Name Frankie Silver | ||
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Died July 12, 1833, Morganton, North Carolina, United States | ||
Frances Stewart Silver (born 1814 or 1815; died July 12, 1833) was hanged in Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina, for the axe murder of her husband Charles Silver. Frankie Silver, as Frances was known, is believed to have been the first white woman put to death in Burke County.
Contents
- Ballad of Frankie Silver
- Murder
- Arrest and trial
- Theoretical Explanation
- Escape from jail
- Burial
- Popular culture
- References
Frankie was the daughter of Isaiah and Barbara Stewart.
The motive for the murder is still not clear. It was claimed during the trial that Frankie was a jealous wife seeking revenge. Later theories asserted that she was an abused wife. There is no definitive evidence for either theory. Despite claims made by journalists at the time, Frankie never confessed, nor did she discuss her motive.
There is a theory that Frankie wanted to move west with her parents to join other family members, but Charles Silver refused to do so. There was also speculation that her frustration with Charles's refusal was the motive for the murder.
Ballad of Frankie Silver
Murder
On December 22, 1831, Charles Silver (aka "Johnny Silver") was hacked to death and later dismembered in the cabin he shared with his wife, Frankie, and their 13-month-old daughter, Nancy. Frankie was arrested, convicted, and hanged for the murder.
Arrest and trial
Shortly after the murder, suspicion fell on Charles's wife Frankie, her mother Barbara Stuart, and her brother Blackston Stuart. All three were arrested. Barbara and Blackston Stuart pleaded not guilty before a magistrate on January 17, 1832, and were discharged. Frankie alone stood trial for the murder.
The investigation into the whereabouts of Charles Silver found a fireplace full of oily ashes, a pool of blood that had flowed through the cabin's puncheon floor, and blood spatters on the inside walls of the cabin. Pieces of bone and flesh were discovered in ashes poured into a mortar hole near the spring, as well as a heel-iron similar to those worn by Charles on his hunting moccasins.
According to Silver family lore, the evidence showed that Charles had been murdered and his body had been burned to hide the evidence.
Theoretical Explanation
Frankie could either be interpreted as a family ties murderer for the possibility that she manipulated family members to help kill her husband, or a battered woman murderer for the possibility that she killed him in self defense during one of the beatings he would give her. Whatever happened that night inside the family cabin remains a mystery. It is probable that she was a victim of abuse from her husband due to the fact that a petition was signed by townswomen and several members of the all male jury in Frankie's favor. However this petition did not sway the Governor. Another reason this will always remain a mystery is because as Frankie was asked about her last words, legend has it her father yelled out from the crowd "Die with it in you, Frankie!". This made some believe, along with them helping her escape, that family members were involved in the killing of Charles Silver.
Escape from jail
During the time between her sentencing and hanging, Frankie was broken out of jail by someone who entered by way of one of the basement windows. With the aid of false keys, this person opened the doors leading to the prisoner's apartment.
Frankie was arrested again a few days later in Henderson County. When taken, she was dressed in men's clothes, and her hair been cut short. Her father and uncle were committed to jail as accessories to her escape.
The story goes as follows:
Burial
Frankie's father had intended to bring his daughter's body home and bury it in the family burial plot. However, extreme heat and humidity in North Carolina that year forced him to bury it in an unmarked grave behind the Buckthorn Tavern, a few miles west of Morganton. For many years, the exact location of the grave was unknown, but it is now believed to be in a remote corner of the present day Devault farm.
In 1952, a granite stone marking the probable location of the grave was placed by Beatrice Cobb, editor of the Morganton newspaper. The marker misspells Frankie's married name as "Silvers."