NHD Essay at the Bottom

Topic: ​The First Female Serial Killer, Lavinia Fisher

I Title: ​Lavinia Fisher, the World’s Most Inhospitable Host

II Introduction:
Being one of the first female serial killers, Lavinia Fisher is known for being one of the most inhospitable hosts
in history. Through her deliberate thefts and murders, she showed that both men and women have the same
capabilities. The tragedies of her murders led to the triumph of proving women and men’s potentials and
influencing the shape of South Carolina. In the early 1800s, Lavinia Fisher and her husband John Fisher began
to steal wealthy guests’, that visited her hotel, valuables, then proceed to kill them. Her hotel, the Six Mile
Wayfarer House, was a frequent visit for travelers that were visiting Charleston. In 1819, the Fishers’ evil
deeds were discovered, and in 1820, the couple was hanged for their crimes.

III First Idea: ​History of Lavinia Fisher

C. Introduction (topic sentence)
There is not much known about Lavinia Fisher, when it comes to her background information. ​This
includes her maiden name, how she met her husband John Fisher, and her childhood.
D. Main Body:
1. There are many myths around this story. ​Some say that she never killed anyone, and that
Lavinia was just an accessory to the murders that were committed​.
2. Others say that she was indeed a murderer. She would invite rich guests, offer them a tea that
was spiked with oleander​, which would make them fall asleep​. Once they were weakened, she
would rob them of their valuables.
3. There has been no evidence of her childhood or what she experienced as a child.

IV Second Idea: ​What Happened to the Fishers & How the Couple got Caught
E. Introduction:
There are a multitude of events that occurred before Lavinia Fisher was caught and executed, alongside
her husband John Fisher.
F. Main Body:
1. David Ross, a member of a vigilante group that originally came to burn down ​the Four Mile
House (famously known as the Six Mile House)​, was left to keep watch of the property that they
burned down. He was then beaten and whipped by a group of men, along with Lavinia Fisher.
2. David Ross escaped, and then John Peeples (traveler) comes to the hotel to water his horse.
 3. A little boy refuses to give Peeples the bucket to water his horse to Peeples, and then a group of
ten people walks out, including Lavinia, and beats Peeples. Peeples is also spelled as “Peoples”,
in the statement that he signed.

V Third Idea: ​John and Lavinia Fisher’s arrest / In the Prison

G. Introduction (Topic Sentence)
There are many things that happened before Lavinia Fisher’s execution and when they got caught.
H. Main Body
1. In the prison, Lavinia Fisher was placed in a cell with her husband.
2. She and her husband escaped the prison.
3. Her husband had escaped without her but went back because he could not live without her.

VI Fourth Idea: Their Execution

I . Introduction (topic sentence)
Lavinia Fisher and her husband John Fisher were executed.
J. Main Body
1. Where she was executed. (Charleston Old Jail)
2. Why she could not be executed at first.
3. Her last words and what they meant.

VII Fifth Idea: ​After effects

K. Introduction (topic sentence)
Many people have been executed in the past before Lavinia Fisher, however, people remember her
specifically because of the multitude of effects that she left on Charleston.
L. Main Body
1. She was the first female to show that she was as capable as men of murder.
2. There are myths that surround the Charleston Old Jail, claiming that Lavinia Fisher still haunts the jail
that she was once kept in.
3. Myths and legends surround the case of her murders and the like.

VII Conclusion (This is where you will refer back to your thesis and draw a conclusion based on your
research.)

To sum up the research that has been cited, Lavinia Fisher has proved that every person has the same
capabilities. Through the series of murders and thefts that she has committed, she has proved that everyone has
the same opportunities. Her unknown history, what had happened to her and her husband that allowed for them
to get caught in their cunning doings, their life inside prison, their execution, and the effects that she left on
South Carolina all contribute to the fact that she has proved what exactly each person is capable of, despite the
myths surrounding her.
First Idea Paragraph:
There is not much known about Lavinia Fisher, when discussing her background. Many people say that
she hasn’t killed anyone, and that the story of her being the first serial killer is not real. Many people claim that
she was simply an accessory to the murders, and that she simply robbed people, which was an equal offense
for her to get hanged. There is no known information about her past at all, not her childhood, and not how she
came about to run a hotel. Some say that she simply committed theft, while others claim that she had a trap
door placed under the bed that her guests slept in.

