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Histories &
Mysteries
Judy and John Tole
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Learning his true identity, the Southern partisans hanged him on the spot. Gen. William Powell, Northern officer in the area, burned all of the Chancellor buildings in retaliation. But this was not sufficient, it seems; blood must be had as well. And so it was that fate dictated that Mr. A.G. Willis, friend of Miss Lucy Twisdale, minister, and yes, did we forget to mention, Mosby Ranger, became caught up in the mortal feud.
Sometime after Willis arrived at the Ben Venue blacksmith shop on the evening of the 13th, Powell’s men arrived. Looking for further retaliation for the Chancellor incident they captured Willis and a companion. The two prisoners were taken to the Marlow farm, which bordered the turnpike at the foot of Chester Gap. Powell ordered that one of them be put to death. A witness said the Union soldiers did not know “whether they would hang, shoot, or cut the throat” of the victim. Willis’s companion was initially chosen as the condemned. He stated that he was married, had a family, and was
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