At a Place Called Hardscrabble

At a place called Hardscrabble, or Elliott's Tavern, three miles south of Williamstown, Grant County, Ky., on Monday evening last, John W. Evans was killed by three men named Frank Little, James Little, and Wm. Turner. The body of Evans was riddled with eighteen balls having taken effect in it. Deceased was connected at one time with the provost guard of the county. We were unable to learn the cause of the difficulty. Turner was arrested, but the two Littells made their escape.

from The Spirit of Democracy (Woodsfield, Ohio), November 20, 1866. The spellings of both Little and Littell for the criminals are as they appear in the original. That Evans was with the Provost Guard is likely key to his murder; Provost Guard were the military police of the Union Army during the American Civil War, and post-war reprisals occurred.