A PROBLEM WITH DNA

By: Barney Shepherd

Christopher Columbus Davis married a beautiful girl named Nettie Glenn on or about 1890.  Just after the turn of the century they acquired several acres of land down on the Big Laurel, near the post office at Crumpler, North Carolina.  About everyone around called Mr. Davis, Cric.  Cric and Nettie cleared the land and in time turned the place into a prosperous farm.  Cric was a man of many talents and earned extra money in the building trade.  He was an excellent carpenter and built his own house.  He also made most of their furniture.

They had three daughters – Bonnie, Nora, and Nola.  A fourth daughter Nancy was born in this house on April 4, 1903.  Cric and Nettie were member and officers of the Laurel Missionary Baptist Church.  They were well respected within the community.  Cric however, had a tendency to fly off the handle at times and would go into violent rages.  At these times friends and relatives alike gave him plenty of space until he settled down.  Some folks claimed these rages were caused by a mixture of Indian blood and whiskey.  His mother was a full blooded Cherokee.

The Laurel Church was host to the Missionary Baptist Association Meeting starting June 2, 1903.  Members of the host church were assigned certain delegates from other churches and they were expected to keep them in their homes for the duration of the meeting.  Two preachers, Alfred Barker and his son Levi Barker, from Green Cove Baptist Church were assigned to stay with Cric and Nettie.

That evening, after a family prayer, the Davis family and the Barkers retired.  The Barkers were given a bedroom in a separate wind of the house.  This room was accessible only from the outside porch.

Sometime and for some reason, in the wee hours of the morning of June 3, 1903, Cric, with axe in hand burst into the room where the Barkers were asleep and attacked them.  He is said to have severed the head of Levi with a single blow, killing him instantly.  Alfred Barker apparently by jumping up quickly and defending himself with his arms was able to get out of the room and onto the porch while Cric continued to hack him with the axe.  In the meantime, Nettie had awaken and came out onto the porch where she tried to stop her husband.  Cric then turned on his wife and started to hack her with the axe.  She fell off the porch onto the ground where he continued to slash her.  His oldest daughter then interfered and apparently kept Cric from killing Nettie then and there.  The elder Barker crawled off into a rye patch while Cric was slashing his wife.  He then proceeded to the home of a Davis brother where he got help.

Nettie Davis lived for nine horrific days.  She eventually died of blood poisoning from the wounds inflicted by her husband.  Alfred Barker died three years later from the effects of the wounds he received.