Year: 1868




One of the most revolving outrages
and a double murder occurred near
SWANS Mill, North Carolina, on Tues
day last, which it was ever our lot to
record, or which ever took place in any
civilized land. A few miles from the
mill, on the Columbus Road, lived Mrs.
Marks, a young and beautiful widow
lady about thirty years of age; a hired
woman and two children, a little boy of
five, and little girl of eight, living
with her. AT about nine. o'clock in the
evening of the 21st ult., loud rap at
the door of the house startled the in
mates, who had just tretired for the night.
The hired woman who slept in an upper
room, raised a window to ascertain the
cause, and was accosted by negro, who
said that he had letter for Mrs Marks,
which he had brought from the village,
and that it was very important, and
must be answered that night. Recogniz-
ing him as a man from the village whom
she knew, she went >down' stairs and
opened the door, As soon as the door
was fairly unfastened, a gang of nine
armed negroes, who had been concealed
ain the dark behind clump of bushes,
made. a rush into the house. The
woman fled through rear door, and es-
capped into piece of thick woods back
of the house, sa-55s.5-snss-- res--..E
Mrs., Marks, hearing the noise, started
to come from her room, but was met by
two of the negroes, who seized her and
attempted to drag her. toward a bed
standing in corner of the room. Being
woman of great strength, she struggled
fearfully, but the rest of the gang COM
ing to the aid of the other two, she was
finally overpowered. They then threw
her on the bed, tying her arms and feet
to the bed-post with cords, and proceed
ed to violate her person in turn, until all
nine of them had satiated their hellish
passions. While this was going on, an
attempt was made to violate the person
of the little girl, who was held by two
of the fiends in plain sight of the mother,
while a third one accomplished the
damnable deed, a knife having to be
used for the purpose The screams OF
the child were fearful, which so enraged
the demons that they tore her tongue
from her mouth, and finally beat her
brains out against the stone jam of the
Fireplace and threw her body into the
back yard Not content with this, they
seized the boy, and after tying him with
cords, proceeded to commit nameless
outrage upon his body.


The woman who escaped from the
house fled toward Stover Station, but
the night being dark lost her way, and
did not arrive at Mr.. Appleby's, the
nearest neighbor of Mrs. Marks, until
about two o'clock in the morning. She
Immediately, gave the alarm, and Mr..
Appleby called up his men, and after
arming them, sent off to Robert Stoves
and the other neighbors. As soon as
possible they all took their horses and
proceeded to Mrs. Marks, where they
found the house on fire and discovered
the terrible scene we have described,
but the perpetrators of the deed had fed
When found, Mrs Marks was wholly in
sensible, and it was with great difficulty
that she was restored to consciousness
George, the little boy, was found dead
on the floor, bound with cords as they
had left him, and the dead body of An
ME, the little girl, had been dragged
from the yard into the back stoop, un.
doubtedly for the purpose of having all
traces. of their guilt obliterated by the
fire which they had set. $50 rs