Six Miles to Charleston: The True Story of John and Lavinia Fisher

by Bruce Orr, John LaVerne (Foreword)

Explore the grizzly tale of Charleston's most infamous serial killers from the beginning of their reign of horror till their eventual incarceration and execution.
In 1819, a young man outwitted death at the hands of John and Lavinia Fisher and sparked the hunt for Charleston's most notorious serial killers. Former homicide investigator Bruce Orr follows the story of the Fishers, from the initial police raid on their Six Mile Inn with its reportedly grisly cellar to the murderous couple's incarceration and execution at the squalid Old City Jail. Yet there still may be more sinister deeds left unpunished, an overzealous sheriff, corrupt officials and documents only recently discovered all suggest that there is more to the tale. Orr uncovers the mysteries and debunks the myths behind the infamous legend of the nation's first convicted female serial killer.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Biography

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2010

About the author

Bruce Orr is a retired criminal investigator turned author.After retiring Mr. Orr combined his love for investigation and research with his love for history and writing. As a hobby he began researching local Lowcountry legends and as a result of that endeavor signed with The History Press Publishing Company. His first book, "Six Miles to Charleston" is an in-depth look at the facts behind the legend of John and Lavinia Fisher, who were accused of robbing and murdering their guests at an Inn outside of Charleston, SC in 1819.

Mr. Orr has also written "Haunted Summerville, SC" and "Ghosts of Berkeley County, SC" in which he covers the legends and lore that he grew up with. In these books he interviews the witnesses, examines the locations, and even relates a few of his own experiences. He has just recently completed "Ghosts of the USS Yorktown, the Phantoms of Patriots Point"available fall of 2012.

In 2011 Mr. Orr founded "Lost in Legend." The focus of this organization is to research and promote the facts behind the folklore. Often this creates new and increased interest in the legends they explore. This has led to Mr. Orr being sought as a speaker and lecturer and also as a consultant on the area's legends, folklore and paranormal residents.

An avid Scuba Diver Mr. Orr often incorporates scuba diving into his research and book projects. His research and book projects can be followed on Face Book under "Bruce Orr's Lost in Legend."

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting more of a ghost story, not an attempt to rehabilitate the Fishers' memory. Orr paints an interesting picture of the early America in 1819-1820 - the land was still wild and life was very uncertain. John and Lavinia Fisher ran an inn, which catered to weary travelers on the outskirts of Charleston, SC. After two travelers, David Ross and John Peoples, were robbed, the Fishers and their associates were implicated in the crimes. Robbery was a very serious charge that could carry the death penalty, which is exactly what happened in this case. John and Lavinia Fisher were convicted and sentenced to death along with their associate, William Heyward.

Orr makes a compelling case against the Fishers committing any murders. There were only two bodies found and there was nothing to tie them to the Fishers. However, Orr fails to convince me that the Fishers are therefore innocent of the robberies that led to their executions. His complicated conspiracy stories revolving around land ownership simply do not seem plausible. He also leaps to conclusions that have either a very weak basis or no basis at all.

For me the most surprising reason (for Orr) regarding the Fishers' innocence is - because they said they were! That's right. The Fishers said they were innocent, so they must be just that. Seriously?

"Why would anyone convicted to die, knowing it was inevitable, not admit to what they had done?"

I'm going to assume here that Orr has not run across many stories of death row inmates lying about their innocence right up to the very end. Roger Keith Coleman, a coal miner from Grundy, VA, raped and brutally murdered his sister-in-law, Wanda McCoy. He then proceeded to lie about it for years all the way up to his execution. It took two separate DNA tests showing his guilt beyond a doubt before the matter could be laid to rest. Another example is Texas killer Ricky McGinn, convicted of the rape and murder of his stepdaughter. He insisted he was innocent - even after DNA linked him to her murder and two other previously unsolved murders. Just because someone says they're innocent does not mean they are!

Overall, this was an interesting read until Orr went off on an unconvincing crusade to exonerate the Fishers. He did manage to dispel some of the myths, though, like Lavinia being hanged in her wedding dress. However, I think are better sources for the story out there.

