Amanda Rosslyn Ladd as Frankie Silver in the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre's
production of Frankie, a play by William Gregg and Perry Deane Young.
Mars Hill, N.C., Aug. 4, 2001. (photo by Lana Whited)

On Dec. 22, 1831, Charles Silver was murdered at  his cabin in Burke County, N.C.   His body was dismembered and parts subsequently found at various locations in and around the cabin.  On Jan. 10, 1832, his wife, Frances ("Frankie") Stewart Silver, her mother Barbara Stewart,and brother Blackstone Stewart were taken to Morganton, N.C., and charged with the crime.  Barbara and Blackstone Stewart were released on Jan. 17 due to insufficient evidence, but Frankie was indicted by the grand jury in March 1832 and tried later that month.  She was convicted on April 2, and sentenced to be hanged on July 27 of the same year. Documents were sent to the N.C. Supreme Court for appeal, but oral arguments were not made on her behalf.  The verdict was upheld, and Frankie Stewart Silver was hanged in Morganton on July 12, 1833.  Charlie Silver is buried behind the Old Kona Baptist Church in Mitchell County, N.C., in three separate graves. Frankie Silver is said by some accounts to be buried about nine miles west of Morganton, but her final resting place has never been located.

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