12 July 1833 – Frankie Stewart Silver

‘So I married an axe murderer’ could have been modelled on our next gruesome crime. Child-bride Frances Stewart Silver was sent to the gallows in the 19th century for killing her teenage husband Charles.

‘Twas a few days before Christmas when tragedy hit Burke County in North Carolina, after Silver took an axe to her other half and hacked him to bits.

Charles in chunks

A mere teenager herself, she carried out her crime in the house where they live with their 13-month-old daughter. She then set about chopping him up and stashing his 19-year-old bits about the place. She even went for a walk in his boots, so people would think he’d gone out and had never come back.

Despite her attempts to cover her crimes, it wasn’t long before she was dragged in for question and sure enough Silver was charged.

Precious mettle

Her loyal family rallied around her, even managing to smuggle her out of jail, but she was caught, hauled back and placed firmly under lock and key.

But she didn’t stay in the clink forever, instead, Silver was strung up on this day in 1833, aged roughly 20.

According to anecdotes collated from Bobby McMillon on www.folkstreams.net the ghost of Charles Silver may live on. One Grady Thomas was up near the fateful house was. He’d been hunting when he heard an eerie sound.

‘They was screams and groans commenced to peeling out in the dark that’d freeze your soul. We lit out a thair (sic) a burning the wind as we went and never would hunt around in there no more.’

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