The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, September 28, 1916, Page 5, Image 5
BEAUTIFUL BETTYr COTTON.
X.
c Name is Synonymous With Clandestine
and Revolting Machinations.
(Written for the News and Courier
by Mrs. S. McG. Simkins and taken
from an old file.)
"Old Edgefield again! Another
murder in Edgefield. Why, 'twas
^ but t'other day we had a history sufficient
to /freeze the blood with horl?
/\^ mnr_
iUl Lilt; I11SLU1 v ui cl uuouanu mui>dering
his wife! and now comes a
history ten times, if possible more
# unnatural and horrible still?the his^
tory of a wife murdering her husband;
and all in old Edgefield. Will
the Lord have mercy upon old Edge^
field! For sure it must be pandemonium,
itself, a very District of Devils."
The above quotation is taken from
an ancient pamphlet published in
1816, called "The Devil in Petticoats,
or God's Revenge Against Husband
Killing." The author was the
Rev. M. L. Weems, a sensational
writer and preacher of the last cenV
tury, the history of whom was compiled
in a most interesting article
published not long ago by the News
and Courier.
k * *"
Thft rpcmrrprtinn of this almost
forgotten publication proves that
from time immemorial the moral conditions
of this section of the country
have not always been what they
-> should.
The first triple murderer in Edge.
field, whose diabolical crimes es>
caped legal punishment, was the celebrated
Becky Cotton. From chronicle
and tradition we glean that this
remarkable criminal was born about
the year 1780. At an early age
Becky, with two younger brothers,
was left by the death of their mother,
to be reared by a drunken father.
mm'- the age of ten years Becky reignf
% ed supreme at home, she fought like
v a tigress, subjugated her brothers,
cowed her father and made her
% 4, >\ i
slaves tremble before her. Her will
grew more and more imperious, until
Jf v ' she
tolerated opposition from none.
Gus Kennedy was proud of his daugh<
< ..
ter's unvanquished spirit and as he
j had many business enterprises and
? - J - ?- WAIIXIVKV lr AT\f
QligctSttQ 111 t'citnc l aidiii^g w liii/ii
him away from home, he contented
i himself with laughing at the "Little
' -* She-Devil" as he nicknamed his only
i % ' '
i \ daughter.
As Becky matured into womanhood
she developed wonderful beau.
ty. Her form had- all the grace and
voluptuousness of a Spanish dancer.
Her eyes were dark and lustrous, her
features Grecian. Her clear brunette
v skin glowed with the hue of robust
/ health. Many lovers proffered their
' * hands and hearts to the beautiful
Miss Kennedy. Becky flirted desperately
with all. She held them in
her claws as does a cat when bother?
,ing a mouse. Finally, while experieacing
a phantasmal affection for a
certain Erasmus Smith, who was
madly in iove with her, she consented
to be United in wedlock. The
V: marriage ,was soon found to be a faI
. tal mistake. They fought like Kilkenny
cats. Poor Erasmus was maue
r to bite the dust. His nerves were so
v. ,
shattered Hiat he became a physical
f - wreck. One night as he dozed in his
hv thft dviner embers. Becky
ran a mattress needle through his
Vv heart that stilled aching forever
more.
In the darkness and solitude of
the night she bore in her strong,
young aVms the lifeless body down
through the leafy path that led to a
, . gloomy pool of water, through which
flowed Beaver Dam Creek. With a
?. .. trace chain she attached a heavy
weight to the legs and threw the
body into the water, where it sank
down into the fathomless hole, never
to be seen again by mortal eye. A
' * November gale soon covered with
leaves her foot prints in the wooded
path, and a pelting rain obscured the
last trace pf the ghastly end of Erasmus
Smith.
Scarcely a year elapsed after the
mysterious disappearance of Becky's
first husband, before she took unto
herself another spouse. Joshua Ter
' ?- -v.n<?l,r in IrtVA with t h P
* ry was as mauij m wc "*v~ ~
beautiful Becky as his predecessor
had been. Their honeymoon was,
however, of equally short duration.
r Becky's abominable temper asserted
itself on every occasion and the unfortunate
Josiah soon found that the
life of "Old Dog Tray" was heavenly
* in comparison with the one he was
/ leading. Becky soon tried starving
and beating as methods of ridding
herfeelf of her husband, but as Josiah
stuck with cat-like tenacity to life,
she resorted to herb tea, made from
the deadly night shade. Under pretense
of dosing him with a remedy
.v . for Phthisic, she administered the
p. poison. It was a snowy .December
night when Josiah fell in convulsions
and his last breath mingled with the
fierce breath of the tempest which
raged without. Becky, who shrank
from no crime, and feared neither
God nor devil, wished to spare herself
with further annoyance from
Josiah, so she picked him up in her
? arms and bore him down to the same
black pool. His body she weighted
with a bag of bricks, before she
-i
thrust it down to the gurgling depths <
to meet the husband who had gone .
