Louiza Fox’s parents were concerned about their daughter. She had agreed to marry 22 year old coal miner, Thomas Carr. She was only 13. It was not only the age difference that concerned them, but also Thomas Carr’s violent mood swings. They spoke with their daughter and told her that she must end the engagement, which she grudgingly agreed to do.

Carr became extremely upset. On January 21 he hid behind a fence row where he knew she would pass on a given day. Louiza and her brother walked down the winding dirt road in Egypt Valley when Carr stopped them. He told her brother to keep going since he needed to talk to Louiza. In a fit of anger the rough coal miner slit her throat, stabbed her multiple times, and threw her into a ditch. The young brother had hidden behind some bushes and saw the whole thing. He quickly ran home and told his family the sad news.

The next morning a search party was put together. They found Carr badly wounded from a self-inflicted bullet and an attempt to slit his throat. They bandaged him and took him directly before the judge. Five days later when he was sentenced to be hung Carr laughed at the sentence.      

In March of 1870, Carr admitted to killing Louiza, and at least fourteen others. He also claimed to have attempted, but failed, to kill 5 other people. Many people felt he was making it all up since he was well known to exaggerate. On March 24, 1870, he became the first person to be legally hanged in Belmont County, Ohio.

Louiza Catherine Fox is buried in the Salem Cemetery, near where she was killed.

What a sad end for a 13-year-old adolescent. Parents need to instill Godly fear into their children by command and by example. The only hope for future generations is for parents and children to be under their respective authority: husband and wife under the authority of God, and children under the authority of their parents. This is a beautiful picture of the will of God. Below is the marker that we found while driving down the narrow dirt road in the Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in eastern Ohio.