Garrard County, Kentucky - Chapter 10, 1854

Chapter 10

Sellars and Chrismon at the Doctor's - The Hills besiege Sellars and Chrismon in the tobacco house - Hills wound Chrismon in the bowels - Sellars kills Ilus Hill - Hills turn to retreat - Dr. Hill's cowardice - Alverson and Sam Sellars wounded ; their flight - John Sellars kills Isaiah Ilill - John Brown kills John Sellars - Barbarity of Brown and Bill Hill - Hills kill Chrismon - Hills fly at the approach of the Evanses - Hills inhumanly neglect the dead bodies of their fallen - Dr. Hill's resolution to drive the Evanses from the country.

When the Hills heard that the Doctor had succeeded in getting home, they left the river, and went in search of Sellars and Chrismon. They went to Sellars's house - but he saw them coming, and ran away. Then they proceeded to Chrismon* s - who hid himself in the garret, and thus eluded a batch. They kept up this hunt till the battle known as the Scott's Fork tragedy.

" We have been running from the Hills so much, that we cannot run any longer - we are perfectly broken down, and have determined to run no more."

You had better keep out of their way - you had better continue yet to run ; for if they catch you, there will be little hope for your escape ! " replied the Doctor.

" It makes us feel so mean, cowardly, to be always run and dogged in this manner. We would rather die a brave death, than to be thus chased like infamous cowards - and, in fact, we are unable to run any longer. We have only one rifle apiece ; and these, you know, could make little resistance against such a number as are thirsting after our blood. Now, as you have an abundance of arms - just look around, the walls are studded with them - we want to borrow another gun apiece."

The Hill And Evans Feed

" You must lend to us, for you can borrow as many as you need, and more too ; but no one will lend to us, and we have not the money to bu}' them."

" I will have need far all the guns at my command. Now, as you have been running so much, and as you are too much worn out to fight-, you had better stay here with me. We will protect you, for the Hills will not dare come here."

's But we must be at home - we have to prize our tobacco to-morrow. We have sent word to the Hills, that if they will let us prize our tobacco and sell it, we will leave the country immediately - we told them we wanted only time to wind up our business."

" Then if they attack us, we would have a better chance to protect our lives with two other guns. They are likely to attack us in the tobacco house, while we are at work there ; and if we had more guns we could give them a hotter battle - we can

<% Y"ou had better not attempt it. It would be bloody work. Such a company, even if they were the basest cow'ards, can with ease whip two men so scantily armed. And there is Chrism on, he cannot, kill a man - he cannot fight that kind of a fight. The materials of which he is composed are too tender for such hardihood - his nerves could not withstand such a contest. He would rather kill himself - his nature is too good and the Hills tied out there to an apple tree, he could not kill one by shooting all day. But you. Sellars, have the heart of a lion* and 'can give the enemy their dues. But against such odds, I would advise you to avoid a contest." u That matters not; if I err, it is on the safe side. One man cannot whip such a gang, but two can, if they fight right. Keep on running till my hand gets well, then you (Sellar3),

" We can get guns nowhere else - you can borrow fifty, and by G - d we intend to have these - you had better not offer resistance. This is the very big shot-gun that I wanted - it is the only gun that can burst that iron shield off of Rus Hill, and by G~d I intend to have it. Now7 let Rus try to run me any more, if he wants his iron skin pierced 1"

Late next evening, after the above conversation, Jack May rode up to the Doctor's in great haste and excitement, and told him that Sellars and the Hills were fighting - that the Hills, about twenty strong, had besieged Sellars and Chris mon in the tobacco house, and were shooting at them as fast as they could . load.

Upon the reception of this intelligence, the Doctor told his sons to get their rifles and run over to assist Sellars. But when they arrived, the battle had terminated, the Hills were all gone, and some of the neighbors were hauling off Sellars and Chrismon on a slide. The boys returned home and reported the misfortunes of the day.

On the morning of the 13th of March, 1852, the Hill party desired to move John Brown down to Isaiah Hill's place. A portion of the party, under the command of Dr. Hill, armed themselves well with guns, pistols, bowie-knives, etc., and went along with the wagon. Their road led by the tobacco house in which Sellars and Chrismon were prizing tobacco. In the morning, when they passed, Sellars and Chrismon ran away and hid themselves in John Warren's house, which was near by. The party went on together to Teetersville, where a portion of them remained to indulge in the delights of bacchus, till the ethers returned with Brown and bis furniture. Before leaving the village, they replenished their copious jugs with the maddening fluid, and often, during the journey, held communion with the spirits. They told Thomas Warren to tell John Warren not to let Sellars and Ohrismon conceal themselves in his house any more, for on returning they were determined to take them,- even if they had to pull the house down.