before. A heavy snow storm covered
every trace of this murder, and neighbors
even held that he had gone to *
, visit in an adjoining State and never <
returned. 4
It would be natural to suppose 4
, that the mysterious disappearance of <
two husbands would augment against
procuring a third. But Becky's fasci- 1
nations were so irresistable that in %
her second widowhood she was more ^
eagerly sought after than ever. Men ?
fought each other in the dark woods ^
that led to Becky's door. Suitors a
stabbed each other in the piazza. Ri- <
vals grappled at the throats of rivals i
even in Becky's presence. This tur- ^1
moil that at first was a diversion to
Becky, finally wearied her and she ' <A
vowed that she would marry the A
strongest one of them just to rid j
herself of a pack of fools. 1
Alak a day! that the lot of be- %
coming Becky's third husband fell ^
on John Cotton. Cotton was a very 4
handsome man. He planted on an ^1
extensive scale and was one of the 4
most prosperous men in the neigh- j
borhood. He had loved Becky- from ^1
the time when as children they had 4
thrown rocks together into the bot- <
tomless pool. His only love making 4
in those early days had discouraged .
him, for when he grabbed Becky and
kissed her with all the fervor of an
enamored school boy, she had , so
kicked and scratched him that he had 4
wisely left her alone, contenting 4
himself with the peace of a bachelor's ^
life, and only dreaming of Becky's
eyes in the sweet "might have been."
When, however, he pondered upon ^
Becky's second widowhood,'he cop- 4
eluded that grief's chastisement must 4
have wrought some change in the
futrious temper of her he still loved.
With man's conceit, he felt that his
own strong, masterful nature would *
act as a curb upon Becky's imperious <
will and reduce her to the proper 4
level of tender, clinging wromanhood. 4
John Cotton was very superior in
character to Becky's former husband.
He had a dash and fearless- *
ness that made him generally at- J
tractive. His good looks, his win- 4
ning smile and engaging manner*had 4
a softening influence even upon ^
Becky's hardened, degenerate nature.
For six months they were like coo- i
ing doves from morning until night, *
and John Cotton was congratulating <
himself'on having tamed the shrew, 4
when a clash came and war was de- ^
clared. Ever since her marriage
with Cotton Becky had been secretly
wishing to get away from the vicinity ^1
of the bottomless pool. Visions of ?.
the two murdered bodies that were A
sunk in its depths arose to disturb X
the peacefulness of her life. She de- ^
termined that their home should be ^
sold and that they should move to a ^
distant portion of the State. She
mfldo tho nrrvnnsitinn nf this nlan to
John, but he flatly refused to consider
it. Becky pestered and finally
stormed, until all the love which they J
had for each other turned into hatred.
Neighbors hinted toxCotton that if
his wife had murdered her former
husbands and was now preparing to A.
g&t rid of him. Hoping it might act
as ' a safeguard against Becky's t
treacherous actions and protect him
when he slept, Cotton invited Becky's if
two younger brothers to come and
live with them. Even then he lost
all feeling of safety. He never knev ^
at what moment his wife might not f
administer to him his death blow. J
His suspicions were so aroused that if
it preyed upon his mind until he became
a mental and physical wreck
and dreaded to be left in the room ^
with his wife. t,
One summer's night, old man Ken- J
nedy, Becky's father, came to spend if
the evening with his daughter. While if
sitting there he was assailed by three
men with whom he had had a dispute
the *day previous. The men became I
violent and Becky denounced them
as "a pack of cussed villains." ' She V
asked "how they durst to threaten ^
a gentleman in her house.". With
this she flung her arms about her ^
father's neck and dared them
shoot. t
Daunted for the moment by V
Becky's defiance and display of courage,
the men drew back and Becky
thinking she had intimidated them, ^
loosened her arms, and turning to Jk
her husband who sat in a corner she J
unbottled the vials of her wrath up
on him for daring to hold aloof and
not attack her father's assailants.
At this moment the assassins fired A.
upon the old man and as he was Jk
hurled into eternity without moment X
for prayer, the men jumped through j
i the open windows and fled for their
lives.
Becky, livid with fury and accus- ?*
ing her husband of having been ac- ^
cessory to her father's butchery, 1
rushed into the yard, procured an t
axe, in a spasm of wild insanity, fell jr
upon Cotton. Perhaps the horror of ^
her fiendish rage paralyzed him, for ?*
before he could defend himself, the ^
axe descended upon his head and* Z
cleft it in two. t
The overpowering thought of the jr
bottomless pool as concealment for
her guilt immediately occurred to
(Continued on page 6, column 1.) ^
t -
V
I, *
! Some Re?
' You should visit our store
Dress, Sport Coat, or anythi
y wv 1 _ _ IT TT 1 _
% jruttST?we nave a mew iorK rei
[ est and classiest garments.
r
SECOND?We haven't the expen:
f sell you at a much lower price.
