Lavinia Fisher’s Southern Hospitality was Killer

Charleston, South Carolina is known as one of the most haunted places in the U.S. The story of Lavinia Fisher, America’s first female serial killer, can undoubtedly share some of the credit for the city’s creepy reputation. This was a woman who had an insatiable thirst for money. So much so, that she would do unspeakable things to get just a little bit more of it.

Lavinia was someone to be feared in life, but in death, her ghost still strikes terror into the hearts of those who visit the Old Jail House where she was eventually executed.

The Highway Gang

Lavinia Fisher and her husband, John, lived in the back country of Charleston, South Carolina in the nineteenth century. Though they were both popular and well-liked in their community, this husband and wife team were the leaders of a large highway gang that would trap unsuspecting travelers along the road. The group of thugs would relieve victims of their valuables. In a best case scenario, the travelers escaped with their lives, though this was not always the case.

Though this was a lucrative business, it wasn’t enough to keep Lavinia and John’s pockets full.

The Six Mile Wayfarer House

Outside of the highway gang, Lavinia and John had another source of income. They owned a very large home located six miles north of Charleston and saw an opportunity to increase their wealth. The couple converted the home into an Inn, known as the Six Mile Wayfarer house, and opened their doors to travelers as well as outlaws that were hiding in the area. Between these two key demographics, business was very, very good.

Due to its prime location, the Wayfarer house also allowed Lavinia to meet new and interesting people. She would invite them inside for some southern hospitality, but what the unsuspecting travelers actually got was a one-way ticket to their final destination…ever.

Lavinia Fisher’s Modus Operandi

Though Lavinia Fisher was a wicked woman, she was quite selective when choosing her victims. She was always careful to prey on travelers that were alone and she would strike up conversation to learn about where the person was going and who might be waiting there for them. Even more importantly, she would ask the visitors about what they did for a living, deriving how much money they might be carrying with them.

Once Lavinia identified her target, she would invite the guest to have dinner with her and her husband. At the end of the dinner she served them tea. Tea that was spiked with something that would cause the traveler to fall asleep. Once the tea began to take effect, the dinner guest would excuse themselves, apologizing for their necessary early retirement to their rooms. The gracious host, Lavina, would tell them to think nothing of it and wished them a restful sleep.

This is where the research into Lavinia’s story splits off into two versions. While some reports focus on John, many of them believe that it was Lavinia who was the main actor in what happened next.

John

In one version of the legend, it is John who would sneak into the victim’s rooms after they had fallen asleep. He would stab them to death as they lay there, immobilized from the poisoned tea they had ingested at dinner. Lavinia would then enter the room, clean it out of all the valuables and assist John with disposing of the body.

Lavinia

In the second version, it is Lavinia Fisher who would lay in wait; however, she did not stab her victims. Instead, the guest room bed had been rigged to a lever. When the traveler was fully unconscious, Lavinia would pull the lever, causing the bed to collapse and the victim to be dropped into a pit in the basement below. Some even say that there were spikes at the bottom, though there is no supporting evidence for this.

And so it went for a number of years. Luring travelers in and cleaning out their pockets. Though some of the locals complained to the local sheriff that guests were checking in but were never seen checking out, no evidence could ever be found and none of the allegations ever stuck. At least not until the vigilantes stepped in.

Vigilante Justice – Beginning of the End Part 1

With no support from the authorities, a group of vigilantes decided to take matters into their own hands. They were tired of the gang activities that were going on in their town and took a stand. In February of 1819, a group of concerned citizens marched into Lavina and John’s neighborhood and attempted to put an end to the unsavory acts that were happening there. When they believed they made their message clear, they left, but put a man named David Ross in charge of watching over the area.

Within one day, Ross was attacked by two men and brought directly to the highway gang. Standing in the center was Lavinia Fisher. Confused, Ross crawled to her for help, but Lavina wrapped her hands around his neck and put his head through a window instead. Somehow, Ross was able to escape and file a complaint with the Sheriff.

The Cautious Traveler – Beginning of the End Part 2

Within the same time frame as the vigilante incident, a man named John Peeples stopped at Lavinia’s Inn and requested a room. Lavinia apologized to the man and told him there were no rooms available, but invited Peeples in to rest and have some tea.