James A1 verson, Sellar's uncle, and Sam Sellars, his brother, on hearing that Sellars and Chrismon were preparing to stand their ground, tried to persuade them not to have an engagement with the Hills, but to run away as they had done previously. But before their persuasion had the desired effect, a gun was heard a few hundred yards up the creek, which was known to be a gun of the approaching party. They still continued their entreaties, but in reply were told it was too late then to retreat. While the Hills were gone, Sellars and Chrismon put the house in a more defensible condition, closing the apertures between the logs with fence-rails, etc., and making port-holes through which to shoot. As the party approached, Alverson sat down in the dooi% Chrismon on a bulk of tobacco in the back part of the house, Sam Sellars beside a hogshead of tobacco, and John Sellars stood, with rifle in hand, watching at one of the portholes. When the Hills got within shooting distance of the house, Henry Sacracy and Rus Hill fired and wounded Chrismon in the bowels. John Sellars then fired and killed Rus Hill. When they saw that their men could be thus easily plucked from their midst, they became frightened and turned to flee. But Hr. Hill ordered them to storm the house, else they would all be killed. They then ran up to the house. Dr. Hill kept Brown's wife and the wagon between himself and danger till he got past the house, then got down and hid behind a log. When the party surrounded the house and were shooting through the cracks, Alverson arose from the door-sid and received a ball in his wrist. This one was enough of lead pills for him, and induced his legs to do him good service in carrying him as fast as possible to Warren's house. Sam Sellars imitated the example of his unc-le, and like him, concealed himself in the garret ; but as he ran, a ball gave him a slight cut across the abdomen, which doubtless increased lu3 velocity. The fight still raged with fierceness. When the balls began to come in too thick and fast to be com for table, John Sellar3 jumped out at the door and killed Jim Hill. Then Isaiah Ilill and Sellars had a chase around a hogshead of tobacco that was under prize. While this race was going on, Dr. Hill called Sam Ilill to get his pistols and help Isaiah, his father. Sam. got the Doctor's pistols, ran up and shot at Sellars, but at that instant Isaiah fell before a fatal ball. ' Sellars then turned and bursted two caps at Sam - but while he was doing this, Sam shot him twice. At the second fire, Sellars seized his gun. and run. As he was running off, John Drown shot him in the back, which caused him to throw his gun into the weeds, stagger back a few paces, and fell. When he fell, Bill Hill ran up, put a revolver against his head and shot six balls through his brain. John Brown then ran up with a bowie-knife and stabbed him two or three times in the breast. He would twist the knife around, then hold it up to the sun, and was almost frantic with ecstasy to see. the large drops of blood trickle from its point. Some of the young stock satiated their vile revenge upon the dead body by brutally mangling it with knives. Fred Hill and two or three others ran into the house to bring Chrismon to a savage death. As they came, he shot at Fred and grazed his head, which knocked him down. The others fired on him several times, setting his clothes on fire, and literally cutting him to pieces with their knives. lie begged for mercy, but they told him to - beg his God - that they had no mercy for him. After they had thus dreadfully mutilated him, they took his rifle, pistol and bowie-knife, and the large shot-gun which belonged to Dr. Evans.

After this bloody work was finished, Dr. Hill, still lying behind the log, hallooed and told them that the Evanses were coming, and if they did not get away very quickly they would all be killed. They were about to fly and leave their dead on the field, but Jim Hill, a lad, swore that he would not leave the ground without the body of his father - that he would die before he would leave it. They ordered Sam Preston, a neighbor, to drag the body to the fence, being afraid to do it themselves. He told them that it was extremely wrong for them to make him do that which they themselves were afraid to do. But Jim, fearing the speedy arrival of the Evanses, drew his pistol and told them if some one did not help to get his father away, he would fire upon the crowd. They then hastily dragged the bodies to the wagon, threw them in like so many hogs and made a quick retreat. When they arrived at their camp , they threw the bodies down on the entry floor and let them remain there all night without any attention. The wounded one got well in a few weeks and said that he did not mind taking leaden pills - that he could take them with ease, even without water. The next day, while yet the dead bodies were kicked about on the floor, they swore that they would kill Jack May for telling the Evanses of the attack, and that they would also kill Mr. Hall, John Warren and Henry Brookshire. They laid around these men's houses, with their rifles. This so much frightened them, and pictured such a bloody future, that nearly, if not quite all of them lefc the country immediately.

- After this battle, some person asked Dr. Hill if the fighting vrould not terminate at this : 44 No," replied he, 44 by G - d, it is just begun. I intend to survey around these hills and whip every one of the d - n rascals or drive them from the country." The Evans party then went about the country two or three days, with their rifles, desiring a combat, till Dr. Evans persuaded them to desist and stay at home. He told them that court would be holden in May, and then all the Hills would be indicted for willful murder and sent to jail. Bud the boys knew better about the state of affairs, and the fear that the officers had for the Hills. The Hill party made no cessation of hostilities, but swore that they would storm the house, go in and get the Doctor, cut out his heart, and sport it in triumph through the country on a pole.