The Violent Legend of Reverand George Carawan
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The teaching method of singing geography flourished during the early to mid-19th century. And it is as it sounds: a teacher would sing the lessons, usually about US states and capitals or other important geographic topics, and the students would learn the songs, thus memorizing the important geographic facts.

On the morning of Monday, November 15th, 1852, a young schoolmaster, Clement H. Lassiter, was preparing to take that style of learning from the schoolhouse he'd been teaching at in Rose Bay, North Carolina, to a new schoolhouse in Lake Matamuskeet, just a few miles down the turnpike. During his brief time in the area, Lassiter had made many friends and acquaintances in the Rose Bay community, and he was hesitant to leave.

but the opportunity in Lake Matamuskeet was too good to pass up. Dorset Mason was one of those friends he'd made in the community and a man he had boarded with since August of that year. Confessing to Mason the night before his scheduled departure, Lassiter had said he was afraid to make the long walk from Mason's farm to Lake Matamuskeet as it unfortunately passed by the house of a man Lassiter had ill dealings with earlier in the year.

Mason, not unsympathetic, asked him if perhaps he should stay on at Rose Bay, a place where people knew him and could protect him, since the hate the man felt toward Lassiter was well known. Unfortunately, being a person of his word, Lassiter told Mason he had already agreed to teach at the school on Lake Mattamuskeet, and he wouldn't let fear stop him from his honor and his obligations. Mason understood.

All a man had in the pine woods and swamps of eastern North Carolina was his word. So Lassiter donned a black broadcloth suit, a cloth cap, and picked up a red striped carpet bag while Mason nodded to his former roommate and wished him safe travels on his four-mile journey along the turnpike that connected Rose Bay and the lake. Lassiter waved as he left the farmhouse and stepped onto the turnpike. Mason waved back,

not knowing it would be the last time he would set eyes on his friend. Saturday morning, five days after Lasseter set off on his journey to new employment, his body was found in a dense thicket of trees. Sloppily covered in moss, Lasseter's body had been thrown into a shallow grave and left there to rot in the humid, swampy earth.

News traveled fast in the community, and it became almost unanimous in who the people suspected could commit such a horrific act: the community's own and once highly respected Baptist preacher, Reverend George Carowan. Part 1: An Unbelieving Youth George Washington Carowan was born sometime in 1800, and would come to know tragedy and hardship at an early age.

It is unclear whether his father died before he was 5 years old or whether his father simply abandoned his family. Either way, it was a tragedy that would shape George's life. George grew up one of four children to a mother who was known to be strong-minded and an even stronger worker, toiling hard day in and day out to provide for her family.

While friends and neighbors knew George's mother to be a devoted parent, she also had a reputation for being strictly religious with a quick temper, a combination of characteristics that would come to define George Carowan later in life as much as his father's absence. Being a person who believed that hard work was a devotion to God, George's mother put her children to work as soon as they could walk on their own.

Idle hands and still bodies were not allowed in Mrs. Carowan's household, thank you very much. Yet despite his mother's hard work and attention, George was still without a father. And having three other children to raise, George's mother could not keep up with his energy and willfulness, two traits she shared with her defiant son.

known to frequent Baptist and Methodist sermons. George would call out sarcastically, interrupting the preachers with witty barbs and mocking jabs. George became so good at mocking these preachers and ministers that he started entertaining his friends with his own mock sermons, playing the part for laughs and attention out in the dirt fields and wooden glens.

During the early 19th century, public schools were still a thing of the future, and the few schools that were in eastern North Carolina were outside the reach of the Carowan household due to either distance, cost, or the time it would take away from household work and duties. So George's mother, never one to back down from a challenge, educated her children herself.

But being a devout Christian, George's mother not only taught reading and writing and simple mathematics, but also the word of God. Especially when that word included the terrors of a fiery hell where all sinners went. Being a defiant child, George rebelled against his mother's teaching by building a reputation as a willful atheist, ready with an argument against God and religion for whoever would risk engaging in a debate with the boy.

