Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-02-04
The Attempted Murder in Norfolk, Va
Remarkable Confession of the Prisoner.

femuTHdOtc CONFESSION ~ tHe L FtSOHeT'
We recently gave some of the particulars
of a horrible attempt in the suburbs of Nor>
folk to murder lady (Nlrs. WinninSer) by
her negro washerwoman, Sarah Capps, alias
Jefferson, who had been for several years the
recipient of kindnesses and charities at the
hands of the person she so brutally attempted
to murder Mrs. Winninger, when found,
was lying on the floor, with head and face
terribly gashed by an axe and her skull frac-
tured in two places. a large sum of money,
SOME 81 300, was missing, and a very valua>
BILE gold watch. All the money was recov
cred, and there are now strong hopes that
Mrs. Winninger will get well. 1t will be
seen from the annexed confession, which we
copy from the Norfolk Nrginiun of the 18th,
that the she devil charges another Of her
race, Sarah Thoroughbred, who was Mrs.
Winninger's cook, with taking part in her
hellish work:
This wretch yesterday afternoon made the
following statement to officers Harrison and
Baker, at the jail in Portsmouth Mr.. liar
rison, / knew God was not going to let me go
on with it God saw me do it, and it is on
the Judgment book, and might as we'll tell
it, for it will be known / did not want to
hurt Miss Fannie; | prayed to God to-day
that she light get we'll; | don't know what
it was that made me do it !; it was fixed SO
that should do it and get the white folks
down on mc, and then she could not get any
work | carried tho clothes over to her on
Saturday, and while up stairs Miss Fannie
said she wanted me to carry some things to
her mother, Mrs. Hewitt; l went up stairs
and got the bottles and cleaned them; we
then went down stairs, and after while Miss
Fannie went up stairs again; L took the axe
and followed her and hid it in my Clothes
She had lamp and pitcher in her hand;
when she got in her room she laid them
down; Sarah Thoroughbred came up little
while after and went into the room where the
men sleep; before Sarah or | went up Miss
Fannie had been up stairs long enough to
make up her bed went into the room and
said, "Miss Fannie, mother told me to ask
you to give her some socks for the children
a-pair that Willie and Tommie had worn out;
she went to the bureau and got them out and
gave them to me she then went to the bas-
ket, and while STOPPING over the clothes l
struck her with the eye of the axe; she fell
between the chair and the bed, and raised
her head and said Sarah, don't kill me-"
| struck her agaiu, and she raised up and
tried to 'fcnd herself by putting her hands
over her head ; she caught hold OF the handle
of the axe, and snatched it away and hit
her over the hands with the helve aud struck
her again.
She fell down, and I said, "Miss Fannie,
please mann come here and lay on the bed"
She did not say anything, and picked her
up and put her on the bed Sarah then came
in ; we got some money out of the wardrobe
and went down stairs; when we came back
the door was locked we broke it open and |
went in, and found Miss Fannie lying on the
bed with pistol in her hand; she said
''Mind, Sarah, it has got ball in it," l went
up to her and took it out of her hand, car
red it into another room and hid it; came
back and struck Miss Fannie with the axe !;
she rolled off the bcd and we wrapped her
up in blanket hit her with the handle
of the axe when she fell off the bed, because
something told me not to do any other way !;
we took all the money out Of the wardrobe,
some Of which Sarah said was secesh and
threw it on the top; we took it down stairs
in the kitchen and divided it; you have got
what had don't know anything about the
other; l washed the axe with warm water
which was on the stove and wi ped it with a
towel there was no hatchet used, it was an
axe | then carried the milk and things
home that was all. Knew there was a lot
of money in the wardrobe, because she had
paid me out of it; ma and pa don't know
anything about it; nobody but Sarah and
myself knows about it; Sarah was in the
mems room when struck her first; Miss
Fannie was good woman, and don't know
why l done it; some one has been copjuring
me; 1 threw up black snake some time ago
and have felt bad ever since. Somebody
fixed it so as to make the white people down
on ma and pa, as they could not get any work.
l feel that God has pardoned me for what I
have done know have been converted !;
did not want to kill Miss Fannie, but did it
because wanted money was going to get
married, and Miss Fannie had promised me
something.
- Mr. Coble advertises his runaway ap-