A brief news story in the Sunbury Gazette, August 8, 1859, brought to light a mysterious death in Washington Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Nancy [Bender] Hawk (also spelled as Haag), went walking up Berry Mountain from what is now Elizabethville’s South Market Street. It was believed her intent was to visit her aunt in the Armstrong Valley, but she never arrived there. Two days later her body was found in a strange condition. A Coroner’s Jury had to answer as to the cause of her death and while their conclusion was that “she came to her death by the hands of some persons unknown” many area residents believed that it was a case of suicide.
An area quarterly summarized the story. From the Keystone Seekers Genealogical Quarterly, Summer 1992:
Supposed Murder – A Woman Found Dead on the Berrys Mountain.
The residents of Lykenstown were startled on Tuesday last by a report brought to town by some of the passengers of the noon train of cars, that a woman had committed suicide by hanging herself to the limb of a tree at the foot of the Berrys Mountain, in the neighborhood of the “Red Tavern” about six miles from Lykenstown. No particulars were given, an it was not until evening last anything additional could be learned of the melancholy catastrophe.
The Lykenstown Journal of the 25th inst., gives the following particulars of the affair.
It appears that on Sunday morning last, Mrs. Hawk, wife of Samuel Hawk, residing in Washington Township, left her home in apparent good health and spirits to visit an aunt in Armstrong’s Valley, leaving word with one of her daughters that if she did not return by supper time she should set the victuals on the stove to keep warm for her.
She did not return home that evening or the next day; but as she had frequently stayed at her aunts two or three days at a time, her continued absence excited no uneasiness in the family.
On Tuesday morning while Mr. Coryll was engaged in hunting some lost sheep a the base of Berrys Mountain, he discovered her dead body sitting in an upright position on a log, with he neck tied to the limb of a chestnut tree.
Information of the fact was immediately conveyed to Esquire Lark at Berrysburg who at once proceeded to the spot and summoned a jury of inquest.
This body after a hasty review of the corpse, proceeded to the “Red Tavern” about a mile below the scene, with the intention of preparing the ordinary verdict of death by suicide, but during their deliberations it seems that some suspicions arose among some of their number that the woman had been foully dealt with; and to satisfy themselves on this point it was concluded that the jury should again repair to the corpse and make a more thorough investigation, which was done accordingly.
This second examination resulted in the discovery of the following facts: that she was tied to the tree with one of her stocking garders [sic]- a strong piece of calico, three quarters of an inch wide and two feet long; that the marks of three fingers on the right side were strongly imprinted on her throat; that her knees were considerably bruised; that intermixed with her hair which was somewhat disheveled, were found dried leaves, and two or three teeth of her comb; that at the end of the log upon which her body sat was found the comb itself, broken, together with her bonnet and cape, all of which led the jury to infer that a struggle had taken place, and that in short the unfortunate woman was a victim of some diabolical wretch, who, after choking her resorted to make it appear upon discovery that she had committed suicide.
With these facts before them the jury accordingly returned a verdict that “she had come to death by the hands of some unknown person.”
The deceased was about forty-five years old and the mother of seven children, mostly grown up, all of whom, with the father, were present and examined by the jury.
There was no evidence that she lived unhappily, or had any disputes with any member of the family, although common rumor states that such was the case.
The place where the body was found is wild and dreary in the extreme – just such as spot as one might suppose a murderer would select to a accomplish the foul deed. The nearest house is occupied by Mr. Speck, which is three-quarters of a mile distant. The next nearest is the “Red Tavern,” a mile distant; and the residence of her family is about a half mile further.
The remains of the unfortunate woman were interred in the public burial ground in that vicinity.
The people of the neighborhood are much excited on the subject and strenuous efforts are being made to discover and apprehend the author of the foul deed.
Up to last evening we could learn no additional particulars respecting the affair.
In researching further, the Lykenstown Journal article of July 15, 1859, appears to have been reprinted in the Harrisburg Patriot Union on July 29, 1859 – which is probably where the Quarterly obtained the information.
A Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph (Harrisburg) article published on July 27, 1859, stated the following about the incident:
WOMAN HUNG — MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR.
On Sunday morning last a woman named Mrs. Haag, wife of a respectable laboring man in Washington Township, left home to go over the mountain to visit her aunt. About ten o’clock she was seen in a field of Mr. John Anspeck, one mile from her residence, picking and eating blackberrie. She did not reach her destination, and nothing was afterwards seen or hear of her until about ten o’clock yesterday morning, when she was found dead, at the foot of the mountain about one hundred yards from the Lykens Valley Railroad. She was sitting on a log, with a black ribbon around her neck, to which was attached a calico string, the latter being tied to a limb of a tree. Her comb and collar were found on the ground about nine feet distant, some teeth, broken out of the comb, were sticking in her hair. A wound was noticed on the side of her neck, and bruises on her legs. Aaron P. Lark, Esq., summoned a jury and held an inquest on the body, who, after an investigation, returned a verdict that the woman came to her death by the hands of some person or persons unknown. Some of the people in that region are of opinion that Mrs. Haag hung herself; others think she was murdered, and this seems to be the opinion of the jury. When the family of Mrs. Haag was summoned to the spot, the children wept bitterly, one of them remarking to her father that “he had said too much to mother the morning she left.” We learn that he and his wife did not live very peaceably, and that domestic q1uarrels were of frequent occurrence. He is an industrious, honest, peaceable man, respected by his neighbors, and provided well for his family. We give the particulars of the affair as furnished to us this morning by a gentleman who resides in the neighborhood. Whether the woman committed suicide, or was murdered, is a mystery that remains to be solved. The marks of violence upon her person, the evidence of there having been a struggle, the appearance of the neck and face, and the position in which she was found, satisfied the jury that the woman had been foully dealt with.
Portions of the Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph article were reprinted under the title, “Mysterious Death,” in the Baltimore Sun, July 30, 1859; the Sunbury Gazette, August 6, 1859; and the Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 29, 1859. Also under the title, “A Woman Hung – Mysterious,” in the New York Tribune, August 3, 1859.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
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