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The Killing Rock
Pound Gap Massacre“It’s one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time.”
May 14, 1892
On a sleepy Saturday afternoon gunshots rang out on a lonely deserted stretch of mountain road. When the gun smoke cleared, five people and two horses had been brutally murdered. Two people had survived the cowardly ambush. And initially, there were two suspects based on evidence found at the scene of the crime. Those shots and what happened over the next two years would forever change the lives of at least a dozen families.
Within days the list of suspects had grown to five. Three of which were a shock to the community. Of the first two suspects, one was mysteriously never investigated or indicted. The other would be caught and arraigned. But due to a bizarre and unexplained recess of the court, skipped bail. The charges against him would eventually be dropped in 1901. Of the three remaining men, One would stand trial and be hung for the crime. One would be killed in a gunfight. And contrary to what the sign says, the charges against Henan Fleming were dropped. He never stood trial and Jane’s death had little to do with it.
Join us for an in-depth look into the events leading up to the massacre. We will take a good hard look into the myths, legends, and folktales surrounding the event, before and after. Then we will attempt to dispel those myths and folktales by using hard facts and evidence that we have gathered over the last ten years. Much of which has only come to light over the past seven as digitization efforts have increased.
It is our hope that after examining all the information we have acquired and compiled. That you come to understand the reasons behind all the questions. And to have you join with the many people from the area that have, for over 125 years, been asking;
“Was the right man hung for the crime?”
This work is in the process of being re-done and updated along with our entire website.
The bulk of the articles available at this time are the work we had posted in 2013 and transferred to our new hosting provider in March/April 2016.
Where possible, we intend to simply update those articles. However, when new articles are posted we will post them to the Facebook groups first. Followed by a general posting to the main Facebook page a week later.
Visiting the Sites.
If you are going to be in the Jenkins Kentucky, Pound Virginia area you may want to visit the historic site of the Killing Rock as well as the gravesite of those killed in the Massacre. Here are some photos my wife Joanna and I took this past summer.
The Often Told Story…
The story as it is often told by various websites and books. With some of the more outlandish elements removed.
The Killing Rock
The Pound Gap Massacre 1
May 14, 1892, A 15-year-old man runs into the town of Pound Virginia frightened and yelling about murder at the Pound Gap
David Sergent | March 10, 2016
The Killing Rock
The Pound Gap Massacre 2
The greatest shock of all was who the suspects were, Dr MB Taylor and the Flemming bros Henan & Cal
David Sergent | March 12, 2016
The Killing Rock
The Pound Gap Massacre 3
The Commonwealth Attorney sought a new indictment based upon a statement written by him, and signed by Jane Mullins
David Sergent | March 12, 2016
The Killing Rock
The Pound Gap Massacre 4
During the re-sentencing Doc Taylor’s lawyers tried to have him declared insane, however Judge Morison noticed Taylor giving advice to his attorney
David Sergent | March 13, 2016The Untold Stories…
The Killing Rock The Untold Stories
Henry Vanover
The Story of Henry Vanover… Henry Vanover was born in 1835 to Daniel and Nancy Vanover, During the Civil War he served as a private with the Union Army and
David Sergent | March 17, 2016
The Killing Rock The Untold Stories
Janes Custody
The Pound Gap Massacre happened on the 14th of May 1892, it would be the 19th before Jane told Serah Blevins that Doc Taylor, and the Fleming brothers had been the ones to attack them.
David Sergent | March 15, 2016
The Killing Rock The Untold Stories
Janes Identity Problem
Jane’s Identity Problem. The Following article is partly fiction, this is because as Charles A Johnson tells us in his book, at the time of the trial it was customary
David Sergent | March 30, 2016
The Killing Rock The Untold Stories
Doc Taylor man on the run
Doc Taylor, man on the run. We are often led to believe, that Doc Taylor and the Fleming’s were the suspects from the moment the bodies were found, and
David Sergent | March 18, 2016
The Killing Rock The Untold Stories
The Arrest of Dr Taylor
The Arrest of Dr Taylor. Dr. Marshall Benton Taylor would be arrested without incident on Tuesday July 19th 1892 as he boarded a passenger train heading to Florida. This would
David Sergent | March 27, 2016
The Killing Rock The Untold Stories
Doc’s Gun
Doc’s Gun. Doctor Marshal Benton Taylor’s rifle is of utmost importance as it is often told that the jury had a question about the gun and ultimately it would be
David Sergent | March 30, 2016