NHD ESSAY 
NTS: ADD MORE EVIDENCE

World’s Most Inhospitable Host

There have been many past tragedies historically, through murders and other causes. Being one of the

first female serial killers to exist within America, Lavinia Fisher shows through her deliberate thefts and

crimes, she revealed that both men and women have the same capabilities. There is a general belief that the

Fisher’s poisoned the tea that her guests’ drank to make them go to sleep, allowing her and her husband to rob

them of their valuables, however, this has been easily debunked. There is no evidence of the Fishers murdering

someone, but there is evidence of the couple being involved within highway robbery and a gang of individuals

that would beat and rob their targets. Lavinia Fisher had proved through her murders and robberies the

capabilities and potentials of women and men, and the subject can is seen through the survivors of her

attempted murders, the timeline, and her execution. The tragedies of her crimes led to the triumph of proving

women and men’s potentials along with influencing the shape of South Carolina
 When discussing the female’s background, there is not much known. There has been no recorded

evidence about Lavinia’s past, which includes her maiden name, how she met her husband, and related

information. It seems as if there is the same case when it comes to her husband. There are also many myths

surrounding her story and a very inaccurate popular legend. Based on the findings that she was involved in a

robbery group that consisted mostly of men, it can be argued that she was nothing but a highway robber and

committed no murders. Others say that she was a murderer, and gave her guests tea spiked with oleander, and

robbed and killed them when they were asleep. There have been no records of her childhood or what she

experienced when she was younger. Despite this, debates continue to rile over her case. Lavinia was a

“beautiful and charming woman, adding to her popularity in the community and the business of the hotel,”

according to Kathy Weiser on Legends of America. Multiple sources state this, and that she had used these

features to help herself rob and murder. That aside, it can be seen that all stories begin with the fact that her

actions came to light when two men who were attacked escaped the couple and reported them to the police.

Another commonly misinterpreted story that is directly related to Lavinia Fisher is the story of John

Peeples. According to the myth, John Peeples was a man traveling from Georgia to South Carolina, and he had

needed a place to stay for the night. Upon entering the Six Mile House, Lavinia had informed him that there

were no rooms available, but they did let him rest for a cup of tea. Peeples would be unaware that the beverage

was spiked with oleander, a poison that would cause guests to fall into a deep sleep. Peeples was not a fan of

the drink, however, he did not want to be rude and poured it out when Lavinia was not looking. She asked him

a series of suspicious questions, such as, “Is anyone expecting you?”, As stated by Kathy Weiser in Legends of

America. Eventually, she told him that a room had become available, and he settled in for the night. Feeling

uncomfortable with the information that he had shared with the woman, he slept in the chair at the corner of the

room instead of on the bed. He was awoken by the bed suddenly falling into a cellar with John Fisher waiting
at the bottom with a hatchet. Peeples fled the room on his horse, reporting the couple to the police. This

statement is very contradictory with the statement that is provided by the Peeples, which states a story that was

very different. Within Peeples’s statement, he says that he had originally stopped by the hotel to water his

horse. While watering his horse, a boy came out of the Six Mile House and demanded the bucket that Peeples

was using, and they argued for possession of the bucket. When Peeples did not give the boy the bucket, a

group of men, and among them was Lavinia Fisher, approached him from out of the house, carrying clubs,

guns, and pistols. All of them began a harsh assault on the man, robbing him of forty or fifty dollars, Lavinia

Fisher being the most active in beating him. Peeples escaped and reported the couple to the police. There was

also a group that arose based on Lynch’s Law with a plan to put an end to the rumors of men that went to the

Six Mile House disappearing. This group, in which David Ross was a member of, traveled to the Five Mile

House and ended up burning it to the ground, burning recipients along with it. They then traveled to the Four

Mile House, in which they then also burned to the ground, but luckily no recipients. A man named William

Heyward eventually came out and began to beat the man, collaring him, telling him that he would “blow his

brains out,” stated by Bruce Orrs. By this time, Lavinia Fisher and her husband would have walked out and

would lay violent hands upon him, choking him and smashing his head through a window. All this evidence

was stated within the statement that David Ross wrote for the police after he had escaped the group through the

woods that surrounded the Six Mile House.

The story of the first female serial killer is very different depending on whom a person hears the

story from. Historical records do not indicate piles of piles of in a cellar of the Six Mile House. Some bodies

were dug up on the property of the hotel, but there were no leads that these bodies were directly related to the

Fishers. According to multiple resources, one of the bodies that were dug up from the properties can be

identified as a slave, which was not uncommon during that period. It turns out that the Fishers were part of a
gang that committed highway robbery, rather than murder, which may have been a harsher offense during the

time. During this time, piracy was a huge problem because of the Panic of 1819. The Panic was the most

significant economic crisis that Charleston had ever seen at the time. Along with this, wagon traders began to

disappear whenever they went in and out of Charleston, raising the suspicion that the Fishers and the Six Mile

House were directly related to cases of these disappearances. There were also many cases of robbery during

this time, which was also directly related to the Fishers. Victims of this can be found in three men: James

Addison, John Brown, and Stephen LaCoste. Addison had been robbed a little over ten dollars when passing

by the hotel, which was a huge deal in the olden days. Brown had been deprived of 140 dollars, and LaCoste

had found his cow missing, and was very sure that his cow had not wandered off in the middle of the night.

The rumor of these robberies began to spread throughout the town of Charleston, which would then arise a

lynch mob, and cause the case of David Ross. The crowd had set forth under “Lynch’s Law,” which was

nothing more than a mob justice without legal authority. Lynching in modern day is now a felony. The robbers,

however, could not be identified by any of the victims.

