Articles & Stories
Combat In Craw: Kentucky
Guardsman Mortally Wounded
Riot At Howser's Saloon Between Soldiers And Civilians In 1909
By James E. Allen - 2010
Company D, 2nd Kentucky Infantry Regiment was organized
at Salyersville, Magoffin County, Ken-
tucky, in 1908 by Captain Ernest H. Atkinson. The Kentucky Infantry,
at that time, was under the direction of Philip P. Johnston,
who was tendered his position of Adjutant General of Kentucky
by Governor Augustus E. Willson in December 1907. Adjutant General
Johnston was commissioned Major of Artillery while serving in
the Confederate Army during the Civil War in the Stuart Horse
Artillery.
John Brown, 1881-1948,
was a soldier in Company D, 2nd Kentucky Infantry when the Company
went to encampment at Camp Bell near Frankfort, Franklin County,
Kentucky. He was pallbearer on September 5, 1909, for Sgt. Ingram
Tate of Company M from Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky. Sergeant
Tate was shot and killed on September 4th in the Craw section
of Frankfort at Howser's Saloon.
(Photo courtesy of James Allen.)
W. T. Sherman Power, son of James
Power and Nancy Jane Blair Power, moved to Wenatchee, Washington,
in the early 1900s. His nephew, John W. Brown, stayed in Sherman's
home in 1909-1910 and did carpenter work there.
(Photo courtesy of James Allen.)
The first encampment for Company D was at Camp Bell from August
31 through September 6, 1909. Camp Bell was located on Belle's
Point close to Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. It was on
the other side of the river and down river adjacent to Lock No.
4. Walking access from the camp into Frankfort was available
by the railroad bridge into the downtown section.
There was a section of Frankfort which was located between the
"Old State Capitol" building and the river which was
called Craw. One of the businesses in Craw was Howser's Saloon
owned by E. W. Howser.
On Saturday night, September 4, 1909, there was a riot at Howser's
Saloon between soldiers and civilians. An extra edition of The
Frankfort News dated September 6, 1909, reported the incident
as follows:
The headlines read, "Two Killed and Three Wounded In Craw."
"Ingram Tate, a Sergeant of Company M from Somerset, Pulaski
County, Kentucky, was shot and killed in Howser's Saloon; Jeff
Cook, a civilian of Frankfort was killed; and William Nickels,
Alex McNally, and Ed Miller, civilians, were wounded. Investigation
of the Saturday night battle is being made by civil authorities
and Col. J. Embry Allen of the 2nd Kentucky. The coroner of Franklin
County, Lyman Graham, says he will hold inquests on the bodies
on Tuesday, September 7th.
"Joe Nickels was charged with murder, and Joe Kinkead was
charged with being an accessory to murder of Sergeant Ingram
Tate. It was reported that Joe Kinkead pushed Tate out of the
door, after he was shot by Nickels. He collapsed on the walk
and was carried across the street by other soldiers to another
saloon where he died.
"After the shooting of Sergeant Tate, other unknown soldiers
came to Howser's Saloon with their Springfield rifles. They claimed
they were fired on by someone in the building. The soldiers returned
fire. Some of the bullets went through the building, tearing
through the two outer walls and several partitions. Probably
50 bullet holes are to be found in the building with most of
the windows shot out.
"City Judge Polsgrove reached the scene shortly after Tate
was shot. Soldiers were shooting into the building. There was
talk of burning the building in an effort to get the slayer.
Judge Polsgrove and Colonel Allen went into the trouble, and
they assured everyone that the guilty men had been arrested.
After getting the scene quieted down, only enough soldiers were
left to preserve order. The soldiers also guarded outside the
jail where Nickels and Kinkead were lodged.
The funeral of a Kentucky State Guardsman, Sgt. Ingram Tate, was held at Camp Bell just across the river from Frankfort next to Lock No. 4. The pallbearer, second from left with the black hair, is John Brown of Salyersville. John Brown said the guardsman was killed on Saturday night, September 4, 1909, in a place where liquor was sold. After the killing, many guardsmen got their rifles and riddled the building with rifle bullets. The service for Sergeant Tate was held on September 5, 1909, and was conducted by Rev. Dr. C. R. Hudson, who is shown standing at the end of the casket.
(Photo courtesy of James Allen.)
"After entering the building, Judge
Polsgrove and Colonel Allen found Jeff Cook, a civilian who had
been hit by a rifle bullet and killed. The bullet taken from
Alex McNally, who was wounded, appeared similar to the .38 Smith
& Wesson bullets that killed Sergeant Tate.
"William Nickels had been shot in the left side and survived.
Ed Miller received a wound in the hand.
"On Sunday, September 5th, a service was held for Sgt. Ingram
Tate of Company M of Somerset at Camp Bell. His body was sent
out by train the same day to his hometown.
At the funeral service at Camp Bell on that Sunday afternoon,
the regiment was in battalion formation on three sides of a square,
the fourth side being filled by citizens of Frankfort. In the
center was the body in a plain, but handsome black casket draped
by the American flag. The regimental band in front played a funeral
march as the hearse arrived with the casket.
"The service was conducted by Rev. Dr. C. R. Hudson of the
Christian Church. The soldiers stood rigid with their hats on
their left breast.
"Arriving in a carriage was Governor and Mrs. Willson and
Adjutant General P. P. Johnston. They were seated in front of
the citizens."
The photos accompanying this article belonged to John Brown,
a member of Company D from Salyersville. He was a pallbearer
for Sergeant Tate.
After returning to Salyersville from the encampment at Camp Bell,
John Brown left traveling by train to Wenatchee, Washington.
Company D, 2nd Kentucky Infantry from Salyersville, Magoffin County, Kentucky, lined up for this photo at Camp Bell, Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky, in 1909.
(Photo courtesy of James Allen.)
In Wenatchee he stayed with his uncle, W. T. Sherman Power, who
had located there around 1905. John worked there at carpentry
and came back to Kentucky in the latter part of 1910. John Brown,
my grandfather, was born in 1881 and died December 24, 1948,
in an auto wreck on Patrick Gap Hill, eight miles south of Louisa,
Lawrence County, Kentucky, on US HWY 23.
W. T. Sherman Power was a brother of John Brown's mother, Mary
Power Brown. Mary and Sherman's father was Corporal James Power
who served in Company I, 14th Kentucky Infantry, Union Army,
in the Civil War. An older brother of James Power's was Captain
John Power, also of Company I.
Another brother of James Power was Holloway Power, the first
county judge of Magoffin County who served in that capacity from
1860 through 1866.
Thanks to Bob Patrick who furnished some of the information about
this incident which I had not previously been able to find.
James E. Allen, 447 Kentucky Street, Salyersville, KY 41465,
shares this article with our readers.
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