The neighborhood around George learned quickly that theological debates with George were not easily won. He had a knack for making clever arguments that while not always perfectly sound in logic, were at least passionate in their attacks against the Christian faith that the vast majority of his neighbors followed. George's reputation for blasphemous behavior and crude profanity followed him into adulthood,

It wasn't until at the age of 21 he married Elizabeth Caro and began to settle down that folks started to see him in a different light. Moving to Goose Creek Island in Beaufort County with his new wife, George made a solid go of farming, even attaining some success, which helped him build a nice, tidy income. However, success on the Carawan farm did not mean there was peace and harmony.

After only a few years on Goose Island, still filled with intense passion and anger, George would accuse his own brother, Green Garrowan, of trying to seduce his wife, Elizabeth. Green swore that he had no ill desires aimed toward Elizabeth, but Green's pleas fell on deaf ears. George could not be dissuaded from his suspicions, and it was said he violently took his wrath out on his wife time and time again.

The two brothers could not reconcile, and as the feud grew more bitter, George finally refused to live in close proximity to Greene. Backing up his family, George moved everyone back to Hyde County and the Rose Bay community. This would be a pattern in George Carawan's life. When things seemed most difficult and were not going his way, he had no problem ditching his current life and fleeing to a new one.

even if that meant uprooting his entire family and taking them one county over. While no one, except George, took his accusations of his brother seriously, his pattern of extreme anger would become deathly serious only a few years later. Part 2: Repent and Rejoice After a youth spent cursing God and mocking his followers, George Carawan had a change of heart, mind and soul.

Announcing he was converting to Christianity, George was baptized by Elder Enoch Brickhouse in front of a Baptist congregation in 1827. Knowing his passion and way with words, the elder suggested to George that perhaps life as a preacher would be a good path for him.

Not only did he have natural charisma, but a devotion to helping others could lead George to a life of piety and service instead of a life controlled by his ever-simmering temper. While abrupt changes in thought and opinion were not uncommon for George, even his family was caught off guard when only a few days after being baptized, George announced he had truly found God.

He said to those who would listen that Jesus came to him in a vision and handed him a holy scroll that commanded him to spread the gospel across the land and to lead his friends, family, and neighbors to a righteous end in the kingdom of heaven. Being a devout community of true believers, no one questioned George's change of character, and his new life as a Baptist preacher was welcomed with open arms.

Soon, George was building Baptist churches, literally and figuratively, in neighboring communities. Always known as a charismatic and intelligent speaker, it didn't hurt that George was considered by many of the female parishioners to be incredibly handsome.

He was a large man, standing at over 6 feet tall and close to 200 pounds, and had a very pleasant face and a twinkle in his eyes that captivated more than a few farm wives.

While a visage such as his could have engendered jealousy amongst his male parishioners, George was as much a man of men as he was a charmer of wives. Even the husbands and single men of the parishes looked forward to George's sermons. With one contemporary writing, "I would sit all day upon a sharp rail and listen to carowinds preaching."

Thus was the power of George's preaching that he could captivate all who sat and listened to him exhort the beauties of heaven and the glory of God. Becoming what was known as a circuit rider, George would travel from churches he founded on Cedar and Hog Islands in Carteret County to the already established parishes in Hyde and Beaufort counties, bringing energetic and forceful sermons to each pulpit, commanding the attention of all who attended.

George even took over the Goose Island congregation when his brother Green passed away only a few years after George started preaching. Refusing any payment for his ministrations, George made his living off of his Rose Bay farm and the acreage he owned on and around Lake Matamuskeet. However, being as busy as he was tending to his flock, George rarely worked the land himself.

Instead, he owned and used slaves to farm his land holdings, a despicable practice that was common for the time. With land, wealth, and slaves in his books, George Carowan was considered a rich man, and he used those riches to support his religious calling as well as growing his family. In his 25 years as a Baptist preacher, George would be credited with baptizing over 500 men and women.

