NC, Lenoir, General Assembly Papers, Simon Rouse
=========================================================

USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information 
on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as 
this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may 
NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other 
persons or organizations.

Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other 
than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, 
and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The 
submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file 
permanently for free access.

This file was contributed by Martha Marble, December 2000.

==========================================================


SIMON ROUSE MURDER

General Assembly Papers - 1827-28 Session, Box 6 Misc Correspondence
Punctuation 

Letter addressed to His excellency H. G. Burton, Raleigh, NC

Spring Hill     June the ?? 1827
Lenoir County, N Carolina

I take the liberty of writing these lines to your excellency to 
inform you of an atrocious murder that has been committed in this county 
and in the neighborhood between Wheat Swamp and white marsh. The 
gentleman that was murdered left a wife and two children to lament his 
death.  He was a man of small estate and his friends (marked through) & 
relations in the same situation who does not like to put themselves 
to a series of expences for his aprehension - I will now inform your 
excellency of the particulars.  Ezekiel Creech committed the murder 
upon the body of Simon Rouse. Said Rouse went to said Creeches in the 
morning to get some potatoes sprouts and Creech asked him if he would 
go to Rebecca Schenes ?? and fetch him some run or brandy which she 
had to sell. Rouse said he would and so he went and brought Creech the 
Rum and they both drank freely of the spirits (said Creech had a 
daughter that made her elopement with a gentleman the night before by the 
name of Wm. Bender and the couple were married which Creech was 
pointedly against the union)  Rouse said to Creech that he had better ??? 
send for Bender and his daughter give them a dinner and make friends 
from this creek took fire and began to abuse Rouse and Rouse started 
home or went outside of the enclosure of said Creeches and Creech 
followed him to the gap and they both halted and began to discourse 
again with each other but there was no person near them and their 
discourse is unknown.  The parties each of them took sticks and Creech 
struck said Rouse twice over the head which felled him down.  Creech 
turned about and went to the house (Rouse followed behind and halted about 
half way and sat down upon his hams in the locks of the fence) and 
got his gun and came out in search of said Rouse and not seeing Rouse 
called his dogs and let them in search of Rouse. Wether the brought 
the said Rouse to bay or not I cannot say but Creech walking round with 
his gun presented like a man in search of some wild game (which he 
sapposed was or had him in the corner of the fence) discovering and 
Rouse seeing this danger rises and take a stick in his hand and goes 
towards Creech about five paces.  Said Creech up with his gun to his 
face blowed the contents through Rouses left breast one of the shots 
penetrated nearly through Rouse and lodged near his back bone near the 
small of his back.  The jury of inquest discovering the shot cut it 
out and lo ?? it was a buck shot sufficient to have felled a beef. This 
was the evidence produced to the jury of inquest.
As near as I can relate to your excellency the load that was in the 
gun is supposed by the people of the neighborhood to have been put in 
the gun to destroy Benders and I have every reason to believe it 
myself for he sent for Bender & his wife and they come as far as Drury 
Hills and of Creeches sons in law said Hill knowing the disposition of 
Creech ordered the boy to tell them to come by his house and they did 
so accordingly and stoped and Hill bade them to stay there until he 
could go and see what the times were but before he reached Creeches, 
Creech had put and end to said Rouse and charged his gun again with 
forty buck shot these are parts which said Hill relates himself and 
Hill says he expects that if Bender he would have put an end to his 
life. Bender heard of what had been done turns his course and goes back 
home. Said Creech was apprehended and kept safe until next morning 
bout 8 oclock in the morning and made his escape from the company he is 
at this time lurking in his own neighborhood from there in Greene 
County - which is a small distance from his house it is - supposed that 
he will lurk about Wilmington until he can procure a passage to 
Florida. He has a few relatives in the town of Wilmington & in Florida.  
He has a brother in law by the name of Joshua Byrd who moved from this 
county bout 12 months ago.

Said Ezekiel Creech is a man of about 50 years of age and a brick 
layer by trade.  He is about 5 1/2 feet in highth of light hair & blue 
eyes.  He is stock built as near I can inform you.

Yours with respect
Jacob Eliot

I being convenient some of the citizens of this place desire that I 
should communicate this information to you and if requested it can be 
as ?? by other authors.
P.S. I had almost forgotten or rather say - neglected to inform you 
when the murder was committed. It was committed on Monday the 28th of 
June 1827 about 3 oclock  in the afternoon.  They held a Jury of 
inquest on the next day (also on that day Creech made his elopment)  Some 
of the neighbors suppose that he will arm himself and bid defiance to 
the officers of Justice. The sooner he is apprehended the better it 
will be - for publick good as all such crimes ought to be detected and 
every good citizen I hope will take an active part for the 
apprehension of said Creech.

These are facts that I insert sworn too by the witness before the 
Jury of Inquest