An odd headline in Gettysburg popped in 1905 related to Ida Millberry who was buried in the Lincoln Cemetery. Ida was not a longtime resident of Gettysburg but had come north from Maryland to live with her daughter there. The article, in many ways, is sort of mindblowing.

None of us really wants to be remembered thus. A bit more research shows that Ida saw some stuff.

Ida and her associate Ortho were walking home one evening when they were attacked by John Bowen who slashed Ortho nine times and broke Ida’s jaw. Bowen, also black, was caught and brought to jail. A posse assembled, brought Bowen out of the jail, hung him from Union Bridge, and allegedly shot him for good measure. Note that the article says that Bowen “is supposed killed.”

Except, well, he wasn’t.

Somehow, Bowen actually escaped his lynching—whether the first account got it right or Bowen somehow limped away after being hung and shot is unclear. Bowen received five years in the penitentiary.

Much about the remainder of Ida’s life is unclear, but certainly some of her condition might be attributed to trauma.