To correctly understand the Fishers and what they had done, one would need to understand the

period that they lived in. In 1790, around the time where the legends and myths began, the population of slaves

was a great one. The census of 1790 shows that the people in Charleston at the time was 15,402 whites to

51,585 blacks, which raised a fear among the population that the slaves would cause a revolt. This has

happened before, justifying their worries; the 1720 Stono Rebellion was created by the overwhelming amount

of slaves in Charleston and was the most massive slave revolt that they had ever seen at the time. In 1819,

Davey Crockett was still fighting the Indians, and the threat from the Native Americans was a real one. The

War of 1812 had just ended, and the Civil War that Charleston was eventually going to face was still decades

away. Furthermore, Florida was freshly acquired, and a visit from President Monroe would have directly
affected the Fishers. Due to slavery continuing to be a source of labor at the time, tighter rules were created

due to the Rebellion. They were so severe that slaves found outside during curfew were sent to the “Sugar

House,” a torture chamber for the slaves. The Sugar House was a house where slaves and prisoners were

punished for breaking the rules and related things, and ironically, whippings were preferred in the Sugar

House. Other than beatings, there was a treadmill that was used to grind corn, and slaves were sent to work on

it all night without a break to rest. Slaves that fell tired would fall into the contraption and, at worst, die, or lose

a limb or two if they were lucky. The contaminated corn was sorted and fed to the slaves and prisoners of the

Charleston Old Jail. The Sugar House was also a site for executions. What occurred in the midst of these

events was the Panic of 1819, the first major financial crisis that was caused by the end of the economic

expansion after the War of 1812, which had ended in 1815. Because of this, piracy became a threat. Luckily,

wagon trade was still available, and because of the wagon trade, in June 1819, the yellow fever epidemic

started. Wagons that were loaded with materials usually traveled 300-400 miles to the markets, and typically

carried hides, cotton, and tobacco. Trips were long and tiresome, and most traders needed a place to stay when

they traveled through the town of Charleston. Usually, these travelers would come across the Mile Houses.

When the Fishers were sentenced, they were immediately sentenced to death by proof of the crimes

they had committed. The execution of the Fishers is described as touching by those people who have been

interviewed for research purposes. John Fisher went to his death proclaiming he and his wife’s innocence,

however, his wife had made it very clear to the citizens watching along with the pastors and executioners that

she would not go out as quietly as her husband. The woman went raving and yelling about how wrong they

were for sentencing a woman to death by hanging, screaming strings and strings of profanity and other curse

words. She argued to the police and other officials that they could not execute a married woman, but officials

were having none of her. They just decided that her husband, John Fisher, shall be killed before her because
there were no laws placed that went against hanging a widow. The woman could not argue with these

conclusions, but she made it very clear that she was unwilling to die. Despite her husband consoling and

comforting her, which in the end did affect the woman, she said her final words that would eventually

contribute to her popularity. Lavinia swiftly silenced the crowd and the people surrounding her with the words,

“Cease! I will have none of it. Save your words for others that want them. However, if you have a message you

want to send to Hell, give it to me; I’ll carry it,” before she was officially hung.

There were many effects that the Fishers had on South Carolina. The tragedies of their crimes led to the

triumph of shaping South Carolina itself. The myths surrounding Lavinia Fisher were quickly debunked. For

example, it is improbable that the Fishers’ had a cellar under their hotel. South Carolina has always been close

to the shore, so flooding problems were common in the times of the Fishers. Lynch mobs, such as the one that

burned down the Four and Five Mile House, are now strictly illegal, for they have never had legal authority to

commit the crimes that they did. In addition to the ways it changed South Carolina, the case of Lavinia Fisher

and her husband added to the culture of South Carolina. There are now ghost tours held in the prison that the

Fishers were held in, and many residents of Charleston make sure they attend the tour whenever it is held.

Hosts and residents state that the jail is haunted by the woman’s ghost, continuing and spreading the legend of

the famous serial killer. The television show “Ghost Hunters” even dared to make an episode of the show

where they stayed a night at the jail, discovering whether the woman had indeed haunted the cursed site or not.

Former crime investigator Bruce Orrs, as seen in the book Six Miles to Charleston, even challenged the idea

that she was a serial killer, stating that she and her husband were both innocent victims of political corruption

from a former legal system. The points that he made during his investigation of the Fishers further cleared the

question of how the serial killers made and helped to improve the judicial system of modern day society.
 To sum up, the evidence that has been previously stated, this is how the infamous Lavinia Fisher helped

to carve the shape of South Carolina. Observing the myths and legends that surround her case can undoubtedly

pave the way to show how she helped South Carolina become what the state is today. The tragedies that she

caused throughout her lifestyle as a highway robber led to the eventual triumph of showing the potentials of

women and men all while structuring the state of South Carolina.