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All places in the world have local legends, and we found out about an interesting one in western North Carolina.
Frances Silver was a mountain girl who was the first white woman hanged in North Carolina. They punished her because she killed her husband, or they thought she did. There was no true proof and no witnesses. Some people say she was too small to kill her husband with an axe.
Frances and Charles Silver and their daughter Nancy lived on the Toe River. The neighbors had not seen Charles in many days and they were worried. They went to the Silver Cabin and they found body parts in the fire place and under the floor. Frances, or Frankie, was accused and they brought her to jail in Morganton, NC.
They had a trial and Frankie was found guilty. Some people say this was not fair because in the 1800's women could not speak for themselves in court. But Frankie guilty or not, was hanged in Morganton.
Since no one knows the whole truth, many stories have been made up about who killed Frankie's husband, or why she killed him. There have been many books and plays written about Frankie Silver and even a ballet story!
More About Frankie Silver:
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