The Legend of Lavinia Fisher

I’ve often heard about the infamous Lavinia Fisher – and I’ve definitely heard of her infamous last words. However, there’s always a sense that the story isn’t always told with complete accuracy. As with any legendary figure, there’s a root of truth. You just have to go digging for it. And that’s exactly what I attempted to do in researching the legend of Lavinia Fisher.

Not very much is known of Lavinia or her husband John. It’s suspected that she was born in 1793, and lived in the United States for most, if not all, of her life. What is known in fact is that she was part of a gang of highwaymen. Her gang operated out of two houses in the backcountry of Charleston, South Carolina. Most of the gang operated out of Five Mile House – conveniently named for being within five miles of Charleston.

Lavinia and John owned Six Mile Wayfarer House – an inn six miles of Charleston. It is speculated that the inn served as a hideout for a number of outlaws, including members of their gang. However, there is no solid evidence of this – the only connection is that members of the gang owned the Six Mile House.

Rumours ran rampant throughout the city of Charleston. These rumours speculated that guests would go missing from the inn, never to be seen again. Some said hundreds and hundreds of bodies were buried under the property. Others said that Lavinia and John relished in the killings.

However, there are two stories that stand out above the rest. The stories told by David Ross and John Peeples. And they certainly made their stories colourful.

Lavinia Fisher, the stories go, was a charming and attractive woman. She would use her charm and wiles to lure lone travellers to Wayfarer House, offering a cup of tea and a place to rest in the sitting room. Once inside, she’d engage in small talk, all in order to guess at to their wealth. If she thought the gang could fleece the traveller, she would poison his cup of tea with oleander. Sometimes, it was enough to kill a man. Other times, it merely knocked him out.

Once out, John and Lavinia would rob the unsuspecting traveller. If the traveller hadn’t succumbed to the poison, John would take care of him. Other rumours stated that a bed in a particular room was rigged to collapse, sending the traveller careening into a spiked pit under the house. None of these allegations have ever been substantiated – but rumours were good enough that law enforcement in Charleston sent a vigilante group to check out the situation.

In 1819, this group attacked the inn. The Fishers and several others were forced to flee from Six Mile Wayfarer House. David Ross, a member of the group, was left behind to watch over the inn. In the early hours of the morning, the Fishers and their gang returned to take the property back – a brawl ensued.

David Ross got caught, and looked to Lavinia for help. According to his account, Lavinia sneered at him, choked him, and smashed his head through a window. Ross managed to escape, and then promptly told the Charleston authorities about his ordeal – never mind that those very same authorities had illegally sent the vigilante group there in the first place.

However, the authorities didn’t act right away. No, they only acted after hearing a horrifying account from a mysterious man named John Peeples.

Peeples was a lone traveller who happened upon Six Mile Wayfarer House. He asked for a room, but was told that none were currently available. However, Lavinia was a hospitable hostess. She asked if he’d like to come in for a rest, a cup of tea, and some food. He agreed, not wanting to be rude. Peeples was not a fan of tea – but again, wanted to remain polite. He dumped his cup the moment Lavinia turned her back.

Seeing the empty cup, Lavinia became animated. She began questioning Peeples about his job prospects, what he was travelling for, what his plans were, and so on. She was sizing him up. Peeples smelled a rat.

Lavinia excused herself for a moment, then returned to say that they did, indeed, have a room for him that had just become available. Would he like to stay the night? Though uneasy, Peeples agreed. Escorted to his room, Peeples devised a plan.

He knew they were about to try to rob him. He wasn’t going to make it easy. Rather than sleep in the bed, Peeples slept in a wooden chair by the door, ready to wake at a moment’s notice. And he was, indeed, awakened during the night. He woke up to see the bed collapsing, opening to a drop into a spiked pit below. Peeples grabbed his belongings and fled out the window, riding the six miles into Charleston to tell the authorities his tale.

Armed with the accusations, the authorities stormed Six Mile House. The Fishers and ten members of their gang were arrested and taken to the Old City Jail to await trial.

Prosecutors were armed to the teeth with evidence – especially the stories they had from David Ross and John Peeples. “Unfortunately, their horrifying stories about the falling bed and hundreds of human bones found on the property remain either unverifiable or stand in contradiction to official records.”

In an odd turn of events, the Fishers were arrested for assault with intent to murder – which was not punishable by death – and yet were sentenced for highway robbery, a crime they were weren’t tried for, or convicted of. They were both sentenced to hang – along with their friend and co-owner of Six Mile Wayfarer House, William Heyward.

According to former homicide investigator and author of Six Miles to Charleston: The True Story of John and Lavinia Fisher Bruce Orr, the Fishers were innocent of all crimes alleged against them. They were victims of political corruption. “Maybe they were ‘taken care of’ so the government could take the Fisher property and use it as a new naval base. Indeed, the Charleston Naval Hospital in North Charleston sits on the land once occupied by the Six Mile House.”

Guilt or innocence didn’t matter to the citizens of Charleston. They were more than ready to watch the woman who’d go on to be named America’s first female serial killer hang. And Lavinia put up a fight the entire way through. While on the gallows, Lavinia shouted: “If you have a message you want to send to Hell, give it to me and I’ll carry it!” Then, Lavinia jumped from the gallows.

To the very end, Lavinia wasn’t going to let a man have the final say on her life.

It would seem that Lavinia Fisher is the product more of legend than of fact. Her legend is that of a monstrous human being. But fact seems to state that an innocent woman was hanged for political bargaining. And those responsible for the miscarriage of justice got away with it.

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Sources:

American’s first female serial killer – Charleston Today
America’s Most Inhospitible Hosts: The Story of John and Lavinia Fisher – Jason Lucky Morrow – Historical Crime Detective
Six Miles to Charleston: The True Story of John and Lavinia Fisher – Bruce Orr
Lavinia Fisher Wikipedia page