Three Kentucky Tragedies by Richard Taylor

Author:Richard Taylor [Taylor, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
ISBN: 9780813138084
Google: XgfTjZXp4tsC
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 1991-10-20T02:53:26+00:00

On Friday the sky was cloudy and gray. There was no sun. Parts of the river bottom were flooded. Lilburne and Isham climbed up Rocky Hill to the graveyard. Lilburne told Isham that he wanted to lie close to his first wife. Each of the brothers carried a rifle. When they reached the top, they looked out over the pale ridges that stretched far as the eye could see. Below was the river snaking into the hills, its water glowing like the blade of a knife. Lilburne, who had brought along the will, put it under a small stone so it wouldn’t blow away.

“How are we going to do it?” Isham asked.

“It’s simple,” said Lilburne. “We stand facing each other. We’ll point our guns at each other’s chests. When all is ready, on the count of three we’ll pull our triggers.”

“But what if the gun misfires?” Isham said. Lilburne hadn’t thought about this, and he took some time to answer.

“Well,” he said, “if something goes wrong, you can do it yourself.”

“But how?”

Lilburne looked around and picked up a stick about as long as his arm. Next he sat down, resting his back against the gravestone. He cocked his rifle. Then he turned the muzzle toward his own chest.

“It’s simple,” he said. “Just aim the rifle with one hand and use the other to trip the trigger.” As Isham looked on, Lilburne took up the stick and stuck it in the trigger guard.

The stillness was broken by a tremendous bang, and Lilburne slumped over, his white shirt covered with blood. Before the sound had faded in the hills, Isham knew his brother was dead. Shocked by the blood, Isham could not turn his rifle on himself. He couldn’t lift it. He couldn’t move. The shot brought Lilburne’s slaves running up the hill. There they found their master dead.

Several days later an inquest was held. Isham told how Lilburne shot himself by accident. Still, a warrant was issued to arrest Isham. The charge was helping Lilburne to take his own life. So Isham was jailed to await his trial. Sometime before that day, he escaped. Never again was he seen in Livingston County, and a legend grew around his disappearance. He had gone south to New Orleans. Two years later he was killed by the British during the Battle of New Orleans. There were six Americans who died, and the story goes that he was one of them.

In 1808 the Lewises, proud and confident, had come to Kentucky to make a new start. Four years later, only the oldest adult was alive. Colonel Charles Lewis was left with 13 grandchildren and three unmarried daughters. Unable to care for them, he gave up control to the county court. Guardians were appointed for the youngest children. The family was broken up and its property sold at public auction. The tragedy of the Lewises was complete.

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