The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-12-25
DIED FOR HER HONOR.
A Monument Erected To a SOutb Car
OIina Heroine.

| A Monument Erected TO SoutB Car
| oIina Heroine.
Elherton, Ga. December go. "A more
pathetic story was never told tiau that
which is related by Mr.. w. G. Field.
| The incident is the heroic death Of Miss
| Frances Heaton Woodland, to whose mem.
In Spartanburg county. South Carolina.
with the inscription: "She Died in Defense
of Her Virtue"
volumes have been written on the lives
and deeds Of good and great men who have
lived and died; of their deeds of charity.
Of valor, of honor, OF patriotism. OF sarri-
fee. of success etc., and by none OF them
has more been done 10 distinguish them
for deeds of daring or of greatness, or en-
title them to more lasting monument
than is Miss Frances Heaton Woodland tthe
victim of Devil John Moore of Spartan
burg county, South Carolina), who died in
defense of her virtue. From II child Of
years she lived with, as one OF the FAM
lily, the clerk of court, sheriff. judge OF
probate. and the treasurer of :ickons coun-
ty, South Carolina, and the last two years
of her lie with the family of the writer.
My intimate acquaintance with her and
personal knowledge OF her character
prompts me to write of her.
while living with us an older sister
came 10 our house TO get her to 90 with
her and younger brother to Spartanburg
county, where they had scmo relatives
with whom her SISTER propoced 10 her that
they should make their home and all be
together, as they were and had been living
separate the principal part Of their lives
Frances entered strong protest against
her sisters plan, hut finally yielded and
consented to go, telling her sister that she
had good home was well satisfied and
did not wish to leave us. | told her she
could remain with rs as long as she wished
to and that ! would treat her just as |
did my daughters She was honest, in
dustrious and always pleasant. | met her
at Easley, S. c., the day she left the
county, paid her ST. balance / was due
her. She was travelling alone and was
afoot. She expected to travel twelve miles
that afternoon ana complete her journey
the next day something over thirty miles
in all.
"On her way about noon the next day |
she called at the residence of the man, |
Moore, to get directions on her way Moore |
told her of near way through a large |
body Of forest tilnhered land to he road |
leading 10 her destination and proposed |
10 accompany her to the road. as there waA |
only dim. unused trail way through |
there. She Indignantly refused to allow |
him to accompany her, told him positively |
that he should not go with her, and as the |
proof goes to show that was the last seen
of her, except by that demon, until her |
dead, robbed and mutlatcd body was
found by the bu2zards. When found her
money and iewelry were gone. reliable
man who sew the body before it was re-
moved, told mo that her dead. mutilaed
form, with her hair pulled out and scat
tered around and her clothing torn TO
Shtads was the most horrible sight his
eyes ever behed. All the surroundings
went TO prove mos conclusively that she
fought till she died Suspicion at once
rested upon Devil Moore. as he was
known, and he, when caught. carried con-
elusive proof of his guilt--of the struggle
or battle he had been engaged in witA-hev.
The entire country turned out 10 assist
III the capture and lynching of the demon.
1t was some twenty four or Ihrty-six
hours before he was captured. Her body
had lain about three days before being dis
covered When caught he carried to
the battle ground and there, without any
disguise, in the presence Of thousand wit.
nesses, he paid the penalty, which was
heattlly approved by everybody. She died
among strangers yet among friends who
gave her body decent burial and erected
q marble monument to her memory as one
VINO Died in Defense of Her Virtue,
VINO mas done more to entitlc them TO n
lasting monument? She joined the BAPTIST
church while living with us That was
one case of deserved lynching justified by
everybody. Moore was a white man with
iamiiy-wfe and seven children. THE
murder and lynching took place in Spar
i"Hours county, South Carolina, in 1879"