The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-03-30
ST. GAINESVILLE.
The Execution Of ThOs. ID. CaFP-The
Murderer OF Fifteen PersOns-A Con.
fessiOn OF His Criminal Career.
WHEELINa, W. v, March "a.

AeAstOn Of His Criminal Career.
WHEELING, W. v, March "a.
Thos, D. Carr, for the murder of Louisa
2. Fox, near st. Clairsville, Ohio, in Janu-
ary, 1869, was executed in the county
Jail at st. Clairsville this afternoon at one
O'clock. No one was admitted to the iail
but the Sheriff and his assistants and the
newspaper reporters Carr was cool and
throughout, but the recklessness
which characterized his conduct during
the trial entirely disappeared. BY his
own confession he is believed to be the
greatest manslaughterer ever born in this
or any other country. He acknowledges
to having perpetrated fourteen cold blood
ed murders, and made five unsuccessful |
attempts to take life, before the killing of |
Miss Fox. His execution was the first |
that ever occurred in Belmont county, |
and created great excitement.
HIS CONFESSION.
Some sixteen days ago Carr made vol |
untary confession, IN which he admits that |
he has committed over fifteen cold blood |
ed murders.
THE MURDERER AND HIS ATTEMPT TO
COMMIT SUICIDE.
The victim of this mans bloody hands
was beautiful girl of only fourteen years.
The murderer and his victim were be-
trothed IN marriage, but the current of
love was rutted and broken by the girls
parents Withholding their consent to the
nnal ceremony, it is but proper to state las
ne does) that their consent was once given,
but afterward, through the influence of
others, 1t was withdrawn. Carr, finding
his suit to be all in vain, Immediately
plotted, IN the seclusion of his heart, that
he would shed the life blood of his afian-
eed rather than suffer any one else to get
her. And too well did he execute his hor-
rlble design. Coming upon her almost
unaware, as 1t were, he held friendly con-
verse with her for few moments, and
then with worse than savage barbarity,
sprang upon his victim, and despite her
cries for mercy, and her promise to marry
MN, the fearless wretch, with a razor, CON
tlnued to lntiict upon her person, until she
lay dead at his feet, literally cut to pieces.
DE then attempted to take his own life
tlrst by shooting himself, and then cutting
his own throat, but death came not to
hlm, seeming, as It were, that in satisfac-
ton of his terrible crime, he was doomed
to die at the hands of the law. The 2lst
day of January, 1869, in consequence of
this, viii long be remembered as day of
blood
THE ARREST.
He was taken by officers of the law, in
an apparently lifeless condition. near the
very spot where he had slain the girl and
after being sufficiently restored. he was
brought to the county Jail, in st. Clairs-
yille, Feb. 2, 1869, since which time he
has been in the careful custody of Sheriff
Hays. In his confession, speaking of his
army record, he says:
81 enlisted in the Guernsey Guards
under Col. (afterward GeneraD Ferguson.
Remained in Cambridge to drill, was there
Tor two weeks, IN which time l had five
tights, and the deniZens of that town, as
well as the boys of old company H, have
not forgotten Corduroy 1 considered
that, since 1 was going into the army, I
ought TO keep my nerves braced up, and
the lighting, with the Indifferent whisky,
was sufficient to keep me in fighting trim.
We went to Columbus, where Joined Co.
Capt Watt Moore) sixteenth O. VI
Col. Irwin"
After his discharge from this depart-
ment, he Started to Columbus Ohio. and
re-enlsted IN the 18th Regulars, went at
once to the front, and was in the battle of
huntsville, Ala, marched to Eastport,
Miss, where we fought Bragg. In that
engagement saw a man coming up over
the works and shot at hiEs-he fell imme-
dlately." Carr was, shortly after this, sent
here to guard some prisoners. He says
that, instead of returning, thought I
would stay IN Cincinnati. broke out of
Sycamore Barracks, and In a few days
met Anne Whalen at the Eighth street
Park took her out to Carthage. IA small
village north of Cincinnati) where we liv-.
ed two weeks, when / sent her back to
Cincinnati and returned to my command,
after an absence of sixty DAYS. When |
reached it near Deccard Station, was put
IN the guard house, court martialed, and
sentenced to be shot for desertion. Ono
afternoon they took me out to dig my
grave, which did, making it five feet six
inches long, four feet two inches deep and
two feet SIX inches wide. Even then |
felt as unconeerned as ever | did in my
life God pity me- l didn't care, my
heart was so ealloused and hard. l don't
even remember the date of that day. be-
cause l cared so little about an event that
would almost craze some men. But that
Is neither here nor there. A petition was
sent to President Lincoln and | was par
doned was returned to my regiment with
well as ever" Referring to his experience
in the 18th Regulars, he says: II deser-
ted at Columbus, went to Cadiz, and stay
ed thirteen days. Then in order to shield
myself, l informed on a mess mate as be-
ing deserter, by which got back to the
regiment free of punishment. While on
little tramp with the regiment in North
Carolina, the regiment had desperate
fight at Wise's Forks, during which I
crouched behind a pine log, when a rebel
sergeant came up IN 'front.' did not see me;
l shot him. l examined the wound as l
pilfered his clothes, found a picture of a
fine looking girl, knife and ring bear
ing the inscription of -. l burned hou-
ses, stole horses, slaughtered cattle, hogs
and sheep, and did all the mischief a care
less soldier could think of" On the Sth
of March he directed his amanuensis to
publish the following:
81 hereby authorize you to publish this
my life, history and confession, as you
may wish and direct. / have made it,
fully conscious of my approaching death,
and without entertaining q hope to es-
cape just and merited punishment But
l could not go to my final rest without
telling to the world the story of a life so
franght with misery, deception and crime
uS tAIs tIIaI may make my peace WIN
God. 1t Is a true statement so far as I
have told you, and if moro remains, 1
choose not to reveal it now. l have but
sixteen days to live. have not magni-
fed my crimes, but have endeavored to
tell all truly, and as a man expecting to
meet death and the judgment
Signed by me, this 8th day of March,
1870. his
| THos. X D. CARE.
| cross-mark
On receiving the report of the final de-
cision of the Supreme Court in the case of
his conviction IN the Court below, and
when the death warrant was read to him
by the Sheriff, Carr laughed loudly. and
said that he did mot care a d-n if it was