[Roslyn Torella · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever take a tour in Charleston, SC you will likely hear the tale of John and Lavinia Fisher a pair murderous innkeepers. Not only does this book debunk the tale but it also gives the reader an insight to early American "justice". This is a quick and must read for those who love history and crime stories. The book is well researched.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book sounded interesting so I bought it. It was one of the worst written books I have ever read. Where was the editor? Random people introduced every chapter. I think the author knew his writing was confusing because he would say 'Remember in Chapter 3 blah blah blah??" That was so irritating. Thankfully this book was short. The pictures were also somewhat interesting.

[Kal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give it three stars because of the amount of work that went into research of this book. It’s hard to argue with the facts that Orr presents in defense of both John and Lavinia Fisher. By the end of the book I found myself feeling for the couple and what was done to them so long ago. What I didn't enjoy about the book was just how clinical it felt. Though learning a lot about our past, I had to force myself to finish the book.

[Quinn Strange · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is confusing as hell and the editors should be embarrassed. I have absolutely no idea what it's even talking about.

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author would benefit greatly from the assistance of an editor.

[Tina Russo Lancey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book in one sitting? I did! It was this book. Granted, the book is not exceedingly long at 125 pages, but the content was so engaging.

When I first moved to Charleston, South Carolina six years ago, one of the first things I learned about was the legend of Lavinia Fisher. Some claim Lavinia Fisher and her husband John Fisher were convicted mass murderers, making Lavinia the first female serial killer in the United States.

Legend has it, John and Lavinia owned an inn just six miles north of Charleston. When someone would stop there on their way in or out of town, Lavinia would invite them to tea and ask questions to determine if the guest had anything of value on them and if they would be missed should they not turn up at the next destination. If the visitor fit the bill, Lavinia would poison them with tea. Once the guest was asleep in their hotel room, Lavinia would sneak into the room, pull a lever, and the unsuspecting guest would fall into the basement pit, allegedly full of spikes. John Fisher would then dismember the body while Lavinia robbed them of their belongings.

The legend goes on to say there was one man who escaped (he did not care for tea and poured it in a plant) and made it into Charleston where he alerted authorities to the gruesome crimes taking place just outside of Charleston. John and Lavinia Fisher were arrested and brought to the Old City Jail.

The couple was then sentenced to hang for their crimes. The beautiful Lavinia is rumored to have worn her wedding gown to the gallows where she hoped after her husband was hung, she would find a suitor to marry her and save her from death. When one such man did not appear, her final words were “If you have a message for the devil, give it to me and I shall take it to him.”
It’s quite the story, don’t you think? Since her hanging in 1820, locals and tourists alike, claim to see the ghost of Lavinia, roaming Charleston in her wedding gown.

So why does this book exist? Well, there is a lot wrong with the legend, and so Bruce Orr, a Charleston local, set out to find the truth on Lavinia Fisher. As exciting as the legend is, much of the story is not true. The facts however, are quite engaging and interesting; so much so, I could not put the book down. It involves a highway gang, a president of the United States, a drunken jailer, a disagreeable sheriff, corrupt local government, and some other unsavory characters from historic Charleston. As sad as it is to find out the legend told to thousands of tourists each year is not the exact truth, the discovery of the truth in this book is even more exciting than the legend.

I originally picked up this book as a point of research for a historical fiction project I am writing, only to discover a well written, engaging, true story anyone who has ever lived in or visited Charleston needs to read!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent piece of historic investigation by Bruce Orr. He manages to tell a fairly dramatic story of two infamous Charleston criminals, who have unfortunately been mistreated by legend and hype.

Orr manages to dismantle the old tropes of serial killers and poisoning and trap doors beneath the bed and replace it with even more interesting (and historically accurate) tidbits of political scandal, corruption and societal mores.

Highly recommended.

[Caro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a mess. The story is all over the place, constantly asking the reader if they remember information from a previous chapter or stating that there will be more on this subject later in the book. The writing itself struggles as well with sentences left incomplete and descriptions like “six feet tall, tall” which made it difficult to stay in the story. I’m only giving it two stars because I find the subject matter interesting but I certainly hope there are better accounts out there.

