Located in Albrightsville, PA, is one of the more unusual graves I’ve come across, and I’ve seen some interesting stuff – full size Mercedes replicas, graves with windows, etc. This stone actually tells a story, or at least one version of it. Pictured on the stone is Mr. Henning with a hunting rifle. Hidden in the bushes behind him are several men, who according to his side of the tale, ambushed and killed him. The stone does not have “died” next to his death date; “shot” is the word of choice. Also worth noting is that the illustration faces away from the road, so you have to walk around the grave to see it. From the road it just looks like a big headstone.
Nobody is sure what really happened that day. The only thing that is definitely known is that Robert Wilkinson shot and killed Aquila (the Hennings and Wilkinsons had somewhat of a family feud going on). Supposedly Aquila shot one of his rival Harry Wilkinson’s hunting dogs, and the mob killed him for it. Another variation claims the mob just plain shot him; he didn’t kill any of their dogs. Still another claims that Aquila was aiming his gun at Harry, and Robert felt he had no choice but to shoot him to save his brother’s life.
Whatever the case, this is an interesting sight to see. Mr. Wilkinson actually sued the makers of the tombstone because he felt its depiction of Aquila as an innocent was a flatout lie.