^ THIRD?We have practically el
no bad accounts to charge up.
r
FOURTH?This week begins our
^ I with the people of this section.
* *
SATISFACTION OR
/
?New At
qB
A
"The Store
t '
4 A^t A^A Jl4A A4A A4A A^A A^A i^A i^A A4A A A^A A. J^k. J^A.i
FIRST CARLOAD
We have just recei
Horses ai
t
An extra nice lot just re
was personally selected bj
We want you to see them
needing an animal just no
these measure fully up to 1
ard for quality and style,
ceived by express, and are
We also have an extra nic
Buggies, Carriages, Wagons, Ha
We have a number of sty
ness, and feel sure that w
ments, no matter how <
THF PRICES
COME TO SEE US; YOU AF
JONES
Bamberg, Soi
i
A, A A4A A^A A^A A^A A^A A^A A^k A^A A^A A^k A. J^k^^A^A-A^A J^A^A-A^J^kAl.
T^f T^T ?A" VAV "A? "A" f|" "Vf 4> x* 41 A "A" A "ir A "4" <0 "At A'^ A'^ A'* AT
tsons Why jlfcj
* ;/5?Sf I: s
before buying that Coat Suit, ^ /
ug in the Ready-to-Wear Line bH^^SHk J . <|
sident buyer shipping us daily the new- ' '
se that the big city stores have and' can jE y'
iminated the charge system and we have jjj S ^ .
15th year of fair and honorable dealing
YOUR MONEY BACK |i|j
rivals ylJlllJlfcw Big new. line of popular priced J
I lady says our dresses are the
each $6.00 to \ B *4 same as shown in Augusta.
^yoran?j^f7 Another lady says our Coats t t
00 and up. are prettier than any she saw ^ ^
trn8r^"to andser- - * :5?I
.AUBER'sJf
f Quality" Bamberg, S. C.
^ I Z? ' -:V?M
, A A A A A - A I ??- >v J|
A A A .+A A A ^ AA AAa^AAAAA A 4 4 4 4A
^ ^ 4?unu?iRuRu!li. . V\ *7J*B
^/VVVVVVVVVV f 'f "f v v v ^r v v T.T V
OF THE SEA SON If || Worn Out? f{
VII No doubt you are, if ||
" #+ 11 you^suffer from any of the I | 4 |
$ || numerous ailments to ? |
i i # V U which an women are sub- & ^4%Si
ved a carload of " <? Pa je?* "ea^?che' back- |JI
f vmM ache, sideache, nervous- #?ps?g
* V ness, weak, tired feeling, ?
^ are some of the symp.
_ _ _ _ i - toLis, and you must nd MM
V BH fl|P V <$ j 11 yourself of uiem in order 11
IB Mm I A II to feel well. Thousands 11
IVMm I t II of women, who have II
#1 I V| I W I 4V V II teen benefited by this II ,
nil
r:zr~iiMiH
: aeZmty?oi ZJlZ ! Tie Woman's M l ' I
11/ ' ill Mrs* Sylvania Woods. 11
W. We can smt y?UJ f II ofaiftonMills,Ky.,says! II
the JONES High Stand- II "Beforetaking Cardui, II
THptf* nim ji 1 ? wpre t*^? I I was, at times, so weak I II
i nese aramais were re- could hardIy walk and u
m thee pink of condition. \ A the pain in my back and fe?
:e lot of % S headneadykinedme. (f
Y BL After taking three bottles
?*> la of Cardui, the pains dis- mM
> 11 appeared. Now I feel as IB
rness, Lap Robes, Whips, Etc. f II 3Sev~S || 1
II try CarduL" Get a bottle II
V || today- E*68 II U
11 .
les in Buggies and Har- 5BS53J95CSS3K5
e can suit your require- _
exacting they may be. V RUB QUT pA1N
V with good oil liniment. That's
A w w ?^>| the surest way to stop them.
I \ V 11 I I <|> ,,^e ^>est rubbing liniment is{ |
IE ALWAYS WELCOME | MUSTANG
ILINIMENT I
?^ V 9 it,a A;ln0^0
UWU J\J! i/l^ ^4U/IIUIM vy
^p I ^B | Horses, Mules, Cattle, Etc.
B^CI BjK^ B B Jt ! Qood for your own Aches,
^B B U- p f Pains, Rheumatism, Sprains,
^ |^/? f . Cuts, Burns, Etc.
I : 25c. 50c. $1. At all Dealers.
ith Carolina
I A i Drives Out Malaria, Builds Up System
I I _ - .? I A. 1?
IT The Old Standard general sircngiucuiuK wuit,
GROVE'S TAS" ELESS chill TONIC, drive* out
> A a+a a'+a a+a a+a a?a A *+a a+* a+a A A. >A Malaria,enriches the blood,and buildaup the system.
A true tonic. For adulU and children. 50c.
'
' * , . ' : >:t
-* i
9
/T 4 j
?- : -