Notes for: Tabitha O'NEAL
Undated letter by Luke Obousseer, merchant of Ghent, Kentucky
"I send you here separately, & as correctly as I can get them, the narrations of the circumstances that attend the tragical end of the poor & innocent Taba O'neill & just buried one hour past. First of all it in necessary to let you know that she had left her by her father, a mulatto Boy by name Bartlet about 21 or 22 years of age, a son of old George (but most unlike him in disposition) that Boy was at work on the farm & much indulged by her, so as to have become a little unruly & hard to manage.
It was monday morning that her mother started to go to the meeting to Port William & left Tab at home by herself, she not having chosen to go it would appear that about 10 or 11 o"clock she for a walk; left her knitting and her keys perfectly as one who just steps out for a few minutes only; as she died not inform a negro girl and a woman that were close at hand, of any thing in relation it. She directed her course to a strip of woodland, yet existing between their farm & Mr. Bullock, & there first met the Boys belonging to W. O'Neill & and made enquiry where Bartlet was at work; they pointed out to her the course & the distance to be about 400 yards. She made her way towards him, but soon afterwards returned to these boys, not having found Bartlett. The boys then directed her anew & by ing her voice she finally came to where he was splitting rails, from this point of the story, as regard to his conduct all is conjecture and I will only state that the hour for dinner soon came and he with the rest took his meal without any thing being noticed in his countenance or behavior by the balance of Mss (and he even played after dinner in the yard with some of the small one) returned to his work stayed the usual time; came in to water the stock and then disappeared. The young Lady however did not appear at dinner & it was conjectured by the negro woman that she must have went over to Mr. Bullock or perhaps to Mr. McCann. The old Lady came towards evening and so did William -- They wondered, they enquired & relying on what the negro woman said, believed her at Mr. McCann or at Mr. Bullock, where she was sent for in the morning, but she had not been there. So fears began to grow, neighbors were sent for, the woods searched & by this time too it was ascertained that Bartlet was missing and one of the horses. About 11 o'clock she was discovered in a thicket most; of Popae bushes, about 150 or 200 yards from where the boy was to then have been at work when she met him, but she was a corpse, a mangled corpse, her neck being almost in two, bearing the appearance of its having been done with an axe. As to the motive which may have prompted the boy do such an action, until he is arrested all must remain unknown & mere conjecture as I said before. You may think how sad it is for the old Lady whose only companion she _______ off in such a horrid way too. If any new circumstances arise I will let you know it. The boy, (a rather Stout man), is now in Goal has confessed from what appeared _____ in evidence before the justice of the peace a bad Spirit prevails among the whole lot of the blacks on that farm. This act was _______ off among ____ as matter of common course before the opportunity was afforded to accomplish ..." (letter here trails off the page)