Catharine died in Braxton County February 5, 1854. Henry married Elizabeth "Betsy" Skidmore in Braxton County May 16, 1855. Elizabeth, a daughter of Levi and Nancy (Belknap) Skidmore, was born in 1829 and died in 1907. The 1860 BraxtonCounty census lists the family and names two sons, Reuben and Westley, who were not listed in Henry's family in the 1850 census.
Henry and Gabriel Windon were hanged by the Union Army at Sutton, Braxton County May 9, 1862. They had been convicted of killing either a "uniformed soldier" or a "Union camp follower", depending on the source.
John Davidson Sutton described the incident in his "History of Braxton County and Central West Virginia" page 203.
"Just at the beginning of the Civil war when the first Federal troops passed through the county, a boy from Ohio had followed the army as far as Glenville. Some parties say, however, that he came as far as Sutton, but it is in doubt as to what place he left the army. At any rate, he desired to return to his home and started across the country by was of Steer creek, stopping at Henry Cole's to get something to eat. Cole, a man named Windon, also a Conrad, were some
distance down the creek working in the hay harvest. Mrs. Cole, when she found out that the boy had come from Ohio and had been with the Federal army, ran down and told her husband and Windon, while the boy was eating his dinner, that there was a Yankee at the house. They waylaid him as he came down where they were at work. They killed the boy, cut his head off with a scythe and hid his body in a stone or log pile. Conrad fled and was never heard of. Windon hinted it to a
man named Simpton while they were both intoxicated. Cole and Windon were arrested and tried by a court in Charleston, Kanawha county, and sentenced to be hanged. The execution took place in Sutton in the fall of 1862, the same being carried out by the military authorities. Their bodies were buried on the Town Hill. One of the streets now passes over their remains. Mrs. Cole being in delicate health, was allowed to escape. One of Cole's sons afterward volunteered and served through the war in the Tenth West Virginia Infantry. Nothing is
recorded in the border warfare of our country that equals this in cold blooded atrocity."
Thomas Bland Camden mentions Henry Kuhl in his article titled "My Receollections and Experiences of the Civil War," published in the Weston Democrat in 1927. Camden was arrested as a Southern sympathizer and confined at Camp Chase in Ohio. Camden wrote :
"A prisoner by the name of Kuhl from Steer Creek, Braxton County, who was suspected of being implicated in the murder of a Federal Soldier, with two others, who hanged for it at Sutton, was there with ball and chain to his leg, shich he could slip off and on as he pleased, as the guard came and went. He was adept at ring making and inlaying with silver. He made one with TBC in silver letters, inlaid, which I have yet."
Individual Note:
Henry Kuhl was born in Germany in 1802 and married Catharine Yeagle there. Catharine was born in Germany March 9, 1804. Three sons were born in Germany. The family arrived at Baltimore, Maryland in September 1839. They moved to Lewis County VA (WV), where three children were born from 1841 to 1849. They were enumerated in the 1850 census of Braxton County VA (WV).
Catharine died in Braxton County February 5, 1854. Henry married Elizabeth "Betsy" Skidmore in Braxton County May 16, 1855. Elizabeth, a daughter of Levi and Nancy (Belknap) Skidmore, was born in 1829 and died in 1907. The 1860 BraxtonCounty census lists the family and names two sons, Reuben and Westley, who were not listed in Henry's family in the 1850 census.
Henry and Gabriel Windon were hanged by the Union Army at Sutton, Braxton County May 9, 1862. They had been convicted of killing either a "uniformed soldier" or a "Union camp follower", depending on the source.
John Davidson Sutton described the incident in his "History of Braxton County and Central West Virginia" page 203.
"Just at the beginning of the Civil war when the first Federal troops passed through the county, a boy from Ohio had followed the army as far as Glenville. Some parties say, however, that he came as far as Sutton, but it is in doubt as to what place he left the army. At any rate, he desired to return to his home and started across the country by was of Steer creek, stopping at Henry Cole's to get something to eat. Cole, a man named Windon, also a Conrad, were some
distance down the creek working in the hay harvest. Mrs. Cole, when she found out that the boy had come from Ohio and had been with the Federal army, ran down and told her husband and Windon, while the boy was eating his dinner, that there was a Yankee at the house. They waylaid him as he came down where they were at work. They killed the boy, cut his head off with a scythe and hid his body in a stone or log pile. Conrad fled and was never heard of. Windon hinted it to a
man named Simpton while they were both intoxicated. Cole and Windon were arrested and tried by a court in Charleston, Kanawha county, and sentenced to be hanged. The execution took place in Sutton in the fall of 1862, the same being carried out by the military authorities. Their bodies were buried on the Town Hill. One of the streets now passes over their remains. Mrs. Cole being in delicate health, was allowed to escape. One of Cole's sons afterward volunteered and served through the war in the Tenth West Virginia Infantry. Nothing is
recorded in the border warfare of our country that equals this in cold blooded atrocity."
Thomas Bland Camden mentions Henry Kuhl in his article titled "My Receollections and Experiences of the Civil War," published in the Weston Democrat in 1927. Camden was arrested as a Southern sympathizer and confined at Camp Chase in Ohio. Camden wrote :
"A prisoner by the name of Kuhl from Steer Creek, Braxton County, who was suspected of being implicated in the murder of a Federal Soldier, with two others, who hanged for it at Sutton, was there with ball and chain to his leg, shich he could slip off and on as he pleased, as the guard came and went. He was adept at ring making and inlaying with silver. He made one with TBC in silver letters, inlaid, which I have yet."