[Heather Truckenmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why they bother with the ghost story, the real story is much more fascinating. The author is inexperienced & could have benefited from a better editor, but his obvious research made it a good read nonetheless.

[Daniel May · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate the story the author was trying to tell, but this book is very poorly written and hard to follow. It’s an interesting subject, and I think something that deserves to have been written about, but unfortunately this book did not do a good job telling the story of John and Lavinia Fisher.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all the story I was expecting. I appreciate the excellent work investigating the facts, but I was hoping for a spooky story.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most who are attuned to the true crime, or ghost hunting sensationalist type shows out there, I've heard about the legend of Lavinia Fisher for ages. For a very long time, a knew that most of it had to be too good to be true. After reading this book, I am so glad to know that my instincts were spot on. 

Bruce Orr goes above and beyond to find fact in a plethora of fiction in regards to telling the factual story of what happened in Charleston, South Carolina, in February of 1819. The facts, and the resources referenced, are incredible. And they tell a very, very compelling story.

Do I agree with all of his points? Yes and no. There is an abunandce of evidence to support the majority of the theories he posits - which I am very inclined to agree with. But there are a couple that seem, to me, a bit of a stretch. Not impossible, or necessarily implausible. But they're thin enough threads that I'm open to other theories. 

Overall, and I firmly believe this is not spoiler territory, Lavinia and her husband John Fisher were railroaded by a completely unfair, and corrupt system. They never stood a damn chance. And that, really, is the real crime here - how they, and their acquaintance William Heyward (spelled in various ways), were completely used as scapegoats and railroaded. All three wer wrongully sent to the gallows, and those who can be held accountable for that are very long gone from this world. 

Despite that, it's works such as this - the painstaking and thorough investigation of a dogged detective - that give us hope that the truth will come forth. And that we can remember that Lavinia Fisher is not the horrific seductress serial murder that long-told ghost-tour legend would have us believe. 

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first heard of the legend of John and Lavinia Fisher when I was on a recent ghost tour in Charleston. As an avid haunted history buff, I needed to learn more about this story since it is one of the most popular Charleston tales. This book greatly helps debunk and explain the truth of what happened. The author does a tremendous job of researching the history of everything surrounding this case including what was happening in the city, state, and country during the time (early 1800s). However, I found that the book was written more as a textbook and in the later chapters as a legal judicial document. I guess I was expecting more of a narrative non-fiction format since that is what I am used to with these kinds of stories. I was also hoping for the author to entertain the legend more than he did but he only took a few short chapters in the beginning to recap it and then quickly debunked it. I was doing okay following along until the latter half of the book. At that point, there were too many names, situations, and places to try to remember and that's when the writing became very "legalese." Granted, the author did establish from the very beginning his purpose of debunking the legend and proving the actual facts of the case. However, I was hoping for more of a narrative story with facts intertwined to keep my interest and entertainment.

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bruce Orr takes a hard look at the myths behind the legend of the nation's first convicted female serial killer in Six Miles to Charleston. This was heavily fact based and research heavy but did give a lot of insight into Orrs personal opinion.
Legend has it, John and Lavinia owned an inn just six miles north of Charleston. When someone would stop there on their way in or out of town, Lavinia would invite them to tea and ask questions to determine if the guest had anything of value on them and if they would be missed should they not turn up at the next destination. If the visitor fit the bill, Lavinia would poison them with tea. Once the guest was asleep in their hotel room, Lavinia would sneak into the room, pull a lever, and the unsuspecting guest would fall into the basement pit, allegedly full of spikes. John Fisher would then dismember the body while Lavinia robbed them of their belongings.
The rumours around them being caught and their subsequent deaths spur rumours throughout the community that still carry on today and I appreciate Orrs attempt to look at the stories and research what actually happened. Did they do it? Were they guilty?
You need to be willing to look past this essentially reading like a VERY enthusiastic kids science fair project but it's quick and interesting and you can see the interest from the author.