More than a few of those baptisms led to young men finding their calling as preachers, spreading George's influence far and wide across eastern North Carolina. Yet even his reputation as a fiery preacher of the gospel could not hold back rumors of impropriety and even worse, murder.

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It was not uncommon for women to die early and before their husbands, especially with the risks related to childbirth in those days. However, Elizabeth did not die a childbirth-related death. Instead, she succumbed to what some called an "unfortunate ailment", which was a euphemism for medical ignorance.

Yet, despite George's reputation as an upright citizen, a prosperous member of the community, and a man of God, there were those who did not believe Elizabeth died of natural causes. Those community members less enamored of the preacher's charm began to whisper and hint that maybe Elizabeth's death wasn't natural at all, and that the symptoms related to her death were strikingly similar to arsenic poisoning.

Yes, George had a fine reputation as a religious orator, but part of that reputation was built upon the fact he was such a passionate speaker. Unfortunately for his wife at the time, that passion would quickly turn to violence once he entered the house and the front door was firmly closed behind him.

Neighbors reported on several occasions that as they walked the turnpike past George and Elizabeth's house, her cries for mercy were heard along with what could only be described as "the sound of several hard whacks, as if from a strop or cane." Domestic violence was not unheard of at that time. What was unheard of was marrying the housekeeper before his wife's grave was even cold.

George Carowan and Mary Bell were married less than three weeks after the death of his wife. It has been reported that George was so callous about his wife's passing that he even wore the same suit to his wedding to Mary Bell as he had worn to Elizabeth's funeral only a short time before.

George's sterling reputation as an upright citizen of the community did take some hits. But because he was such an admirable figure in Beaufort and neighboring counties, many members of his various congregations decided to ignore the impropriety and celebrated the union between Carowan and Bell.

To his credit, George was known far and wide as a generous man, spending large sums of money on his three surviving boys, as well as being a host of lavish parties. If a traveler needed hospitality, George never hesitated. He would regularly put up visitors and guests in his home, always making sure they were taken care of as if they were family.

Praise was heaped on George for his generosity, and his reputation for charity and virtue grew daily. However, not all were fans of George Carowan. Albin B. Swindell, a fellow Baptist minister, openly denounced George at a church membership meeting, declaring that the man not only had a wandering eye for the beautiful women in his parishes, but also was a man who had committed the ultimate sin: murder.

Swindell brought up George's first marriage, a marriage that had ended under questionable circumstances, as evidence that George Carowan was not only far from being a man of God, but that he was an outright murderer.

Unfortunately for Swindell, who would be denounced as a troublemaker and a man jealous of George's success, the citizens of the four counties were swayed more by George's influence and reputation and rejected the notion that their beloved preacher could commit anything so heinous as murder. So with his reputation intact once more, George Carowan continued ministering to his flock, as well as tending to the education and betterment of his sons.

Unfortunately for Mary, the regular beatings and indignities had not been reserved for his first wife alone. Not only would Carowan hit Mary with closed fists, knocking her to the floor of their house, leaving her with lips split, a bloodied brow, and bruised cheeks, but his virtuous nature was completely thrown aside as he had numerous infidelities, keeping mistresses on the side in each county he visited.

One of these mistresses, a young woman named Polly Richards, accused George of fathering her out of wedlock child. Even George's powers of persuasion couldn't fight against the fact that many had been waiting for such an accusation to occur. Within weeks, George was dismissed from all of his duties as a Baptist preacher, and he was cast out of the parishes he had helped to build.

Yet George knew how to overcome societal scorn, having dealt with it his entire youth. So he contrived a way back into the hearts of his flock. He asked that his illegitimate son come live with him so the boy could be brought up properly and learn the ways of God and man. For three years the child lived with George and his family as if he was a legitimate member of the family.

Showing remorse for previous missteps and compassion for a child who could have been easily cast aside, the members of the four churches George had overseen all voted him back in as their preacher and religious leader. His time of exile was over.

