135. Lee Hall
[Kurt Stapleton & Denise Newman.FTW]
Lee Hall - born 1838 - enlisted on Oct. 5, 1862. He was promoted to2nd
Sergeant on April 30, 1863. Sgt. Lee Hall was captured in Floyd County
on Nov. 7, 1863 and first taken to the prison at Louisville, Kentucky
(now at the current location of Main Street in Louisville - near the
museum) on Nov. 18, 1863. He was taken by train to Indianapolis onNov.
21, 1863 and imprisoned at Camp Morton Prison.
Sgt. Lee Hall died from typhoid fever at Camp Morton Prison on Aug.10,
1864. He is buried in grave #1047 at the Crown Hill Cemetery in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
144. Thomas Talton (Bad Talt) Hall
"Bad Talt" Hall
Talton Thomas Hall was born in 1846 on Little Carr Fork or TraceFork of Rockhouse Creek, a branch of Beaver Creek in Letcher
County, Kentucky, the son of David and Anna (Johnson) Hall.
He was the grandson of Anthony (1752-1846) and Rutha Butler
(1770-1855) Hall. Talton married Marinda "Rinda" Triplett
October 12, 1868, in Letcher County, Kentucky. Marinda was
born in 1846, a twin to Merilda Triplett and a daughter of
Wilson and Eleanor (Isaac) Triplett.
As a very young man Talton became accustomed to the murders
which happened almost daily. Gunfights and bloodshed were
the general way of life in the feud ridden area of Beaver
Creek. His father, Dave Hall, was a strong willed man in
his own right who had killed several men
in individual disputes.
Talton, himself, was well known for his ability with his guns.When the man with the gun was Bad Talton Hall, proceeding with
an argument was not only dangerous, but could be suicide. It
was a well known fact that Talton did not shoot to bluff and
did not miss when he shot. A close associate, Anderson
Belcher, stated, "Talt's guns are anything but good to look
at, but when it comes to shooting they are dead center."
Supported by his relatives Talton Hall became a deputysheriff. It was his boldness with a gun which enforced his
desire for an official capacity and carried him forward to
the position of United States Marshall for the Eastern
District of Kentucky. The more powerful station of Marshall
also elevated prospects for others of the Hall family.
Already well organized, they then traveled together, armed to
the teeth and under the shield of the law. They were in all
appearance deputies, if not officially, then unofficially.
Talton was credited with the killing of near 100 men,though the number was probably much less. Not counting
those he killed during the Civil War, he confessed
to the killing of only five men. He confirmed he killed
Henry Maggard, Henry Houk, Mark Hall, and a man named Triplett.
He was acquitted of murder in all these cases.
It was generally thought that Talton Hall killedFrank Salyer, March 6, 1885 , yet this was not one of
the killings he admitted doing when taken into custody
for the murder of Police Chief Enoch B. Hylton.
Talton had become romantically
involved with Salyers wife, and shortly afterward, Salyer
was murdered by ambushers. The circumstances of this murder,
as well as the actual killing, were what brought about the
end of Talton Hall's life.
The last murder he confessed to was that ofEnoch B. Hylton, for which he paid the ultimate price.
After a long man-hunt Talton Hall was arrested for
Hylton's murder. His trial got under way January 26, 1892.
The trial was short, lasting only five days.
On January 30, 1892 the jury reached a verdict of
guilty. Talton Hall gained his place in history
when he became the first man to hang
for murder in Wise County, Virginia,
September 2, 1892.
Talt asked "Devil John" Wright to have his body broughtback to Kentucky for burial and, of course,
his friend agreed. He was buried in the Wright
Cemetery at Dunham, Kentucky, just across the border from
Virginia, along with John & Mattie's two sons, James & Johnny
Phillip and other members of the Wright family.
[Kurt Stapleton & Denise Newman.FTW]
Ironton Register; July 7, 1887
King Salt Works down in Virginia, on the Va. and Tenn. R.R., seems tohave been in much demand by both sides during the war. The Confederateswanted it for the salt and the Union boys desired it because the otherside wanted it. Many a fight was had there and in that neighborhood; andwhen the Union troops would make a dash on it, thinking they would surelycapture the place they were pretty sure to find it well defended.Alex Baldwin, of Co. B., 39th Ky. (Mounted Infantry, US), tells us of hisexperience, on a raid in that quarter, in October, 1864. He says: "Wewere ordered from Louisa, Kentucky, to make a raid on King's Salt Works.We started out, 4000 strong, under Gen. (Stephen G.) Burbridge. On the6th day after we started, we arrived before the place at about 9 o'clockin the morning, and immediately made preparations to charge the rebbreast works. For this purpose, a colored regiment was ordered to chargethe rebel position. They advanced with courage and spirit. Poor fellows!Many of them were shot and killed in that unsuccessful attack and theground was strewn with their dead and wounded.
Our regiment, which was cavalry, was in a valley about half a mile fromthe works, and in plain view of the rebs. We counted off by eights forevery eighth man to hold eight horses, and when this was done theregiment dismounted and started forward to attack. I was one of the luckyeight that were left back to hold the horses, and thought I had struck aneasy job. In fact, I was very happy thinking how safe I was and wonderingwho of the boys moving to the attack would never come back. But thesethoughts didn't last long. The regiment had hardly started when theshells began whizzing about us. They seemed to come around me by thedozen. Well, it must have been a shell that hit me or exploded very closeto me, for when I waked up, my brother Jarvis and I were on all fours inthe middle of Clinch River. The stream was very shallow and we didn'tdrown, but whether we were blown there or knocked there or dragged there,I don't know. All I know is that whereas the shells flew thick as rain,when I waked up I was crawling through the low current of that littleriver.
I crawled on across the river and up a small drain, in the direction ofour regiment and there I came to my Captain, sheltering himself under hishorse. Col. (Charles) Hanson then came up and said the rebs had shot 13holes in him, and then he went back to the top of the point where he wasshot and left on the field. Our regiment was ordered back at 4 o'clock,and took position in some timber, but the fighting continued till sundown, when it ceased. I then went back to where I held the horses, to seeif they were any left, but found several dead and the others gone. Webuilt camp fires on the field at night and while they were burning gotaway from there, but the rebels, who had been largely re-enforced,closely accompanied us and made it hot for us till we reached the linedividing Virginia from Kentucky. We were three days without rations, butthe bushwhackers kept us well supplied with hot bullets.
We had a very hard time getting out of there, but I had the satisfactionin December following to enter their fort at King's Salt Work's, andhelped myself to what I liked best, providing it was there.
But we got the fort at last through the sacrifice of many a brave comrade.