Murder in Pennsylvania

murder

Murder in mid-18th century east-coast America was part of life. At this time the east coast truly resembled the wild west and Frederick Stump was lucky he was never brought to justice for these shameful murders. “The Frederick Stump affair” gives a more detailed account.

Philadelphia Feb. 1. On the 10th of last month, four India men and two women went to the house of Frederick Stump, near the mouth of Middle-Creek, in the county of Cumberland in this Province, where the said Stump, after disabling them by making them drunk, most inhumanly murdered them, and hid their bodies under the ice in the creek. On the next day he went with a servant lad to an Indian cabbin, about 14 miles up the said creek, and there barbarously put to death an Indian woman, two girls, and a young child, and set fire to the cabin, and burnt the bodies to ashes. After committing these horrid murders, he freely confessed the whole to Mr. William Blyth, whose deposition, we hear, has been taken before the Chief Justice. The only reasons assigned by him for these atrocious violences, were, that he was afraid the six Indians intended to do him a mischief, and that he murdered the other four lest they should inform the other Indians of the death of the six. Upon the whole, he seemed to be under no apprehensions of punishment, and behaved as if he had done a meritorious action.”

Stamford Mercury, 14th April, 1768.