[Brian Wisti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history marred by poor editing

The story of John and Lavinia Fisher seems much different than the legend. More interesting, too. Maybe not serial killers, but instead victims of corrupt local politics. The details kept fascinating me more as I read. The writing could be more disciplined — it wandered from the point several times — but the historical details stuck in my head more than the style. I’d probably mention this book to anyone who brought up Lavinia Fisher.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an attempt to separate fact from legend, Bruce Orr lays out evidence from countless hours of research related to the case of John and Lavinia Fisher (supposedly Charleston's female serial killer). Orr explains that no one was actually killed related to their case, and all evidence points to a very different motive and outcome achieved by their executions. Historical research is akin to police investigations, and often the story we are told is not based in fact. I appreciate the work that went into this research, and I have a whole different perspective on historical figures in Charleston.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry to report that this book is not well-written. An editor would have helped, but the information presented is badly organized, wandering off the subject constantly, and the narrative and vocabulary are repetitive and full of grammatical errors. That said, it’s a very interesting story and it’s clear that the author researched it well. I couldn’t finish it; stopped at about 40% and skimmed the rest.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting book that gave a compelling argument for an alternative to the legend. I felt there was a fair bit of repetition and the last chapter was a lot of duplication from prior chapters (I understand the author was trying to sum up but that could have been condensed). Overall worth a read if you're interested in the story of the Fishers.

[Judy L H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should be such a short read, but I struggled to get through it. The main question is answered almost immediately and there’s a lot of interesting facts about things during that time, but overall it was difficult to stay interested. This story would make a great 1 hour show on like the history channel.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less about the Fishers

Definitely thought this was about John and Lavinia fisher, but it focused more on other people and the time period. However, had it only been about John and Lavinia fisher it would have been about a chapter with 40 pages. The amount of research put into this book earned it a second star.

[Susan Caylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so captivated by the story of Lavinia Fisher and her whole "haunted" tale. The whole ghost story has been fabricated and the reality of it doesn't even come close to the story told in this book. I enjoyed the book but was disappointed to find out the whole creepy tale you hear around town isn't really what happened.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the account of John and Lavinia Fisher execution and the reason behind it. Were they innocent of the crimes they were found guilty of? For over 190 years, we learned about their guilt and many creepy stories were told about them, but did it even happen? This book takes an in-depth look at the case, the people in power, and the politics. I highly recommend it!

[A. L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. While this is an interesting story and Mr. Orr makes a persuasive case, this reads very much like a student’s report that had a word requirement. There is so much unnecessary padding to stretch out this scant story to 100 pages, I suppose to justify its published book format.

Regardless, I do think Mr. Orr’s conclusion is correct.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d like to write a strongly worded letter to the ghost tour company in Charleston for the lies they told me. Spoiler alert: Lavinia Fisher was not America’s first female serial killer. Funnily enough, the owner of said tour company wrote the forward for this book. In all seriousness, I know ghost tours are entertainment tours, and not always historically accurate. But I am grateful to them for turning me on to this interesting, and kind of sad, tale.
*This is not a novel or ghost story. It is the culmination of someone’s thorough deep dive into John and Lavinia Fisher and their associates. It is three years of his research and photos organized for our viewing pleasure.

[Wesley Salen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well research and well written

This book offers a well researched and well written account of the facts surrounding Lavinia Fischer and her husband. This is a traumatic story that brings to light just how radically time can skew the truth

[Patricia Farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This is a good book, but I found it was a bit too drawn out to hold my interest. I am sure that someone who is a stickler for minute detail will find this book fantastic. The author truly does his research and should be commended on a job well done.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A character in a novel I like a lot warns a historical researcher searching for the facts behind a colorful event in history that the facts often destroy a good story. Don't get me wrong. I do like facts but I can see why the fiction often has a stronger hold on our imaginations.

[Bob Lafontaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult read.

I found this book initially, very interesting. It then became very difficult to continue. The repetition of facts, allegations, suspicions and opinions became very boring.

[Eadie Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book about a woman named Lavinia and her husband Joseph who were convicted of robbery and murder of thirty people in 1819. There is a legend and this book goes beyond the legend and proves it to be false. great book that you should read. She was the first woman to be hanged.