Maysville Hanging

August 28, 1878 newspaper article

18 years ago, last Tuesday, Charles Collins was hanged at this place (Maysville - Mason Co.) for the brutal murder of the Cobb family. The execution took place about noon on the road leading from East Maysville to the Flemingsburg pike. Those he had killed and robbed included: Francis Cobb, Sr. age 70 and his two sons George age 15 and Abijah age 17 on July 24, 1861. Also, injured were other members of the Cobb family
Other records state that Collins was hung on a sycamore tree on Limestone Creek directly in front of the J.G.Fee School; which is now the location of the Mason County detention center.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am a descendant of Cobb and I have a picture of the hanging of Collins.

Anonymous said...

I may be a descendant of Cobb as well. No picture tho. Kinda creeped.

Anonymous said...

Very creepy I’m a descendent as well

Anonymous said...

I am the great-granddaughter of Leona Cobb Proctor and Thomas Proctor. The picture of the hanging is disturbing, but as a child I never noticed the hanging. It was on the background. In the foreground there were men on horseback. As a child this is what I noticed.

Maybe I am a horrible person, but to me the history of people that I never met is interesting but kind of unreal, sort of like a fictional story although I know it actually happened.

Anonymous said...

Hope this isn’t a duplicate. I am ancient and tried to respond before.

While the picture is troubling, as a child, I never noticed the hanging and was much more interested in the man on horseback in the foreground. (The hanging is in the background ).

I may be a horrible person, but I didn’t know my ancestor who was brutally murdered and I didn’t know the person who murdered him.

I am the great granddaughter of Leona Cobb Proctor and Thomas Proctor. I have memories of them that I treasure. What happened to their ancestors is more like a story than real life since I never knew these people.

I also have pictures of my great grandparents home on second street and many pictures of the farm they owned, also pictures of cattle sales.

Unknown said...

I am a descendent of the Collins family from which this vile criminal sprung and am appalled. Even though it is "ancient history" to some people, I cannot help but feel tremendous sorrow for what my ancestor perpetrated against this family. Although I am not a descendant of Charles himself, his actions are a part of my family lineage that is truly awful to me.

Anonymous said...

You are only responsible for what you have done in life. You are not responsible for what others have done.

As an ancestor of Francis Cobb, I only think of this as interesting. It happened so long ago that it doesn’t seem real.

Don’t worry about what others have done. Just worry about you. As a francis Cobb descendant, I don’t think that all Collins descendants are terrible people. We each make our own identity.

Anonymous said...

I’m a Collins my grandma was a Cobb before she married a Collins. I would like to have copies of these pictures.

Anonymous said...

hello! I am also a descendent of Francis Cobb and would like to see the photo, is there any way to send it? My great great grandfathers mother was Anna Cobb!

THANKS FOR VISITING THE BLOG.
Y'all come back ya hear !
Free Web Counter
Free Counter Visitors To Our Blog
Powered By Blogger