Pasquotank and Perquimans Counties have had some interesting murder cases, some still unresolved. I grew up amongst people who passed along the histories, stories and other anecdotal information about a variety of things including the "murder mysteries". I never heard anything resembling the story of the demise of Issac Wilson and the justice met my his murderers. I, too, think burning at the stake is a bit far fetched - especially in an area that was still heavily influenced by the Quakers. Wonder what others have heard or know of this murder mystery. Gordon 11:23 AM 8/31/1999 EDT, you wrote: >Greetings to the Perquimans list: > >There is a story of murder in 1732 Perquimans Co. in the >latest NC Genealogical Society Journal (Vol. XXV, No. 3, >pp. 304-312), by Raymond A. Winslow and John H. Oden, >that would do justice to the very best modern murder >mystery. Indeed, this would make a much better plot >than most of the stories seen on TV and in movies >these days. > >While there is not too much genealogy content, perhaps >a short summary of this event might be of interest to >some, but not to those of faint heart, who might want >to reach for the delete button at this point > >Following the death of her Quaker husband, Isaac Wilson, >in 1714, the widow Anne Wilson had married Captain >John Pettiver by 1716. However, the marriage proved to >be a stormy one from the beginning, with Anne having >already filed a bill of complaint against her husband >in the court session of March 1718. > >Perhaps this was an early predictor of things to come, >because in a court trial some years later it was said >that John Pettiver had been murdered on 17 Aug. 1732 >by multiple blows from a club, with his body having >afterwards been tied to a large brass kettle filled with >stones and sunk in the Perquimans River. > >The body was found on 26 August, and the chief suspects >- one Joseph Haynes and the widow, Anne Pettiver - were >called into court and forced to touch the body, in keeping >with the belief that a murder victim's body would bleed >when touched by the murderer. When the body was touched >by Haynes, a single drop of blood was seen to appear near >the left eye, but when Anne Pettiver touched the breast of >her deceased husband, the blood was said to visibly ooze >through the firm skin in that area until large droplets >ran down his side and dripped onto the floor. A jury of 12 >men testified under oath that vigorous rubbing on their >part produced no such bleeding. > >This damning evidence from the trial by touching was >supplemented by the eye-witness testimony of Anne >Pettiver' maid, Bess, who told of seeing Master Pettiver >force open a locked door in the house, whereupon Joseph >Haynes inside the room set upon him with a hoe handle, >which Mistress Pettiver said was too light to do the job. >However, Master Pettiver was killed by a great many >blows, and afterwards a servant boy named Buck was >ordered to help Haynes drag the body down to the nearby >river, with Mistress Pettiver following along behind >covering the blood trail with dirt. > >Afterwards Mistress Pettiver told Haynes that he must >kill the boy Buck, but Hayes asked: Couldn't we just scare >him into silence? Mistress replied no, their plan must be >carried out, and the boy's head was held in a tub of water >until he was drowned. He was then carried more than a >mile away and thrown off of a bridge over Skinner's Creek, >so that any searchers would also look there for Master >Pettiver's body, rather than in the nearby river. > >Bess said that the Mistress told her to tell anyone who >asked that Master Pettiver had not been seen since he >visited with the widow Phelps the day before he was >murdered. Perhaps the desire to have her repeat this >cover story is what saved the life of the servant girl. >Despite the dubious trial by touching, the evidence >seemed strong, and it was not surprising to learn that >Joseph Haynes was executed on the Gallows in Edenton >between the hours of ten and two on the Monday next >following his sentencing on 4 Nov. 1732. > >In case you might think that Mistress Pettiver received >a lighter sentence, though, the Chief Justice announced >later that all goods and the estate of Anne Pettiver, >she having been executed by burning at the stake for >the more-serious offense of Petty Treason, were to be >seized and used to pay for her prosecution. You see, I >warned you that this was not for the faint of heart, >but that is what the article said. I had no idea that >people were still being burning at the stake in 1732, >and it seems a little hard to believe. Nevertheless, the >research for this story seems to be quite solid, but I >am repeating only my reading of what was said in the >article cited. Has anyone else heard of this compelling >story? > >Look for the movie-makers trucks to show up any day >now in Perquimans Co, because the scene of the body >being displayed and touched in court by the grieving >Quaker widow - Sandy Bullock in a bonnet, maybe - >after 9 days of water exposure in the heat of August >is likely to prove irresistible to movie producers. >My best Regards to all, Ron Bullock (no relation to >Sandy) > >P. S. - A footnote says that Anne's confiscated property >included 600 acres in which she was given a lifetime >estate by her first husband, Isaac Wilson. This land >was on the southwest side of the Perquimans River >and extended downstream to Castleton's Creek. Part >of the land is now occupied by one of the city of >Hertford's main shopping centers, and part has been >set aside for industrial development. Shoppers might >want to pause and reflect on the sad fate of Master >Pettiver and the boy Buck at this location in 1732, >and the even sadder fate of Mistress Pettiver and of >Mr. Joseph Haynes. > > >