I had
been courting miss Annabelle Graham the night in which the nightmarish
event took place. My time with miss Annabelle had lasted a bit too
long for her father's taste and so I found myself scurrying home in fear
that Mr. Graham's temper might encourage him to take such action as to
prevent my return. As visions of Mr. Graham cleaning his gun(something
he was fond of doing in my presence) ran through my mind, I decided a quicker
route home would be best.
I proceeded
to cross through a hemp field owned by the Cox family. That's when
I heard the scream. No demon from the lowest sanctions of Hell could
have produced a sound more horrifying. It was a shriek that which
I have not heard an imitation even throughout this bloody war. I
was intoxicated with fear. My every limb numb. The landscape
around me became surreal and every sound thereafter could not be heard
over the pounding of my own heart.
I attempted
to collect myself only in time to hear another scream. No less frightening
than the first, it resonated across the field revealing it's source to
be that of the Cox home. It was fifty yards from my location, but
a longer fifty yards I have never ran before or to the present. All
the while my mind saying, "Go back! Turn around!" but something within
me had taken over and it would not allow me to change course. On
I ran uncontrollably, to the unknown horror that would await.
Upon
reaching the porch, the grotesque scene began. Mr. John B. Cox lay
face down in a pool of his own blood. I knelt down to examine him.
He appeared dead at first glance, but the gurgling sound of his breath
through the blood in his throat made it evident that he was merely unconscious.
The bruises and cuts upon his head and neck showed signs of a severe beating.
Just as I went to turn Mr. Cox on his side, I heard the sound of crying
baby coming from within the home. I rose up and rushed through the
door.
The
images I viewed in that home are as vivid to me now as if I had seen them
moments ago, but on that night I saw them with eyes of dissonance that
which could only be experienced in a dream. Amidst the cries of a
baby, I heard and saw a beautiful ten year old girl hugging and squeezing
the lifeless body of her dead mother. Mrs. Martha Cox was a beautiful
women in life without a foul word for anyone or anything. Now she lay in
the arms of her daughter with her throat cut from ear to ear. In
vain, I tried to pull the little girl from her mother, but she held on
as though her own life depended on it.
The
baby continued it's crying as I lifted it from it's mother's side. A single
candle lit the room, and made out the shape of one more bed and a trundle
to it's side. Baby in hand, I grabbed the candle and stepped toward
the shapes only to trip over a large object on the floor. In my mind
I knew what I would find and upon kneeling with the candle I gasped at
my correctness. It was the body of a younger little girl, her throat
had also been cut. This cut so severe that her head was nearly severed
from her body.
I ventured
on to the other beds, by this time not knowing what I would find, but expecting
the worst. Sheets and quilts stained with blood were scattered everywhere,
showing signs of a struggle. The taller bed was empty, but the trundle
held two more children. A young girl lay grimacing
and squirming from a knife wound to the neck. To the left of her
lay a young lad about the age of ten. He lay unconscious with bruises
and scratches all over. There was no doubt that he had been in a
terrible battle with someone.
Leaning
down to help the young girl I was startled by a voice, "Dear Lord!
Who...What did this?!" I turned to see the the outline of Mr. Graham
in the doorway. He had been following me when he heard the same scream.
All intentions of harm and prejudice towards me were set aside as we worked
together to help those children. To our luck, Miss Annabelle had
been following him most likely in an attempt to defend my life. We
sent her to Bloomington on one of Mr. Cox's plow horses to fetch the doctor
and sheriff.
There
I will end my story of the events that took place that September night.
With the help of Mr. Graham, Annabelle, and I, the four children and Mr.
Cox survived. The lives of Mrs. Martha Cox and her daughter whom
I had found on the floor were lost.
To
this day the person or persons who committed this act have not been found.
Mr. Cox's neighbors were put on trial a short time later, but they were
acquitted. Mr. Cox claimed that a group of men attacked him and his
family, but most of the county believe him to be afflicted mentally.
Many believe him to be the killer. After the trial of his neighbors
Mr. Cox disappeared. The town never say him again. I
have though. I saw him yesterday. He was standing with the
fresh fish during role call. Yeah... I recognized the scars on his
neck and face. He saw me too, and that's why he did not report for
role call this morning.
As
for me and Annabelle, well... her father took a bit of a liking to me.
Before I left for this war, we were married. I miss her so.
I miss our children too. We took in three beautiful little girls
and one handsome lad. They were a bit bruised when we received them,
but with a little love they should heal up just fine.
NOTE:
The above article is free for distibution for
non-commercial uses. I would however appreciate notification that it is
being used and possibly even a copy of the publication. Thanks!!!! -Joe.
The
Cox Family Massacre
NOTE:
