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Friends,
Crime in America is well-documented.
But when we think about early America, we think of Puritans, tea, war, and challenging times. We may think about Thanksgiving, witches, long days, and short nights. We may remember lost colonies, changing governments, and a flood of immigrants looking for a new life.
Nothing about the period sounds like a good time.
But I can say with certainty that we rarely think of ‘crime’ when we look back to the 1700s.
Or, more specifically, mass murder.
And yet, on February 3, 1780, the U.S. had its first documented mass homicide case.
Now, before I get into this case, with what limited information I could find on an early Saturday morning, I want you to read the story below and ask yourself: Are monsters born evil or created?
A harsh beginning
Born in 1760, Barnett Davenport had little formal education and was sent by his father to work as a farmhand at the age of 7 or 8.
By age 15, he was already well known for his crimes as a horse thief and robber.
When he turned 16, he joined the Continental Army under the alias’ Bernard.’ He served under George Washington and Benedict Arnold at Valley Forge, Fort Ticonderoga, and Monmouth Court House.
There are reports of numerous attempted desertions and even a reprimand for setting a house on fire after a battle.
Now, I could only imagine the horrors he experienced, and for a teenager, it might have been too much for his young mind to cope with. He ended up deserting again for a final time.
A new beginning
By 1770, he had hit rock bottom and was penniless. He traveled to Western Connecticut in search of employment, using his brother’s name, Nicholas, as an alias.
Fortunately, Caleb Mallory, a kind-hearted farmer and miller, and his wife Jane took him in and provided him with work, clothing, and a home.
The murders
But Barnett’s mind was already broken, and he was about to commit the most horrific of crimes.
In the early morning hours of February 3rd, he crept into Caleb and Jane’s bedroom and viciously attacked them and their seven-year-old granddaughter with a swingle and the butt end of a musket.
She cried out bitterly; she called out for me, or to me, by the name, the pleasant child used to call me, saying, Mr. Nicholas. But I continued paying on; feeling no remorse at killing my aged patrons and benefactors. For the child, I seemed to feel, some small relentings, without remitting in the least, my execrable exertions.
-Barnett Davenport – confession
When the rest of the household woke up to the sounds, Barnett told six-year-old John and four-year-old Sherman that their grandmother was sick and to go back to bed. He went back to the master bedroom, where Mr. and Mrs. Mallory were still alive, and finished the job.
I determined upon the murder of Mr. Mallory and his family, [at] the first opportunity, and this, merely, for the sake of plundering his house; without the least provocation, or prejudice against any of them. The family in which I now lived consisted of Mr. Mallory, Mrs. Mallory, a daughter-in-law, a daughter, and three grandchildren.
-Barnett Davenport- confession
But that wasn’t enough.
He changed and left after setting the house on fire, killing the two young grandsons in the process.
After the murder
He ran. His brother- the real Nicholas- was arrested for the crime and sentenced to Easy Granby’s Newgate Prison for ‘allegedly’ harboring his brother.
Barnett was found on 10 Feb, hiding in a cave in Cornwall, Connecticut.
The court decided to execute him after receiving 39 (some sources say 40) lashes while being bound to a cart. Afterward, he was ordered to be displayed around Litchfield Green for all to witness.
While he was never whipped, Barnett was hanged on May 8, 1780, at noon, his body swinging from the gallows until 3 p.m.
After serving two years of his life sentence, Nicholas was ultimately found innocent of the crime of murder. He was still forced to witness his older brother’s execution as punishment.
Side Note
Other articles claim that Nicholas escaped prison at one point but was re-apprehended. During his release, he was ordered to stay in New Milford. He died at the age of 58.
O that others may take warning by my dreadful example and fearful end! And avoid those sins which I have committed, and which by a series of wickedness have led me on to the most awful crimes that ever were perpetrated in this land, or perhaps any other; and for which I must (most justly) suffer a violent death, and I greatly fear, everlasting burning, horror and despair.
-Barnett Davenport- confession
Side Note
Barnett Davenport’s confession wasn’t found until 2010 and was a 14-page explanation of his childhood and crimes. He talked about how he had been obsessed with death for months before the mass murders. And that he had fantasized about killing since he was a child.
It was a tragedy that was set in motion before he committed the crime.
Conclusion
Friends, this is a horrible story. And I’m not excusing the young Barnett, but it’s another tale that makes me question whether monsters are created or born evil.
Death and despair were his constant companions. I am willing to wager that he suffered from PTSD from his trauma at a young age and his experiences during the Revolutionary War.
But does that justify his actions? Would his life have turned out differently if he had had mental health treatment?
I don’t know. Sometimes, the brain is broken beyond repair.
However, you see the story: innocent lives were stolen, and America’s attitudes to crime changed.
Crimes are not to be measured by the issue of events, buy by the bad intentions of men.
Marcus Tullis Cicero
Until tomorrow, my friends- Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.
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