Nansemond County Virginia USGenWeb Archives News.....Attempted murder, 1857 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ William Riddick BROTHERS, mutilated in attempted robbery, Jul 1857; slaves Jim & Harvey, convicted 12 Oct 1857; hanged 20 Nov 1857; accused co-conspirator Nathan FRANKLIN, acquitted Apr 1878 "The Daily Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), Oct. 16, 1857, p. 1, col. 4 SENTENCED.-The County Court of Nansemond, Virginia, on Monday last, sentenced two negro slaves to be hung, for a murderous assault on a young man named William Brothers. A white man named Nathan Franklin, has been implicated in the matter, and sent on to the Superior Court for trial. "Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser," Sat., Oct. 17, 1857, p. 2, col. 4 Negroes Sentenced. The negroes implicated in the attempt to murder and rob Mr. Wm. R. Brothers, at his residence near Suffolk, Va., in July last, were tried on Monday and found guilty of the crime charged. They were thereupon sen- tenced to be hung on the 20th of November. In this case, the negroes assaulted Mr. Broth- ers, after breaking into his house, with an axe, cut off his left hand, broke his right arm in several places, and inflicted several severe cuts on his breast and back. Supposing life was extinct they dragged him out of doors and left him on tbe ground, after which they proceeded to search for the money which in- duced their crime, but were not successful in finding it. The negroes state that they were incited to commit the act by a white man named Nathan Franklin, who is under arrest and will be tried. "The Richmond (VA) Enquirer," Oct. 20, 1857, p. 4, col. 5 Slaves Sentenced.- The negroes implicated in the attempt to murder and rob Mr. Wm. R. Brothers, at his residence, near Suffolk, Va., in July last, were tried on Monday and found guilty of the crime charged. They were thereupon sentenced to be hung on the 20th of November. In this case the negroes assaulted Mr. Brothers, after breaking into his house, with an axe, cut off his left hand, broke his right arm in several places, and inflicted several severe cuts on his breast and back. Supposing life was extinct they dragged him out doors and left him on tbe ground, af- ter which they proceeded to search for the money which induced their crime, but were not successful in finding it. The negroes state that they were incited to commit the act by a white man named Nathan Franklin, who is under arrest and will be tried. "The Daily Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), Oct. 28, 1857, p. 1, col. 2 THE DISPATCH. WEDNESDAY MORNING,.........OCTOBER 28, 1857. Suspension-Failure of "Free La- bor"-Sentence of Death-Epidemic. [CORRESPONDENCE OF THE RICHMOND DAILY DISPATCH.| CARRSVILLE, SOUTHAMPTON, VA., } Oct. 23rd, 18577. } Our quiet little village has for several days been in some excitement, on account of the sudden and unexpected suspension and assignment of one of our most respectable merchants. His trustee is using the utmost dispatch in the settlement of his affairs. Several sales have recently taken place in this vicinity, of the "goods and chattles" of sundry in- dividuals, who immigrated here several years since, from the Keystone State; whose motive was to teach the benighted natives how to renovate their exhausted lands, and to afford them a practical demonstration of the superior efficiency of free la- bor. Like most of the same visionary schemes, this proved a failure. For a while things went on swimmingly, but no sooner had the financial storm arisen at their Northern home, than they were forced to succumb. The Circuit Superior Court of Nansemond coun= ty, was in session the whole of last week, at the pleasant little town of Suffolk, quite a number of important cases having been decided. Three slaves were sentenced to be hung on the 20th of Novem- ber, for attempting to murder and rob a Mr. Bro- thers, in July last. They were convicted upon their own confessions, and manifested the utmost penitence. A white man, who is also implicated as an accessory to the crime, is in prison, awaiting trial at the Spring term. The unfortunate gentle- man is living, though so cruelly mutilated as to make life a burden to him, should he ultimately re- cover. A free negro was condemned to six years incarceration in the penitentiary, for murdering another negro some time last spring. An epidemic is prevailing in the lower part of this county, which has in almost every case proved fatal, the skill of our most eminent physicians be- ing entirely baffled, not only in its treatment, but diagnosis, as it is attended with some symptoms which they have never before witnessed. INVALIA. "The Daily Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), Mon., Nov. 23, 1857, p. 2, col. 1 EXECUTION.-Two negroes, convicted of an at- tempt to murder Mr. Wm. R. Brothers in Nan- semond county, Va., last May, were hung Friday morning. "The Daily Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), Tues., Nov. 24, 1857, p. 1, col. 4 IMPLICATED BY CONFESSION.-At the execution of two negroes in Nansemond Co., Va., Friday, for the murder of W. R. Brothers, their master, the cul- prits implicated in their dying confessions - which were very contradictory - a white man, named Franklin, who, they alleged, promised them their freedom and a large amount of money if they would execute the deed. Franklin was arrested and imprisoned. It was feared that the crowd as- sembled at the execution would take the prisoner, Franklin, from jail, and execute him on the spot, but better judgment prevailed, and the law will now take its course. "Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser," Tues., Nov. 24, 1857, p. 3, col. 2 Two negroes who last summer, attempted the life of their master, near Suffolk, Virgin- ia, were hung on Friday last, at Suffolk. "Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser," Thurs., Dec. 31, 1857, p. 3, col. 2 The Horrible Outrage in Suffolk. The people of Suffolk were thrown into great consternation some weeks back by the news that Mr. Wm. R. Brothers, a respected citizen, had been most inhumanly assaulted and beaten in the night by two negroes un- known. When found he had crawled from his own to his brothers house, a distance of a mile and a half, and presented a truly