Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-10-26
MURDER MOST FOUL
Miss Fannie Brown Beat to Death
by Negro Youth

afternoon, October 22, 1910, to learn
that a most estimable lady OF that
section had been brutally murdered
at her home by q negro youth, an
employe OF the family, who beat her
to death with a club out of revenge
for being reprimaded because OF
neglecting his work.
Mr.. Robert w. Brown, who lives
near Jump with his aged mother
and one sister. left home Saturday
on business. and before going he
set Harry SitlIngton, a negro youth
about l6 years of ge, to work clean
ing out a ditch in the orchard. |
Shortly after dinner, Miss Fannie
Brown saw the negro near the barn
idling his time, when she reproved
him and told him to go to work.
The boy told her he did not ike two
bosses, and exhi 5ited an ugly tenn
per. Miss Brown went into the
cutting room Of the barn, presuml-
bly, to gather eggs. An hour or so
afterwards she was found lying on
the floor dead, with severe bruises
about the head and face. Amy Sit
lington, the negro boys mother, had
occasion to go into the barn and
found the unfortunate Miss Brown.
She reported the matter to the aged
mother, who thought her daughter
had fallen from the floor above.
Examination revealed that a foul
murder had been committed.
An alarm was given and neigh
bors soon gathered in large num-
bers. Drs. Morrison of Rockbridge
Baths, and Martin Of Brownsburg,
were summoned and Justice ID. L..
Ward and Constable A. L. White
notified OF the crime. The body
was viewed and an examination
made. Suspicion pointed to the
negro boy, and being questioned
he confessed that he helped to do
the deed, and implicated two white
boys in the neigbborhood, Stuart
and Clarence Jarvis. He told how
the three boys had plotted the muir
der, because OF hatred of the Jarvis
BOYS towards the Browns, and said
that the white boys had forced him
to assist them under threats of VIC
lence il he refused: He said that
Miss Brown had been killed with
: sticks in the hands of the three, and
that the two Jarvis boys had es
capped. Questions put to the boy S
mother, Amy Sitlington, brough,
out the information that the white
boys had not been seen on the place
that day, and the general belief was
that the negro had committed the
murder by himself. Later he con
fessed to Justice Ward that sucf
was the case, and that the two
Jarvis boys had nothing to do with
the crime.
A cedar stick, several inches il
diameter and about two feet long
, was found concealed in pile o
dirt where the boy had been a
work. He admitted to hiding tn,
stick. Miss Browns wounds con
sisted of numerous bruises abou
the face and head, showing that sh
had been cruelty beaten. a dee
:, cash across the forehead, anothe
on the side of her face. still anothe
on the mouth, and sevsral on tn
e back of the head told the story {
merciless blows in the hands of a
Infatuated brute.
The negro was sent to Lexingto
by Justice Ward in charge Of Cor
stable White, who reached her
about o'clock Sunday morning
/ when the boy was put in Jail, an
o now languishes in a steel cage. Il
> confessed participation in the GRIN
II to the writer Sunday afternoon, bl
y implicated the two white boys. Tt
"a negro has a criminal look and seen
10 not to realize the enormty of b
II crime. He expressed sorrow Il
o. the deed, but it seems the sorro
l. of fearing punishment rather ths
u remorse for his crime.
" A crowd OF determined men gat
b. cred at the Brown home Saturd'
10 nipbt for the purpose OF ipflictiI