Jamie on camera:
Lavina sounds like such a lovely name. A touch of European influence with the grace of southern charm mixed in. Yet, this story has nothing to do with charm or grace…on the contrary…deceit and murder!
Before there was Jack the Ripper or any of the other hated serial killers, there was Lavina and John Fisher.
Voiceover:
Lavina was born in 1793 and grew up to marry a man named John Fisher. The pair seemed like honest, hard-working entrepreneurs, opening a hotel called the Six Mile Wayfarer House, which they managed in the early 1800’s.
Jamie on camera:
Named for the distance north of Charleston, the Six Mile Wayfarer House was a pleasant place for travelers to stay…until they started going missing.
Voiceover:
And though authorities investigated all possible leads, there was no firm evidence that concluded the missing people had any connection to the Fisher duo. The Fisher’s were also well liked in Charleston and were very popular…how could anyone suspect them of such a dastardly deed?
Jamie on camera:
But, karma has a way of catching up with you. And for Lavina and John Fisher, time was running out.
Voiceover:
Legend tells the story of John Peoples…a man traveling from Georgia to Charleston and seeking rest and restoration, stopped at the Six Mile House to recharge. Mr. Peoples was disappointed to hear that the inn was booked solid, but dear sweet Lavina would cook him something to eat anyhow…just to show how kind she was.
Jamie on camera:
It struck Mr. Peoples as being a little odd…Lavinia began showing extreme interest in his employment, and he began receiving strange glances from across the table by her husband. And then, mysteriously, a room became available?
Voiceover:
As they chatted, Lavina got up from the table and poured him a cup of tea. Now, Mr. Peoples was not a tea drinker and instead of insulting his sweet host, he quickly poured it out while she was in the other room.
Jamie on camera:
Weary from traveling, Mr. Peoples soon retired to his room, but something wasn’t quite right. Even though Lavina was very attractive and very kind, he had suspicions that this seemingly kind couple were out to do him wrong.
Voiceover:
Instead of lying down in the bed to rest, Mr. Peoples stayed awake, eyes blinking and head bobbing as he tried to keep sleep at bay. But it was no use, and he drifted off, sitting upright and not in the bed. Suddenly, he was awakened by a loud noise! The bed was gone and had disappeared into a deep hole beneath the flooring! Mr. Peoples jumped to his feet, opened the window, mounted his horse and rode the six miles back to Charleston, where he told authorities of the incident.
Jamie on camera:
This was the break the authorities needed - a living witness to testify and a reason to search the inn. John and Lavina were arrested and the mountain of evidence began to grow.
Voiceover:
Inside, the inn was filled with hidden passages, items from missing travelers, a quantity of herbal tea with some type of sleep agent, a trap bed mechanism that would drop drugged victims to the lower level and finally, the grisly remains of many who were killed. On trial, the two could not convince the jury of their innocence, and they were sentenced to hang. Following due process, they were given time to appeal the decision, at which time they tried to escape and failed. Ultimately, because of the evidence and their actions, their appeal was rejected and their execution was set for February 18th, 1820.
Jamie on camera:
Behind the Charleston Jail, the gallows waited for John and Lavina. John found religion and asked the crowd to accept his innocence since he had found God. Lavina did not go so gracefully.
Randy Johnson (Bulldog Tours):
And the legend goes that when she appeared on the gallows, she was wearing a white wedding dress. Some people say it was because she was determined to become Satan’s bride. But, others say that it was because of a law in South Carolina back then. She was hanged on February 18th, 1820. Back then, there was a statute in South Carolina dating back to Colonial times which said that the State of South Carolina did not hang married women. And when Lavinia was first sentenced along with her husband to be hanged, she stood up in open court and defiantly looked at the judge and said, “Your Honor, you can’t hang me. I’m a married woman.” And the judge calmly looked over and said, “Mrs. Fisher, I’ve thought this through. All I have to do is hang your husband first.” And, as she watches her husband being pulled dead from the gallows and laid down next to it, they drag her up kicking and screaming. And as she stands on the gallows wearing a white wedding dress, which she convinced her jailers to let her wear before leaving, she stands there looking at the crowd expecting one of the men to be moved by her legendary beauty and offer to marry her on the spot and save her under that same law. Well, it didn’t happen. And when she realized she was about to die, she looked at this crowd and screamed her last words, “If you have a message for the devil, give it to me now. I will see that he gets it.” And then rather than wait to be dropped by the executioner, she beat him to the gun. She jumps off the gallows, flies out over this very, very angry crowd and swings for some say as much as 45 minutes before she drew her last breath.