pitia- ble spectacle. Several of his ribs were frac- tured, one of bis arms broken in two places, and the hand of the other chopped entirely off. Besides this his body was battered and bruised in every direction so shockingly that his recovery was despaired of. Though per- fectly conscious he could give no clue to the perpetrators of the fiendish deed. His own statement was this:-On one of the last warm nights of the autumn he arose from his bed and made a temporary pallet on the floor; about midnight he was awakened by a tre- mendous blow at the door of his house, the repetition of which burst it in. As he sprang from his bed be was attacked by two power- ful negroes, one of whom attempted to hold him, while the other tried to dash his brains out with an axe. By great exertion he suc- ceeded in warding off most of the blows from his bead, but they fell with terrible effect upon his body. After a somewhat protracted struggle he found his strength rapidly falling, and discovering that the inhuman wretches were bent on taking his life, he determined that his only remaining chance was to feign death. Relaxing his hold on the negro with whom he was struggling, he fell backwards upon the pallet, contriving, at the same time, to throw the unbroken arm over his head.- Again and again the axe descended upon his body while in this position, but he resolutely suppressed every groan or the slightest indi- cation of life. While this was going on he heard a slight cough apparent at the window at which the negroes deserted. They then took him by the feet and dragged his body out of the house, and as one of his hands trailed across the threshold of his door, one of the brutes deliberately chopped it off with a single blow of the axe. Still he did not wince. Having dragged him to a tree near his door tney left him and returned to the house where they began opening drawers and smashing furniture, robbery evidently being their design. Fearing that his bloody tor- mentors might return and despatch him, he resolved to make an effort to escape, and notwithstanding his horrible condition he drag- ed himself to his brother’s house, and what is must surprising of all, though with one arm broken in two places and the hand of the other cut off, he managed to open two gates on his way. As may have been imagined the greatest ex- citement prevailed through the town when these facts became known, but though every effort was made no clue was for some time found to the perpetrators. One day, however, a slave named Jim be- longing, I believe, to the brother of the poor victim, met a gentleman of Suffolk, and, in a very excited manner, told him that he had just seen some runaways in the swamp- the Dismal Swamp, which, as you know, lies just East of us- who told him that he and another runaway committed the deed, and that it the people of Suffolk did not make up a sum of money and send it into the Swamp by him, Jim, they should all be served in like manner. You cannot imagine the consternation which this occasioned, and the citizens were on the point of making up the sum indicated when one more prudent than the rest, suggest- ed that if they complied with this demand, they would be constantly called on for simil- ar contributions. He asked to see Jim, and the thought struck him that he might know more of the matter than he was likely to ad- mit. He therefore procured a warrant for his arrest and had him committed to jail.- Here, under the terrors of conscience and the hope, probably, of pardon, Jim made a clean breast of the affair. He said that one night a white named Nathan Frank- lin sent for him to his house. On his ar- riving, Franklin told him that he knew a way by which be could make more money in one night than by his over work at shingle making in a life time- that all he had to do was to kill Mr. Brothers and take his money, half of which he might keep, and he knew he had at least $800 for he had recently sold a slave for that sum. Jim says be refused at first to have anything to do with the matter. Thereupon, Franklin told him to go and bring another negro back with him, Harvey. The proposition was made to Harvey, who also plumply refused. Thereu- pon, they aver that Franklin plied them with liquor till they were perfectly infuriated when they consented to do the deed. It was now midnight. The three went to Brothers' house, and committed the deed. After all they found no money. It seems that this was in the pantaloons pocket of B., and in the scuffle the clothing of the bed was thrown upon it, en- tirely concealing it, and it was found un- touched, the next morning, by those who came to search the house. Mortified at their want of success, it would seem that they re- proached Franklin, who then told them that they might make as much after all, and sug- gested the plan, which as I have above stated, came so near being successful, but which, in fact, lead to their destruction. On their own confession they were tried at the last term of our court- poor Brothers, who still survived, although so horribly man- gled, being brought into the court room in a bed to testify. The prisoners were convicted, sentenced and executed in the court yard just before the meeting of the late M. E. Conference at Elizabeth city. Franklin was, when I last heard from Suf- folk, still in jail, but it is feared that through defect of evidence he may still escape. The feeling there was very strong against him.- Corr. South Side Dem. [italicized] "The Daily Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), Apr. 22, 1858, p. 2, col. 3 Nathan Franklin, implicated with two negroes in an assault on Wm. Brothers, of Nansemond county, Va., has been acquitted. His accomplices were hung some time since. Additional information: William Riddick BROTHERS is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Suffolk - Block E, Lot 46. His bro. David is buried in Block D, Lot 83. Cedar Hill list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_a.txt The (donated, 1945) obit of his daughter "Nettie" JONES mentions the attack, and states, "Although he revived, he never regained his health." file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/j520a1ob.txt Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by by File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/news/18571016dd.txt