Then one day, under mysterious circumstances, and what some considered an echo of previous wrongdoings, George's illegitimate son died. There was no inquiry and no one publicly accused George of outright killing the boy, but rumors filled the woods and swamps of the area that it wasn't natural causes that took the boy.

Yet even these rumors could not bring George Carowan down and he continued to preach and teach the word of God for many more years. Until Clement H. Lassiter came to town, that is. Part 4: The Teacher Arrives Clement H. Lassiter was a stout young man, unlike Carowan. Lassiter was not tall, some saying he was barely 5'6". He was squat and muscular,

but tended towards softness as he never passed up an offered meal. Quiet, kind and reserved, Lasseter had moved to the area to be the new schoolmaster and was quickly welcomed and loved by parents and students alike. As was the trend during the day, Lasseter would sing his lessons, having a fine, strong voice, so his students could more easily memorize the facts and information he taught.

Years later, when reporters would inquire about the tragedy to come, former students would still praise Lassiter's demeanor and voice. "To this day I know my states and I know my capitals because of Mr. Lassiter," one grown student told a Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper reporter. "I hear those notes and names clear as a bell." With employment secured, Lassiter needed lodging in the area.

It was not uncommon at that time for schoolmasters to stay with one of their students' families, instead of finding a place of their own. Since the idea of statewide publicly funded education had not been established yet in North Carolina, many schoolmasters became almost as wandering as George was, traveling from county to county, schoolhouse to schoolhouse, finding employment where funding allowed.

So with that in mind, more than a few parents quickly suggested that Lasseter should seek room and board with the man considered the most generous and hospitable in the area, the Reverend George Carowan. George gladly took Lasseter in, making him feel as if he was a Carowan himself.

The schoolmaster became friendly with George's boys and even struck up cordial relationships with Carowan slaves, something considered risky and taboo in those days. But it was a different relationship that would threaten the peace of the Carowans' Rose Bay farm, a relationship Lasseter would vehemently deny over and over to no avail. In 1852, while Lasseter was boarding with the Carowans, George displayed the darker part of his reputation.

The part folks whispered but no longer talked about openly. Coming from his bedroom, Lasseter found George savagely beating his wife Mary. And not with his fists, but with a kitchen chair that he brought down on the screaming woman over and over and over. Carowan was so violent and so persistent in his terror that the chair eventually broke.

leaving George with the choice to either back off and cool down or pick up a broken chair leg and keep abusing his wife. George chose the latter, and with vicious glee, he took that chair leg and assaulted his wife until she was almost unconscious. Refusing to allow such depravity and fearing the woman would be murdered right there before his eyes, Lasseter interceded and stopped George from killing his wife.

George, a man who would not be told what to do or how to act, saw Lasseter's intercession as evidence that something was going on behind his back. He quickly accused Lasseter of having ill intentions toward his wife. Lasseter, of course, denied that he sought anything romantic from Mary, but George would not be convinced. Influenced by paranoic musings and still having his blood up from the violence he perpetrated against his wife,

George turned his wrath toward Lasseter. Being several inches shorter than Carraway and more than a few pounds lighter, Lasseter realized he was physically overmatched despite Carraway being in his 50s. An experienced traveler himself, Lasseter kept a sharp knife with him just in case he was accosted by bandits on his way to and from his schoolhouse. A not uncommon occurrence for a lone traveler.

With knife in hand, Lasseter fought off Carowan until George upped the stakes and drew a pistol on Lasseter. A fight ensued, and Lasseter managed to disarm the raging preacher without a shot being fired.

fearing he was still in immediate danger. Lasseter fled the Carowan farm and found sanctuary with a friend who was well aware of George Carowan's violent reputation. For many a man, an incident such as a fight where both a knife and a pistol had been drawn might have been a sobering occurrence, leading to self-reflection and pleas for forgiveness from above. But despite being a devout preacher,

George did not take the pious route and turn the other cheek, even though it was he who had done the striking. No, George Carowan doubled down and publicly accused Lassiter of being too "familiar with Mary." When that did not raise the community's ire, George even went further and forced his wife to perjure herself and tell a local magistrate that Lassiter had willfully raped her.

