The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1951-04-19
Horse and Buggy Days
BY OLDTHIER

knife, drew it across the horses
knees.
A negro coming along at the time
with an OK cart, Mrs. Swearingen's
body was placed in the cart and
taken back to Cumberland. Mrs.
Swearingen was buried and this was
supposed, at the time, to be the
end of the whole affair. Nothing
was said as to her death and no
suspicion rested against her hus-
band until some weeks after Swear
ingen was supposed to have come
back to Hagerstown, when a deer
hunter told the story of how he had
met George Swearingen riding horse
back, with Rachel Cunningham seat
ed behind him, on trail leading
toward Kentucky and Northern
Tennessee. Opinion grew that
Swearingen had murdered his wife,
having taken her over this lonely
road for that purpose. Her body
was exhumed but no bruises were
found on her, except those made by
the horses hoof.
Again: A drover who had come to
sell horses was bargaining with a
butcher and the incident was spok-
en- of. The drover said he had recol-
lected while driving through the
woods looking for a steer, that he
saw a man with knife doing some
thing to a horses knees. Then a
blacksmith named Ri7er reported he
had examined the knees of the horse
which had been ridden by the wo-
man and that the cuts were clear
cuts, evidently made with knife.
! At New Orleans, Swearingen and
Rachel were taken in charge. The
trial was held at Cumberland on
August II, 1929, and lasted eight
days, ending in conviction. The
sentence was delivered by Judge
Buchanan, tears running down his
cheeks. Rizer, the drover, and the
deer hunter were the principal
prosecuting witnesses. The doomed
man was hung at Cumberland in the
presence of at least 1000 people.
The writer says, and we quote:
what / have written is fact, not ro-
nance. Our family lived about six
miles from Hagerstown and my
father, who taught music in that
place, as we'll as at Hancock, Clear
Spring, Greencastle, Chambersburg,
Boonsboro and Williamsport, was
we'll acquainted with Swearingen.
He frequently spoke of the trial and
of having occasionally seen Rachel
Cunningham. The confession pub
lished at the time of his execution
and still fresh in the minds of the
people, was not written by him, or
printed by the authority of either
his brother Charles or himself. Who
wrote it no one knew Charles felt
greatly outraged at its publication
George had told him all about his
wife's death, and how he, fearful
that the truth would not be believed
had lacerated the knees of the horse.
Although Charles told numbers of
people about it, the story was put
down as trumped-up falsehood
Il saw Rachel Cunningham in July,
1841, at farm house near Cresap-
town. She and the little girl, Fan
ME, were on a visit to Cresaptown.
Her age was then about 80 or 33.
Fannie was about IA years old then,
small and childish for her age.
George Swearingen's avowel,
made after his fate was sealed, and
when he had no prospect of living
an hour beyond the time set for the
execution, must be taken for truth
and the confederation of his state
ment by the unfortunate Rachel
Cunningham, should likewise be re-
garded as truthful. His avowal was
} that all improper conduct between
him and Rachel ceased when her
| u 0 r t u n a tie condition became
} known, and was never renewed. He
had been strictly faithful to his wife.
; The story that the girl was a wan
ton and had destroyed the happiness
. of several families, had no founda-
5 ton. She had never done a wrong
act, except with Swearingen. George
Swearingen, although hung as such,
. was not a murderer. He would not
: die as he did, were he tried now for
) killing his wife"
/ At the time of the execution of
| Swearingen 1920 the population OF
: Hagerstown was 1871 and that OF
the county, 25,968, including 2,90e