Abel Clemmons
Abel Clemmons was an American murderer, known for killing his entire family in late 1805.
On or about November 8, 1805, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Clemmons murdered his pregnant wife and eight children with an axe. The story was published by Joseph Campbell of the Monongalia Gazette which became an early "horror classic." After committing the murders, he hid in a cliff of rocks on the north side of the town, but surrendered after a few days.
Clemmons pleaded not guilty. After being found guilty at a trial held in Morgantown, he was hanged from a locust tree near Decker's Creek in the town. A 1910 local history book opined that Clemmons was likely insane, but that was not a valid defense at the time.
