The Ghost of Nell Cropsey northcarolinaghosts/coast/ghost-nell-cropsey.php On the night of November 20, 1901, a young woman named Nell Cropsey disappeared from her home in Elizabeth City. Thirty-seven days later, her body was found floating in the Pasquotank River. Who killed Nell Cropsey and why has never been completely uncovered. But some say that her uneasy spirit still haunts her home in Elizabeth City. The Cropsey family had moved to Elizabeth City in 1898 from Brooklyn, New York. Young Nell Cropsey was a beautiful woman from a wealthy family, and she soon be can attracting the attention of suitors. Nell began being courted by a local man named Jim Wilcox. At the time of her disappearance, Wilcox and Cropsey had been courting for nearly three years, and its said that Nell was growing impatient with Jim Wilcoxs hesitancy to propose marriage. Nell Cropsey began flirting with other men in public in an attempt to spurn Wilcox into proposing. Instead, that evening of November 20, Cropsey and Wilcox had a huge argument. Although some of Nells family who were in the house at the time said that she and Wilcox had tentatively made up by the end of the evening, when Cropsey steeped outside the door with Wilcox around eleven p.m. was the last time she was seen alive. Ollie Cropsey, Nells sister, heard something bang against the back of the house shortly after Nell and Jim Wilcox left. Going out to investigate, she found that the screen door was broken and saw no sign of Nell or Wilcox. Ollie Cropsey went upstairs to see if her sister was already in bed, but found her room empty. Shortly thereafter, a neighbor woke the entire house, yelling that someone was trying to steal the Cropseys pig. When the family rushed downstairs, they found the front door was wide open. Jim Wilcoxs umbrella, which had been a gift from Nell, was standing inside the door. The hunt for Nell Cropsey began in earnest the next morning. The town was searched high and low, but no trace of Nell was found. Suspicion immediately fell on Jim Wilcox, who maintained that he had no idea what had happened to Nell. Wilcox was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping. The family remained in limbo until December 27th, when Mrs. Cropsey spotted something floating in the Pasquotank River near the family home. Sending some boatmen out to investigate, she crushingly realized that her long vigil was over. The boatmen had retrieved her daughters body. Curiously, a few days earlier the family had received a letter with a New York postmark laying out what seemed to be a detailed account of the events of the night of Nells disappearance. The letter stated that Nell Cropsey had discovered a vagrant attempting to steal the family pig. Upon being discovered, the man grabbed a heavy stick and knocked Nell unconscious, carrying her off and tearing a nearby boat. He rowed out into the river and dumped Nell Cropsey in the Pasquotank. The letter included a map which marked the spot where the body could be found. The spot marked on the map was very close to where Nell Cropseys body was eventually discovered. With the discovery of Cropseys body, the town went mad. A lynch mob descended on the jail, demanding Wilcox be released into their hands. Nells parents refused to join the mob, and pleaded with the crowd to let justice be served in the courts. Eventually, Governor Aycock sent in a small naval reserve group to disperse the crowd. Wilcox was tried twice for Cropseys murder. The fitrst guilty conviction was overturned when the NC Supreme Court declared a mistrial. A second trial convicted Wilcox on a charge of second degree murder an sentenced him to thirty years in prison. At neither trial did Wilcox take the stand in his own defense. Wilcox was pardoned by Governor Thomas Bickett in 1920. To the end of his life, Wilcox maintained his innocence. Shortly before his death in 1932, Wilcox spoke with W.O. Saunders, the editor of the Elizabeth City newspaper, and revealed everything he knew about the murder. Saunders walked away from the interview convinced Wilcox was innocent, and planned to publish the full details. Two weeks after that interview, Jim Wilcox committed suicide. Saunders died shortly thereafter in car accident. Whaever Wilcox had told Saunders would now never be heard. For the past century, those who have lived in the Cropsey home have reported strange happenings. Lights have gone on and off by themselves, doors open and shut of their own accord, and storage gusts of cold air move through the house. The pale figure of a young woman has also been seen moving through the house. Many people passing by on the street outside have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a girl looking out of an upstairs window. Residents say that the figure of Nell Cropsey has even appeared in their bedrooms at night. Is the unfortunate victim of one of North Carolinas most famous and sensational murder cases still wandering through her home in Elizabeth city? Will the true facts around Nell Cropseys murder ever be known? This enduring mystery has become part of the living history of Elizabeth City, and no visit to this quiet coastal town is complete without a walk by the Cropsey home. How to Get There The Cropsey Home is located at 1901 Riverside Drive in Eliazbeth City. This home is a private residence, but is occasionally open to the public on special occasions, including the annual Elizabeth City ghost walk.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:26:32 +0000
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