The magistrate, not being born yesterday, saw the testimony as a ruse for Carowan to exact revenge on his former boarder and refused to bring charges against the young schoolmaster. Carowan was warned to keep his distance from Lassiter and to refrain from making public remarks against the young man.

But being George Carowan, the preacher could not keep his mouth shut and went about the community openly accusing Lasseter of having lecherous intent toward Mary. And something that would later come to haunt Carowan, George also expressed that Lasseter deserved to be shot and put down just like the dog that he was.

Lasseter, outraged that his own reputation was in question, something that could quickly end his career as a schoolmaster, turned the tables on Carowan and sued the preacher for slander and demanded a payment of $2,000, which is about $80,000 in today's money.

This only enraged Carowan even more, and his idle threats became considerably more serious as reports came in across the county that George was calling for Lassiter's death to anyone who would listen. But the county was large, and Lassiter was no longer under Carowan's roof, so the two men managed to keep their distance from each other for several months. Unfortunately for Lassiter, that peace would not last.

Part 5: A Passion for Violence Overcomes a Call for Reason In November of 1852, Lassiter was boarding at the home of his friend, Dorset Mason. The two often dined together and then sat by the fire telling stories and discussing local news and gossip.

During one of these conversations, on Sunday, November 14th, Lassiter told his friend that he was leaving the Rose Bay Schoolhouse and making his way to Lake Matamuskeet for a promising job as schoolmaster for the new schoolhouse there. The opportunity would provide a higher income, which was hard to pass up since Lassiter was already making $70 every three months in his current position.

In 1852, $70 was equivalent to over $3,000 in today's money. So the prospect of making even more was hard for Lassiter to pass up. Not to mention that the community on Lake Matamuskeet was larger and wealthier than Rose Bay, which would only benefit Lassiter's teaching career. Sad to see his friend go, Mason at least understood Lassiter's reasoning and motivations.

In the mid-19th century, making a steady living in any trade or profession was always hard. So he wished his friend the best of luck, and the two continued with their nightly chat. That was until Lasseter said something that chilled Mason to the bone. Their discussion had returned to Lasseter's new position, and when he would be leaving,

Lasseter said he needed to leave the following day, that very Monday, so he could meet with the town elders to finalize his employment as the new schoolmaster. But instead of enthusiasm for his future, Lasseter seemed morose and even fearful. "Anybody that would try to get his wife to swear my life away," he added, "would take my life any way he could."

Mason, confused, asked Lasseter what he meant by that statement. But Lasseter would not explain, other than to tell Mason that he was worried about traveling along the turnpike to Lake Matamuskeet, because it would take him directly past a person he would rather not ever deal with again for as long as he lived. Mason tried further to get his friend to explain.

But even though Mason knew that Lassiter was referring to George Carowan, he could not get the schoolmaster to outright admit that it was the preacher he feared. On the following morning of November 15th, Clement Lassiter picked up his brand new carpet bag and dressed in his white shirt and black broadcloth suit. He said goodbye to Mason and headed on down the turnpike toward Lake Matamaskete.

Mason watched him go, worried about his friend, but also confident that the young man would make it to his destination and start the next chapter in his promising career. The Turnpike back then was barely more than a dirt road that had once been only a skinny trail that led from Rose Bay all the way to Lake Matamuskeet. It was a two-mile walk from Rose Bay to the schoolhouse where Lassiter had been teaching.

From there, it was another winding four miles until Lake Matamuskeet. Without horse or carriage, Lassiter had a long walk ahead of him. After walking a considerable distance, Lassiter finally came to the homestead of Thomas Bridgman. Having finished with his work in his fields, Bridgman was about to step inside his house for his midday meal when he spied Lassiter walking along the turnpike.

He called out to the young schoolmaster and invited him in to eat with him and his family. It was not uncommon in those days for folks to spontaneously invite passing strangers to dine with them. The world was harsh and unforgiving, especially in eastern North Carolina, so a little hospitality went a long way to making a person's day just a bit brighter.

But being the local schoolmaster, Lasseter was far from a stranger, so Bridgman continued to call to the young man until he was heard. The schoolmaster accepted gladly and was overjoyed at the kindness. He ate heartily of Mrs. Bridgman's meal and even stayed after the meal to talk with Mr. Bridgman. They discussed local news, as was custom since word of what was happening beyond a person's property was hard to come by.

Newspapers existed, of course, but paperboys and their subsequent delivery of newspapers directly to people's homes would not become a thing for some time. So most people relied upon conversations with travelers to find out what was happening a county or two over. It was three in the afternoon before Bridgman needed to say farewell to Lassiter and go tend to his hogs.

Friendly conversation, no matter how entertaining, did not stop the never-ending work required to manage a farm. So the two men said their goodbyes and Lasseter continued his journey along the turnpike. An hour later, Lasseter arrived on the doorstep of Thomas Gibbs. He seemed upset and shaken, but said nothing to Gibbs and only asked if he could rest for a moment. Mr. Gibbs, an elderly farmer, gladly invited Lasseter in.

But the schoolmaster declined, saying he only needed to catch his breath and then asked if he could have a glass of water. Happy to oblige, Gibbs fetched Lassiter the water, and the two men chatted for a while until Lassiter seemed better and was ready to continue his travels. Mr. Gibbs wished the schoolteacher safe travels and watched him walk down the turnpike until he was lost from sight around a bend in the road.

Thomas Gibbs would be the second to last man to see Lassiter alive. One explanation for Lassiter's mood when he reached the Gibbs place is that in order to get to that point along the turnpike, the schoolmaster had to pass property he knew all too well, George Carowan's farm. Carowan was a man of great standing and wealth in the Rose Bay community, and his ego made sure all who passed his property knew he was a man of great standing and wealth.

Instead of being set far back on the property, the Carawan house was close to the turnpike so folks could marvel at the two chimneys and the extensive brickwork that made up the domicile. What this meant for Carawan was that if he happened to be watching, he had a perfect view of every single traveler who came along the turnpike.

This meant that on Monday, November 15th, George Carawan would have easily noticed Clement Lassiter walking by with his red-striped carpet bag in hand. It also meant that Lassiter was completely aware that he may be observed by his nemesis, a man whose easily inflamed temper Lassiter had first-hand knowledge of.

There are differing accounts of what happened when Carowan saw Lassiter. None of the accounts had Carowan storming out of his house to confront Lassiter directly. Which, considering what would transpire later, was a good thing for Carowan. However, the two different accounts that would be reported were no help to Carowan. Both reports state that shortly after 3 o'clock, Clement Lassiter passed by George Carowan's house.

most likely familiar with Lasseter's plans, since Carowan was one of the most influential and wealthy of the Rose Bay community's residents, George would have known Lasseter's destination.

Not long after Lasseter had passed, George Carawan left his house, crossed the Turnpike, and set out across a wide open field before being lost to the afternoon shadows of the bordering woods and swamps that sat between Rose Bay and Lake Matamuskeet. Having traveled the area considerably himself, Carawan knew the backways and byways of the counties.

He also knew shortcuts that would put him ahead of Lasseter if he was willing to get a little dirty and navigate the wooded swamps that the turnpike curved around and avoided. This part has been detailed and corroborated. Carowan definitely set out to head off Lasseter. What differs in the two accounts is the first one has Mary Carowan following her husband with a gun wrapped in her apron.

When George reached the woods past the field, Mary returned to the house, the gun no longer in her possession. The second account is almost exactly the same, except it isn't Mary who follows George across the field, but Seth, one of Carowan's slaves. And instead of a gun wrapped in an apron, Seth carries a shotgun over his shoulder, loaded and ready for Carowan to use on Lasseter.

Both accounts have Mary or Seth returning shortly to the house, whereas George did not return until much, much later in the evening. Regardless of the account, neither of which would matter in the courthouse, the end result was the same: on November 15th, 1852, Clement Lassiter never made it to Lake Matamuskie. It would be three days before Lassiter's friends grew worried.

News traveled slowly, so no one was aware that he was missing until it was far too late. A search was called for and community members spread out across the wilderness, calling and shouting for Lassiter. It was hoped he'd maybe strayed from the turnpike and had fallen in the swamps, perhaps twisting an ankle and making his journey nearly impossible. But after hours upon hours of scouring the landscape, no sign of Lassiter was found.

That is until two brothers found a small group of trees and decided to rest in the shade for a bit before continuing their part of the search. Seated upon a log, the brothers chatted for a while before one of them noticed something strange close by. The moss on the ground had yellowed and looked dead and dry compared to the moss right next to it.

Further raising suspicion was the fact the shape of the yellow moss on the ground just happened to be the same shape as a grave. One brother ran to get help, while the other stayed behind and carefully peeled back the yellowed moss. Underneath he found churned earth and a smell that was already making itself known. It only took a few handfuls of dirt to be scraped away before the pale face of Clement Lasseter was revealed.

When the second brother arrived with help, Lassiter's body was removed from its shallow grave and transported back along the turnpike to the Beaufort County Courthouse. Knowing he was going to be a suspect due to his past with Lassiter, Carowan did not waste any time. George packed his bags and gathered his nephew, Carowan Sawyer, and his slave, Seth, and told them both that if he did not leave immediately, he would most certainly be hanged.

He quickly fled Rose Bay that very night, and North Carolina completely, leaving his family behind as he traveled by train and barge to Chattanooga, Tennessee. From there, Carowan would spend a year traveling Tennessee under the assumed name of John Forbes. While he tried to stay out of the public eye, Carowan's ego would not allow him to remain a quiet figure in whichever town he landed in.

Instead, Carowan began preaching once more, and soon news of a charismatic man of God working the churches of eastern Tennessee reached the ears of the authorities in eastern North Carolina. Finding that his days on the run were numbered, Carowan returned to Goose Island, North Carolina, where he had good friends who agreed to keep him hidden and safe.

Unfortunately for Carowan, secrets did not remain hidden for long in the tight-knit community. And word of Carowan's return leaked out. Knowing he was going to be apprehended, Carowan left in the dead of night and stopped by his old house to see his wife and say goodbye once more. The slave, Seth, seeing the return of his master, hurried away from the house and informed the authorities as to Carowan's location.

Word spread fast, and a crowd followed the local sheriff as he made his way to the Carowan home. With his former parishioners looking on, some even cheering for his arrest, and at the age of 56, George Carowan was arrested for the murder of Clement Lassiter and hauled away to the Beaufort County Courthouse. Part 6: The Trial George Carowan's time in jail was equally as sensational as the crime he was accused of committing.

Having been called as a witness, Carowan Sawyer, George's nephew, swore under oath that his uncle had been with him all day on November 15th and could not have committed the murder of Clement Lassiter. Furthermore, even though a slave's testimony was inadmissible in court in North Carolina at the time, Seth testified that his master was with him all day as well. The alibis would have been sufficient to leave reasonable doubt in any jury's mind.

Except for the fact that a letter sent from the jail came to light where Carawan asked a friend to bribe Sawyer to leave the area. He said in the letter that he'd given Mary $500 to get Sawyer to leave. If that amount wouldn't do, then he asked his friend to give Sawyer $1,000. And if that immense sum didn't budge Sawyer, then by hook or by crook, the boy needed to be gotten rid of so that George would not suffer his neck to be broke.

When Sawyer learned of his uncle's nefarious intentions, he changed his testimony in court and admitted that he had lied for his uncle and that the alibi was entirely false. In fact, he suddenly remembered that his uncle had left across the field to intercept Lassiter with a shotgun in hand. Carowan's defense attorneys pounced on this new testimony and asked that the judge throw it out since Carowan Sawyer could not be trusted to tell the truth.

To everyone's surprise, the judge listened to the defense and instructed the jury to disregard Carowan Sawyer's testimony. The defense and prosecution went back and forth, arguing over the circumstantial evidence presented against Carowan.

Circumstantial evidence that included multiple public threats that George had made against Lassiter. The fact that the shot found in Carowan's shotgun matched the same type of shot that had killed Lassiter. And the letters asking for and admitting to trying to bribe Sawyer to leave once his perjured testimony was made. For the prosecution, it was an open and shut case.

But the judge's instructions to the jury to disregard Sawyer's testimony, both the original perjured version and the recounting of that perjury, proved to be the wrinkle that could provide reasonable doubt. So when the trial ended and the jury broke for deliberations, it was George Carowan with a smug, confident smile on his face, not the prosecuting attorney. That was until the judge had a change of mind and called the jury back in for new instructions.

While he did not say that Carowan Sawyer should be believed, he also told the jury that it was up to them to decide whether or not Sawyer could be trusted. The judge would leave it to their judgment, not his bench, as to the truth behind Sawyer's words. Immediately, George realized the gravity of the judge's decision.

Where he had been happy and satisfied, sure of his acquittal only a few hours previous, he was now terrified that he was about to see his last days on earth behind bars before he faced the hangman's noose. That night, due to his standing in the community and more than likely some financial benefit to the jailers, Kerouan's family was allowed to visit him.

They were even provided a soft pallet for the boys and a small cot for Mary, so the family could spend one last night together. The next morning, Carowan was led into the courtroom to face the verdict. Polling each jury member individually, a unanimous decision of guilt was called out, sending George Carowan into despair, a despair he had somehow planned for.

As the judge called for a recess before sentencing, George Carawan pulled a single-shot pistol from out of his coat, took aim at Edward J. Warren, the main prosecuting attorney. Warren, hit in the chest directly over the heart, fell to the courtroom floor, but was unharmed as the bullet was deflected by a locket he kept under his suit.

While Warren was tended to and chaos reigned in the courtroom, Carowan managed to draw yet another pistol from inside his coat. Instead of using it to exact more revenge, George Carowan turned the pistol on himself, placing it to the back of his skull, just behind his ear, and squeezed the trigger. He instantly collapsed back into his chair, his head slumping forward onto the table as blood stained the table's wood and the white of Carowan's shirt.

George Carowan died instantly, the bullet having bounced around his skull before lodging directly behind his left eye. He was buried in a grave that was only feet from where the gallows had been built to hang the guilty man, a fate he avoided by his own hand. Part 7. Aftermath and Afterlife

Although the reputation of the Carowan family was tarnished, many in the community sympathized with Mary Bell Carowan, taking into account the horrible abuse she'd suffered under her husband. But even a small acceptance such as that was not enough to bury the stigma of George Carowan's crimes. With no descendants left to maintain the family story, as horrible as it was, the tale of George Carowan's life and crimes should have died away.

Except, someone refuses to let that happen. And that someone is George Carowan himself. In 2022, made possible by a local grant, three markers were erected and unveiled. Similar to state historical markers, these new markers were meant to commemorate local legends and folklore. The second of the three markers was for the Reverend George Carowan and reads: "Carowan Ghost.

Since his death following the 1853 murder conviction, Reverend George Carowan's ghost has haunted the former Beaufort County Courthouse. Since Carowan's suicide more than a century and a half ago, citizens of the town of Washington, North Carolina have reported sightings of an apparition in the old courthouse as well as the connected library.

The apparition has been described as belonging to an older gentleman, handsome but balding, with an angry look in his eye and a defiant smirk on his face, who stares at passers-by from the building's second-story windows. There have even been reports of phantom screams and gunshots coming from the old courtroom.

So with his notoriety and apparent afterlife commemorated officially by a bright red cast iron marker, a legend lives on. A tale to be told for generations as ghost tours, YouTube videos, as well as multiple books that describe the unbelievable and sensational crime, capture, trial, and suicide of the Reverend George Washington Carowan.

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