Alford Tales -- Murder! Part 5

Mama told me that Pa was accidently shot when struggling with Mr. Gwinn.  

Pa met Mr. Gwinn who had several bottles of drink. They followed the North River down to the island.  There, Mama and Mrs. Gwinn hid on the island.  When Mr. Tanner drove by with his wagon, Mrs. Gwinn with the help of Mama got onto the wagon and headed south.  Mrs. Gwinn was leaving her husband.  A man of drink and Godless.  She could not longer live with him.  She left her children with her mama who would eventually travel as well to the south then west.  Mama saw her off, telling her not to worry and that all would be well.

Mama dressed in an old cloak with her face hidden. Her part was to play the witch of the island and make Mr. Gwinn think that she had spirited Mrs. Gwinn away. Carrying his musket, Pa soon came with Mr. Gwinn.  Along the way, Mrs. Gwinn left her shawl to be found.  And it was.  She left her bonnet to be found and it was.  And her basket.  Left to be found and it was.  All along the way to the island in North River.  Mr. Gwinn and Pa had found them all. 

When Pa and Mr. Gwinn, who staggered a lot and yelled for his wife, got to the island, Mama rose up and walked about so that they could see her.  Pa attempted to convince Mr. Gwinn that the witch had taken his wife away. 

But what really happened was that Mr. Gwinn grabbed Pa's musket away from him.  And when he did, he accidently butted Pa in the chin and knocked him out and accidently fired the shot into him.  He ran towards the island with Pa's musket.  Mama hid in the brush.  Mr. Gwinn, drunk, did not see her and ran as fast as he could. At one point, he threw Pa's musket down in the mud and ran off into the woods.  Not really seeming to know where he was going.  And Mama rose up.

What Mama and Mr. Gwinn didn't know was Robert found the musket in the mud.  And Henry seen Mama standing on the island and Mr. Gwinn running through the woods.  What they all didn't know until later was Pa had been knocked out and fell into a pool of water, face down, and drowned.  Mama would get home before Robert and Henry.  She didn't see Pa lying in the water.  And neither did Robert or Henry.  Or Mr. Gwinn.

But later, when Robert came home with the musket.  And when they founds Pa.  She realized what had happened.  That something had happened between Mr. Gwinn and Pa.  Had she noticed him she may have saved Pa.  Mama was never really the same after that.  And everyone assumed that Mrs. Gwinn had been spirited away.

Mr. Gwinn eventually left Rockingham County never to be seen again. All us children told stories of him being taken away by the witch.  Some said that he disappeared out west.  Mrs. Gwinn's mama left one day with her grandchildren, heading west.  After I married Mr. Alford and moved to Monroe County, I saw a woman once who looked like Mrs. Gwinn, but she went by a different name.

So there you have it.  My Pa died by accident, but I always believed he was murdered.  Mama told me the story before she died.  My Mama and Pa both told many stories.  That's where I got my storytelling from.

My grandchildren gather around the fire sometimes and listen to me tell a story or two. I know many and have heard many.  I tell them about the witch on the island and how she moved with us when we came to Monroe County and now she lived out in the woods.  Mr. Alford just sits and grins as they listen.

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Margaret Alford died sometime between 1847 and 1850.  She lived out her life in Monroe County, Virginia, being survived by her husband and children and grandchildren.