Record #:

9946

Author(s):

Chapman, Ashton

Abstract:

Francis Silvers, also known as Frankie, was convicted of killing her husband Charlie Silvers and executed on July 12, 1833 in Morganton, making her the only white woman ever hanged in North Carolina. Despite initial claims of innocence, Frankie Silvers eventually admitted to killing her husband with an axe, dismembering his body, and burning the pieces in the fireplace of their Burke (now Mitchell) County cabin. Always a prime subject for folklore writers, the latest offering on the Frankie Silvers saga is a 60-page booklet by Maxine McCall titled “They Won't Hang a White Woman”, prepared in conjunction with the Burke County Cultural Heritage Project, ESEA (Elementary Secondary Education Act) Title III.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 40 Issue 16, Feb 1973, p18-19, 43

Subject(s):

Capital punishment; Executions and executioners; Women prisoners