The Ashland tragedy is the name given to the violent murder of three teenagers, Robert and Fannie Gibbons and Emma Carico in Ashland, Kentucky in 1881. Robert and Fannie Gibbons and Emma Carico, staying together at the Gibbons home in Ashland, were beaten to death with axes on the night of December 23, 1881. The swift justice of this time period is a fascinating topic within this discussion.