Grateful for the opportunity to take some rest, Peeples accepted the offer and, wanting to be polite, accepted the cup of tea as well, though he detested the drink. Lavinia sat with him for hours, asking him questions about where he was from, where his family was, and what he did for a living. At some point during the conversation, Peeples found an opportunity to dump his tea when Lavinia wasn’t looking. Finally, the killer inn-keeper heard enough and changed her mind about the availability of a room and informed Peeples that he could stay.

Once he was shown to his room, Peeples became suspicious of the entire situation. Though it was too late to get back onto the road, he was worried about being robbed in his sleep. Rather than laying on the bed, he pulled a chair up next to the door and slept sitting up. At some point in the middle of the night Peeples awoke to a loud bang. The bed had collapsed to a chamber down below in front of his very eyes. The traveler immediately grabbed his things and escaped out of the bedroom window. He rode his horse to Charleston where he alerted authorities of the Fisher’s sinister Inn.

Capture

Law enforcement now had two separate complaints about the Fishers, who were being accused and identified by name. The police located the couple as well as some members of their gang and proceeded with an investigation. John loved his wife so much that he surrendered himself as well as the identities of the entire gang in an effort to shield Lavinia from arrest. Unfortunately for Lavinia (and the gang members), his attempts were in vein.

Trial

The couple were arrested. Though they both pleaded ‘not guilty’ the county ordered the Fishers to be held in jail until the trial which would take place in May (3 months later). The gang members; however, were all released on bail. The trial did not go well for the Fishers either. A jury found them guilty of highway robbery, which was a capital offence and punishable by death. John and Lavinia Fisher appealed and were given a reprieve until the January session of the court.

John’s Proof of Love (Again)

From May of 1819 until January of 1820, the Fishers occupied the same 6×8 cell in the Charleston, South Carolina jail (now known as the “Old City Jail”). Lavinia and John built a rapport with the guards over the first few months, which served to lessen the time they were being watched. The two of them developed a plan.

On Sept 13^th, the couple fashioned a rope made from bed sheets and proceeded to climb out of the window. Wanting to test the rig, John went down first. When he was near the bottom; however, the sheets ripped and though he landed unhurt below, Lavinia was trapped in her cell. He could have been free, but again, his love for her kept him from following through with the escape. He allowed himself to be re-captured and was returned to his cell. This time, the couple was put under much more stringent security.

Final Sentencing

At the trial in January, the Constitutional court rejected Lavinia and John’s appeal and on February 4^th, they were both sentenced to death by hanging. John was remorseful. He immediately embraced the council of the local minister and converted to Christianity. Lavinia, on the other hand, became downright costic.

The Gallows

A crowd of 2,000 people showed up at the gallows in front of the Old City Jail to watch the execution of the Fishers. John was the first to have the noose slipped around his neck and as the hangman prepared him, the minister John had been speaking with in the jail read a letter to the group of spectators. The letter was written by John and, in it, he stated that since he had become a Christian, he could not meet his maker while he still held on to a lie. He stated that he was innocent and begged for the mercy of the justice system which had failed him. Fisher himself also pleaded with the crowd and asked for their forgiveness. Moments later, he was hung.

Lavinia had a different strategy. Since the law forbid the execution of married women, she showed up to the gallows in her wedding dress. She truly believed that she would survive. It wasn’t until the very end, when law officials explained to her that since John had hung first there were no rules against hanging widows, that she became enraged. Lavinia looked out into the crowd and yelled “If you have a message you want to send to hell, give it to me – I’ll carry it.” She then leaped off of the scaffold and hung herself, not wanting to give the hangman or the law officials the satisfaction.

Aftermath

The Fishers were buried in a potter’s field near the Old City Jail, but the echo of Lavinia’s spirit rings on throughout the area. To this day, people have claimed to see her apparition when touring the Old City Jail. Other strange phenomena in the jail include reports of human footprints suddenly appearing on the ground and items simply vanishing from sight. Is Lavinia’s restless spirit still taking things from travelers? I’m not so sure I want to visit and find out.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavinia_Fisher http://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/charlestons-most-inhospitable-hosts-the-story-of-john-and-lavinia-fisher/