morning; and after putting a pillow under his head, he stooped down and kissed him. This is thought to be young Mack Adams, the only brother of Rodney, except a small boy.
We cannot vouch for the truth of this latter statement, but give it as we heard it. It may be proper to state that the community doubt that Cummins had anything whatever to do with the killing of the elder Adams.
The story, true or false, of Cummins having a hand in the death of J. Q. Adams, certainly did not, nor does it, excuse this party in assaulting a whole family, and [striking?] down an innocent girl, who certainly was guilty of no wrong, unless they deemed it wrong to be the child of a suspected man. There is but one remedy for these multiplied evils which daily teem the press, and it is for the "halter" applied to the culprit's neck by the slow and uncertain forms and process of the law, or if need be, to quell it by the hands of an outraged community.
We know nothing of the real facts in this case beyond what we have attempted to give from hearsay; but if it be that this midnight assaulting party perpetrated these bloody deeds without cause amply sufficient for their justification, our community owe it to themselves, to the State, to the world of law and order at large, and especially to the stricken survivors of this afflicted family, to search out to the bitter end the perpetrators of this most hideous and diabolical outrage, and see that justice, stern and inflexible, is meted out to each and every one of them. M. [1]
[I have been unable to find newspaper articles detailing the meeting-house killing, or J. Q. Adams' death in or about February of 1866. Please email me if you have any.]
KILLED. -- A man named Jones, while in a drunken condition, went into the house of a colored woman, at Mt. Vernon, last week, and seeing a pistol on the table commenced fooling with it. The woman attempted to take it from him, and in the scuffle it was discharged, the load taking effect in the abdomen of Jones, killing him in a short time. The coroner's verdict was in accordance with the above facts, and exhonorated the woman from any blame in the matter. The woman is the wife of the man now in jail under a sentence of death for the murder of another colored man. [1]
Interior Journal: A man named Jones, while in a drunken condition, went into the house of a colored woman at Mt. Vernon last week, and seeing a pistol on the table commenced fooling with it. The woman attempted to take it from him, and in the scuffle it was discharged, the load taking effect in the abdomen of Jones, killing him in a short time. The woman is the wife of the man Taylor, sentenced to be hung in Rockcastle county next Friday. [2]
