 The woman told Confederates that her husband had died and that he was buried in the cemetery, but when they requested that she take them to the grave, she refused. Skeptical, frustrated, Confederate soldiers then tied the hands of Mrs. Owens and placed her thumbs in between fence rails, torturing the woman to find the location of her husband. Bill Owens was ultimately captured and later murdered by vigilantes who broke into the local jail where he was being held.