EPHRIAM S. DAVIS

Who was born in Currituck County, North Carolina August 3, 1859. My much beloved husband who was brutally murdered on August 18, 1879, by Chester Doggett, who died five days later and is buried three miles from this cemetery, and for whom hell is too good. Oh, that it might be made thrice as hot for him.

            The granddaughter of Ephriam S. Davis told the story: “On August 18, 1879, longtime friends Ephriam and Chester went fishing together. Ephriam’s highly prized dog, Bouncer … trotted along with them to the creek, a mile or so from the home farm.

            “At the creek side, Chester stumbled over the sleeping dog and fell hard on the sand. In a fit of anger, he jumped up and gave the dog two or three hard kicks, which greatly angered Ephriam. Hot words ensued, leading to a violent fight. Chester finally managed to draw his pocketknife and cut Ephriam’s throat from ear to ear.

            “Within minutes, Ephriam bled to death. Chester dragged the body to a fallen sycamore in a nearby swamp and covered it with sand. In a short while, he arrived at Ephriam’s home and told that his friend had walked into the swamp and disappeared, implying that perhaps he had perished in one of the pits of quicksand in the swamp.

A beautiful photograph of Currituck County swamp taken by Edd Fuller and posted on his blog  "Photography in Place." It can be seen at: http://photography-in-place.blogspot.com/search/label/Cypress%20Swamp 

            Over the next five days and intensive search was carried on in the vast swamp, without success. On the fifth day, the searchers took along Ephriam’s dog. When Bouncer reached the sycamore, the dog sniffed around and began howling, arousing suspicious of the searchers, who soon uncovered the body. The gaping slash of the poor man’s throat was still visible.

            Chester, who was among the searchers, quickly fled into the dense swamp, hotly pursued by angry neighbors. Late that day they found him badly swollen and delirious, in a clump of bushes where he had apparently tried to hide. Two large cottonmouth moccasins were found nearby. Apparently the poisonous snakes had bitten him after he intruded into their lair. He died within minutes after the discovery.

            “Before either body was buried, Chester’s wife confessed that her husband had told her the details of his crime. It has bothered her conscience night and day, and now that he was gone, she felt free to tell the story.

           

(Taken from Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Grinned, by B. N. (Bud) Phillips; pages 76-77: 2006)