The Virginia Gazette

We hear also, from Hanover County, That one William Marr; a Servant of Col. John Chiswell's. came from his said Master's, to the Court-house on Saturday last, and inform'd the King's Deputy-Attorney, that he was concern'd in the Murder of a Man ; upon which he took him before Robert Lewis, and Richard Clough, Gent. Two of his Majesty's Justices of that County, where he voluntarily confest as follows: That he ran away some Time ago, and join'd in Company with 3 other Servants, viz. Peter Heckie, Matthew O'Conner. and Bryan Conner, belonging to Capt. Avery, and his Son, of Prince William County, who were also ran away from their Masters; that he the said Marr, and the 3 other Servants, went far back in the Woods, and on the last Day of April, they came to a Cabbin near Great Cape Capon-Creek, in Orange County, in which was one Lislet Larby, (a Person who liv'd by Hunting ) and after staying all Night with him, and being entertain'd as well as cou'd be expected in such a Place, the said Lislet Larby having Occasion to go down among the Inhabitants, to buy Powder and Shot, he set out the next Day, and the said 4 Men with him, in seeming Friendship, about 250 Yards, and they suspecting the said Larby wou'd discover to the Inhabitants where the said Runaways were, one of them propos'd killing him, and it being consented to by the rest, Peter Heckie, the first Proposer, shot the said Lislet Larby thro' the Back with a Gun of the said Lislet's. and afterwards beat his Brains out with the But End thereof, and went away, leaving him in that Condition. That the said Marr being very uneasy in his Mind that he had consented to such a barbarous Murder, and being also apprehensive that the other 3 who were all Ship-Mates, and he a Stranger to them, might kill him too, took the first Opportunity to leave them, and accordingly did; but being taken up in the lower Parts of Orange County, was sent from Constable to Constable to his late Master's House. He having a Remorse of Conscience, and being terrified (as he says ) by the Apparition of the murder'd Man, he cou'd not rest till he discover'd the Murder, and accordingly came to the Court-house this Day, and made his Information and Confession, ( which the above is the Substance of) which he sign'd; and was thereupon committed to the Goal of that County, in Order for a further Examination. He gives a frightful Account of the Apparition of the murder'd Man's tormenting him; which seems incredible, and as if the Man was out of his Senses ; but that the Circumstances of his whole Account of the Fact, the Pertinency of his Answers, and his Behaviour in the Examination, shew him to be otherwise. He says, that upon his giving this Account, when he came back to the Inhabitants, Two Men with good Horses went in Pursuit of the said Three Men, who were gone towards Allegany, far back beyond the Mountains, and were in Hopes of taking them.