Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-03-27
Che Storu Teller.
TRAGEDY OF ROWAN'S MILL.
Grewsome Story of Kentucky Muir
der and Its Consequences.
Correspondence of The Globe-Democrat.


Correspondence OF The Globe-Democrat.
LAwRENcEBuRG, KY, March H.
Several miles southwest of here, near
Bardstown, at the junction of the
Springfield and Loretto turnpikes, is a
grewsome spot, given wide berth by
the superstitious, as the ghosts that are
alleged to yet lurk there recall 'vividly
a revolving crime of the long ago,
which had its parallel only in the now
famous Pearl Bryan murder, that
Jackson and Walling were hung for.
1t is steep hill, probably quarter of
a mile in length by so yards in width,
known as "Pottershop Hill" Com
posed chiefly of yellow clay, it is II
dreary and desolate looking place.
The hill is bounded on the north and
east by pixies above mentioned, and
on the west by Rowan's creek, a good
sized stream, which, in the early days
of the century, furnished power for IL
fulling mill owned by Judge John
Rowan, in ante-bellum days United
States senator, and noted as lawyer
and statesman. At the top of the hill,
and extending far to the southwark,
is dense growth of cedars.
In the early days of the present
century there stood at the foot of the
Pottershop Hill a large weatherboard-
ed log house, which was occupied by
Walter Hays and family. Hays oper-
ated blacksmith shop and, as the old
state road ran in d few yards of the
place, he did a lucrative business.
Years afterwards the old house was
purchased by one Joseph Price and
converted into O pottershop, for which
purpose it was used until the outbreak
of the civil war, when it was torn
down to prevent the federal authoii-
ties from using it as smallpox hospi-
tai for soldiers as they had planned to
do. The stone foundation and few
moldering logs are all that remain of
the old building. After the house fell
into Prices possession, .grewsome
stories became current among the Ne
gro laborers and the whites in the
neighborhood of headless woman
who would nightly emerge from the
cedar thicket at the top of the hill and
carefully make her way along the
cliffs that bordered the creek to the
corner of the old pottershop, where
she would, after pausing a moment,
disappear entirely from view. Prices
Negro laborers were nearly frighten-
ed to death by the uncanny appari
ton, and it was with difficulty that he
compelled them to work in the shop
after night. These Negroes knew Of
the horrible murder that had been
committed there, and it required but
little imagination to make a ghost
stalk abroad at midnight's hour. The
story of the crime was well known to
the generation that has all but passed
away, and in this way it has been
handed down to this period.
Nancy Hays, the only daughter of
Walter Hays, was a beautiful girl ;
slender and graceful, with delicate
wild-rose complexion and violet eyes.
AS was natural, she had many suitors
for her hand, but the favored one was
Amos Molloy, the foreman of Judge
Rowan's mill. Noah Matheney, also
employed in the mill, was deeply in
love with Nancy, but his attentions
were obnoxious to her, and she had on
more than one occasion given him so
to understand. One day Nancy Hays
came to the mill and engaged in long
conversation with young Molloy, the
favored one, during which little low
er's quarrel arose. He was seen to
gesture angrily, and several bystand-
ers heard him say to the girl:
every we'll, then you will be sorry
for this. Mark well what say"
Thus they parted. This was in the
morning. At dusk that evening a
number of people saw Amos and Nan
cy together, walking toward the strip
of forest that bordered the creek near
the mill. At 10 o'clock that night an
old farmer living short distance in
the country dashed into Bardstown
with the horrible intelligence that a
young girl had been murdered on the
cliffs near Rowan's mill. An excited
crowd surged to the place indicated,
and, near the edge of high cliff, over
looking the stream of water, the dead
body of Nancy Hays was found, dread
fully hacked and bruised, and her
head severed from her shoulders. A
terrible hush fell upon the crowd as
they gazed upon the spectacle. The
silence was broken by Noah Matheney
(Molloy's rivaD, who stepped to the
side of the dead girl, and lifted a
bloody handkerchief from the ground.
"Perhaps this may give us clew," he
said and holding the linen where the
light of the moon,could fall upon it he
scanned it closely for some name or
initial. Suddenly his face frightened,
and holding the handkerchief high in
the air he exclaimed: ~ find in one
corner of this handkerchief-which is
a gentleman's-two letters, "A. NJ"
Then pausing and glancing around, he
added, with great significance: "Where.
is Amos Molly2"
ayes; where is Amos Molloy?" the
crowd repeated, and every eye search
ed eyery face; but they found not