Page News & Courier
Heritage and Heraldry
The controversial 19th century murder of John Wesley Bell
Article of November 20, 1997
An incident in Page County that may have been inspired by the Nat Turner years earlier occurred on February 14, 1842. On that fateful day, 29 year-old John Wesley Bell was murdered by two of his slaves, "Captain" and "Martin."
Having been out about 250 yards from the Bell home, the slaves were busy cutting bushes along a branch. Apparently, Bell came out to the job and while speaking to "Captain"was struck by a blow from behind by "Martin." The ax-blow easily busted Bell's skull and killed him instantly.
At once setting to hide the evidence of the murder, "Captain" repositioned Bell's head into the stream so that the blood from the crime would be washed away. A larger problem was the cedar log which their master had fallen against and spattered with blood. Chopping away the bark of the log, the slaves piled it on the ground and concealed it under the brush. The snowfall the same night aided in disguising the bloodied chips. Eventually disposing the body in the river, the story that Bell had drowned was easily accepted by many until his remains were found. In turn the two slaves were arrested on suspicion of murder. When the snow melted away and exposed the crime scene "Martin" and "Captain" confessed but gave no motive.
The two Bell slaves were soon tried in the March court, presided over by Colonel Daniel Strickler, and found guilty. The sentence for the crime was that the two were to be "hanged by the neck until they are dead-dead- dead."
Ordered to carry out the sentence, Sheriff Daniel Blosser held the execution between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on April 8 on the Bixler Ferry road in the first hollow after leaving Main Street in Luray. The account of the execution was published years later on August 12, 1898 in the Page News:
. . . The prisoners were marched on foot from the jail with their hands tied
behind them and ropes around their necks, lead by Sheriff, Charles Flinn.
The funeral sermon, half hour in length, was preached before the execution
by Elder William C. Lauck. The preacher stood on the spring wagon and
upon the same vehicle the condemned men. . . sitting on their own coffins
waiting their death. When the sermon was concluded the preacher closed the
book and without looking behind him hastily left the scene of the execution.
When this was done, Martin and Captain were made to stand erect in the
wagon while the sheriff and the deputy tied the ropes attached to their
necks to the arm of the gallows and then the wagon was driven from
beneath leaving the bodies swinging in the air. The tops of the surrounding
trees were filled with people thick as blackbirds. . .
A contradiction in the 1898 story is evident. If the two were sitting upon their coffins while they listened to the sermon, the two had apparently been under the impression that they were to be buried. However, according to the same account "Their bodies were never buried but were turned over to two Luray physicians who had bought them for cakes and beer of the Negroes themselves during their confinement in jail." Therefore, as can be expected, the 1898 story was probably exaggerated, having been written over fifty years later. In adding to the suspense of the hanging, the author may have added the idea that the two were sitting upon coffins waiting for their doom. Clearly, the story is subject to speculation.
A month following the execution, the Page court assessed the value of "Captain" and "Martin" as $914.28 which was accordingly paid to the Bell estate.
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