Family Ambushed While Planting Corn, Mob Lynches Suspects, 1870

Previously:

Click here for a list of my other Pulaski/Rockcastle/Laurel County KY articles

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[May 20, 1870] -

A KENTUCKY TRAGEDY.

Four Men Taken from Jail in Laurel County and Hanged by a Mob--Effect of a Family Feud.

[Special Mt. Vernon (Ky.) correspondence (May 10) of the Louisville Commercial.]

A large portion of the county was thrown into a state of great excitement some days ago over a terrible murder committed just above Rockcastle river, in the border of Laurel county.  The victim's name was P. H. Bullock, a young lawyer of Laurel county, and of good standing as a citizen.  Young Bullock resided on his father's farm, between whom and some of his neighbors and relations, by the name of Parker, there has, for over a year, existed a mortal feud, which culminated as above stated, in the death of the young Bullock and the wounding of his little brother, sixteen years old, five times.  The Bullocks were planting corn in a field adjoining a very dense wood, and when within fifty yards of the wood, advancing toward it, they were suddenly fired on out of the brush by five or six persons; two of the party in the field escaped unhurt.  There was no positive proof against the Parkers, but a great many strong circumstances pointed to them as the  murderers, and accordingly they were arrested, and after some delay tried before an examining court and committed for further trial without bail.  On Saturday morning last (14th), at about one o'clock, the guard state that from 100 to 200 men, all in disguise, suddenly surrounded the jail and demanded the keys, telling the guard they did not intend them any harm, but unless they surrendered the keys they would tear down the jail." (I have neglected to say that four of the Parkers were arrested and in jail, and a man by the name of William Shelter, an accomplice making five in all).  The guard readily gave them up, [...illegible...] of the party went in, took out the five unfortunate men, and carrying them some half a mile from town on the Manchester road, hung four of them to one tree, where they were found next morning by the citizens, stark and cold in death, with a notice pinned to one of them, "Don't cut them down before twelve."  The youngest of the five, Allie Parker, is missing.  It is unknown what became of him.  Some think he probably escaped the mob.  All four of the doomed victims have left wives and little children to bewail their terrible fate.  While in all probability they had forfeited their lives to the laws of the country, still, all good citizens condemn the act of hanging them.  Thus, within the short space of two weeks, out of one little neighborhood five human beings, hurled into eternity without warning and unprepared, and five families of women and little children, besides gray-haired fathers and tottering old mothers, bowed down in sorrow, heart-broken, bereft and refusing to be comforted. [1]

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[May 22, 1870] -

P. H. Bullock, a young lawyer, and his little brother, of Rock Castle county, were fired on by some assassins one day last week, and the former was killed, and the little boy was wounded.  Five men, viz: William Hullan and Pleasant, Daniel, Willis and Alex. Parker, Jr., were arrested on suspicion and sent to jail.  On the same night an armed band of men, numbering about 70, took them by force from the jail in London, and hung all but Alex. Parker, whose fate is involved in mystery.  It is believed the party were guilty of the assassination. --Louisville Courier. [2]

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[May 30, 1870] -

FOUR MEN HANGED IN KENTUCKY.

Ambushing and Murdering Corn-Planters--In Prison on Suspicion--Judge Lynch Makes a Descent--Are These Four Men Guilty?

A correspondent of the Louisville Commercial gives the following particulars of the recent lynching in Mount Vernon, Ky.

The whole party of the county was thrown into a state of excitement over a terrible murder committed just across Rockcastle river, in the border of Laurel county.  The victim's name was P. H. Bullock, a young lawyer of Laurel county, an of good standing as a citizen.  Young Bullock resided on his father's farm, between whom and some of his neighbors and relations by the name of Parker, there has, for over a year, existed a mortal feud, which culminated, as above stated, in the death of Young Bullock, and the wounding of his little brother, 16 years old, five times.  The Bullocks were planting corn in a field adjoining a very dense wood.  Advancing toward it, they were suddenly fired on out of the brush by five or six persons.  Two persons escaped unhurt of [t]he party in the field.

There was no positive proof against the Parkers but a great many strong circumstances pointed to them as the murder some delay, tried before an examining court after some delay, tried before an examining court, and committed for further trial without bail.  On Saturday morning, the 14th, at about one o'clock, the guards state that from one to two hundred men, all in disguise, suddenly surrounded the jail and demanded the keys, telling the guard they did not "intend them any harm, but unless they surrendered the keys they would tear down the jail." (I have neglected to say that four of the Parkers were arrested and in jail, and a man by the name of Wm. Shelter, an accomplice, making five in all).  The guard readily gave them up, whereupon some of the party went in, took out the five unfortunate men, and, carrying them some half a mile from the town on the Manchester road, hanged four of the to one tree, where they were found next morning by the citizens, stark in death, with a notice pinned to one of them: "Don't cut down before 12."  The youngest of the five, Allie Parker, is missing.  It is unknown what became of him.  Some think he probably escaped the mob. [3]

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[May 30, 1870] -

TRAGEDY IN KENTUCKY.--A young lawyer, of good standing as a citizen, P. H. Bullock, of L[aurel] county, Ky., was murdered recently by some neighbors and relatives named Parker.  Four of the Parkers were arrested and lodged in jail with an accomplice named Wm. Shelter.  On the 14th inst., over 100 men, all in disguise, took out the five prisoners and hung four of them half a mile from the jail.  The youngest of the Parker brothers is missing and may have escaped.  On the back of one of the Parker corpses was a note, concluding as follows:

"We never interrupt good men.  We bid your county adieu.  Be honest men and you will never suffer; but woe to the murderers!" [4]

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Numbers 7, 8, 9 and 12 on 1870 Census Mortality Schedule, Laurel County, Page 3. [5]

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[March 25, 1871] -

William Sheldon, Pleasonton Parker, Daniel Parker, Willis Parker, hung by mob in Laurel County, May 14, 1870. [6]

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[1] "A Kentucky Tragedy." New York Herald, New York, NY. May 20, 1870. Page 9. Genealogybank.com.

[2] Columbus Daily Enquirer, Columbus, GA. May 22, 1870. Page 1. Genealogybank.com.

[3] "Four Men Hanged in Kentucky." Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH. May 30, 1870. Page 1. Genealogybank.com.

[4] "Tragedy in Kentucky." Galveston Tri-Weekly News, Galveston, TX. May 30, 1870. Page 1. Genealogybank.com. 

[5] 1870 Census Mortality Schedule, Laurel County, Page 3. 

[6] Excerpt from "Memorial of A Committee Appointed at a Meeting of Colored Citizens of Frankfort, Ky., and Vicinity."  Miscellaneous Documents of the Senate of the United States, for the First Session of the Forty-Second Congress. Letter written March 25, 1871; before Congress on April 11, 1871. Pages 53-56 for Google Books version.


Also reported in:

[] "More Lynching." Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH. May 18, 1870. Page 4. Genealogybank.com.

[] "Judge Lynch in Kentucky." Memphis Daily Appeal, Memphis, TN. May 19, 1870. Page 1. LOC. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045160/1870-05-19/ed-1/seq-1/

[] "Lynching in Kentucky." Jackson Citizen Patriot, Jackson, MI. May 24, 1870. Page 3. Genealogybank.com.
.

See also:

[] Sentinel-Echo, London, KY. August 12, 1954.