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This is what I have on the murders:
The following account of the Brewer murder was given in 1950 to the author by Mrs. Albert Hales, a resident of Wolf Pen, Greenup Co., and granddaughter of John Collins.
The last public hanging took place in June, 1852. Hon. J.W. Moore was circuit judge but due to illness, Judge Thomas H. Hazelrigg was appointed to fill the vacancy, and presided at the trial. Court records show that Turner and Ruben Clark, John and Bill Hood and John Collins werre charged with the murder of a man by the name of William Brewer and his wife over a line fence and lesser quarrels between Collins and Brewer. The murder occured on East Fork of Little Sandy River. Records show that Collins was the ringleader and hired his companions to commit the actual murder by having them go to the Brewer home and create a disturbance in the chicken yard. Upon the appearance of Brewer, he was beaten to death with a club. When his wife appeared at the sound of the commotion, she was killed also. as records show.
It required three days to conduct the trial. The jury, W.K. Smith, Abram Meadows, Evan Jackson, Moses Mackoy, Thomas McNeal, Timothy Clary, John T. Lawson, David Smith, James Alley, A.J. Enslow, A.G. Womack and John Sloan, returned verdicts of death in the cases of John Collins, Turner and Ruben Clark, while John and Bill Hood were given life sentences. Of the three receiving the death penalty,two actually paid it on the scaffold, Collins hung himself in jail prior to the day of the execution. John and Bill Hood were later released from prison to serve as soldiers in the Civil War. One of these met his death by drowning while attempting to ford the Cumberland River, while the other lived to an advanced age.
(From an email sent to me)......Turner Clark was also hung on the same day as Rueben. (from a supplimentary edition of 'A History of Greenup Co., KY')
From OLD MURDER STORIES from Lawrence Co., OH newspapers:
CLARK, REUBEN HUNG
Reuben Clark, anothe of the murderers of Brewer and wife, was hung at Greenupsburg, on Monday inst. An effort was made to procure a remission of the hanging, but it failed. This makes the ????? life lost by this wretched affair. The two murdered and three of the murderers. The two remaining murderers are yet in jail awaiting their trial.
We understand that the sheriff of Greenup, Mr. Warren, died on Saturday, consequently Clark was executed by the deputy sheriff.
The account of this hanging was copied from a paper belonging to Mrs. Albert Hale of Wurtland, KY.
Greenupsburg received the name of "Hangtown" because of the hangings which took place in the early days, on a tree near Little Sandy River. The last public hanging took place in June 1852, when the most terrible murder in the annals of Greenup County took lace near Argillite. William Brewer and his wife were killed one nighit by five men. These were soon apprehended, tried, convicted and three of them sentenced to be hanged. One of the three hanged himself in the jail cell before the date of the hanging.
Instead of hanging these men on the tree where the hangings originally took place, a scaffold was built on West Main Street near the Little Sandy River. A cart carrying the condemned men (Reuben & Turner Clark), who were sitting on their coffins, passed slowly under the scaffold, the black caps were placed in position, the nooses in the ropes were adjusted, the fife and drum played the death march, the oxen and cart moved on and the bodies were left hanging in the air.
On the day of this execution, Greenupsburg was filled to overflowing with people, women as well as men. They came for miles on horseback, on mules, in ewagons and on foot. The women wore dresses with very full skirts and were dressed in costly attire of that time. Men with great mustaches were present, wearing bleached muslin pleated shirts, blue jean trousers and nail-keg hats.
John Collins - sentenced to death - hung himself June 25, 1852 to prevent public hanging
Turner Clark age 19 - sentenced to death - hung June 27, 1852 Greenupsburg, Greenup Co.., KY
Reuben Clark age 27 - sentenced to death - hung June 27, 1852 Greenupsburg, Greenup Co., KY
John Hood - sentenced to prison - released to serve as soldier in Civil War
Bill (William) Hood - sentenced to prison - released to serve as soldier in Civil War
Reuben Clark was John Collins son-in-law. He married Polly A. Collins Sept. 13, 1851 Greenup Co., KY
I don't know how Reuben & Turner Clark were or related or John & William Hood.
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