Murder of Fannie Brown Recalled Which Occurred 100 Years Ago and for Which Two Innocent Negro Slaves Were Hung

The Lancaster Record

Newspaper clipping came from scrapbook of Susan Waldridge Hurt, wife of Elijah Hurt. Contributed by Sandra Hurt Norris.

Early history of Kentucky was written in blood. The Red Men, treacherous and defiant, felled scores of the white invaders. Lurid stories of hairbreadth escapes and ghastly murders told by surviving explorers gave rise to Kentucky's opprobrious nom de plume, “the Dark and Bloody Ground” and succeeding tragedies in which the settlers themselves played the leading roles lent force in giving it perpetuity.

During the early settlement of the state communication was difficult, newspapers west of the Alleghanies were few and far between and those that were established were poorly equipped to gather and handle the news and for those and other reasons, some of the most noted tragedies in the history of United States were never known outside of the locality in which they were committed and mainly by tradition. One was committed in what is now Garrard county, which in detail puts to shame the best efforts of the most imaginative and sanguinary novelist of this generation.

In the second decade of the nineteenth century there came to Garrard county, Kentucky, a man named Thomas Brown. He belonged to a fine old Maryland family and brought an active spirit of enterprise and progress into the young settlement. It is said that he introduced the first timothy seed in the region and planted the first meadow land. He brought the first mule to the county. He established a hemp mill and blacksmith shop. He used a stone brake to separate hemp and procure flax for spinning. His log house was first owned by General William Jennings and was in later years the property of Josiah ____drnside (newspaper torn).

Brown's family consisted of his wife, his son Burrel and two daughters, Polly and Fanny. The girls were strikingly handsome. Polly was 20 years old, tall and straight, with black eyes, black hair and brunette complexion. Fanny was a blonde of 18, with fair hair and lustrous brown eyes. She was a sweet, gentle maiden, whereas her sister was all ire and vim, dominating the household as the mood seized her.

It was in the year 1826 that there immigrated to those parts a yound dry goods merchant named Harry Geiss. He had a manner and address superior to the unpretending youths thereabouts and Polly soon fell victim to his attentions. It was said that the two had pledged their troth and were soon to be married. Whether true or not, it is certain that the lover grew restive under the exactions of his imperious sweetheart and transferred his affections to the more amiable Fanny. This aroused all the jealousy and revenge of Polly's nature.

In that day, the Western merchant hauled his goods by wagon from Philadelphia, via Maysville, KY., into the interior of the state. Geiss started off on his annual expedition for goods and Polly saw her opportunity.

One morning, she entered the loom room, where her sister sat weaving and humming a happy little tune, unaware of the enmity she had caused.

"Come, Fanny", said Polly, "let's go over to Mrs. Brasfield's and get that new quilt pattern she is piecing."

Nothin loath the girl arose from her task and the two started forth through the wood. It was cool enought for a shawl. Concealing a hatchet under the one she wore, Polly wrapped it in her arms, and was casting about for a favorable spot to accomplish the deed she had resolved to do. Pointing to a fallen log in a pawpaw thicket, she said, "Fanny, your hair is coming loose. Sit down and let me fix it up." Fanny sat down. Twining the long, thick roll of hair over her left hand, Polly seized the hatchet with the other hand and began hacking at the white throat of her victim.

"Don't kill me, Polly!" screamed the girl, "don't, don't___"and the voice ceased as the blood from the severed jugular spurted out.

Three slave boys were at work in the field not far way --Abe and Pomp--who belonged to Brown and Tom, the property of General Jennings. Abe was the oldest and hearing the outcry, he ran forward in time to see the strokes and recognized the sisters. Terrified, he ran back and telling the others what he had seen, he swore them to secrecy saying, "if we tell what we seen, they'll swear we done it. Don't open your moufs."

An Amazon in strength from her industrious rearing, Polly dug down into a sink hole near the log, dragged the body into the hole and covered it with dirt and autumn leaves till no trace remained. There being no one at the house, her father and brother out at work and her mother at a neighbor's helping with the spinning, the girl next conveyed Fanny's saddle and bridle, with her best clothing, to another sink hole on the farm and buried them out of sight.