The chilling tale of the Lawson family murder unfurls like a dark tapestry across the stark landscape of rural North Carolina. On December 25, 1929, a horrifying tragedy shook the quiet community of Germanton, forever casting a grim shadow over the otherwise peaceful Christmas celebrations. Sharecropper Charles Davis “Charlie” Lawson callously murdered his wife and six of his seven children in a brutal, seemingly inexplicable familicide that continues to haunt and mystify those who delve into its twisted depths.
The American Dream
In the early 20th century, the Lawson family appeared to be the epitome of the American Dream. Charles Lawson, a tenant tobacco farmer, had managed to save enough money to buy his own farm on Brook Cove Road by 1927. Along with his wife Fannie Manring, they had eight children, although their third child, William, succumbed to illness in 1920. They were a hardworking family, forging a modest but stable life from the fertile soil of North Carolina.
The Unusual Shopping Spree
But beneath the surface, something sinister was brewing. In the days leading up to Christmas 1929, Charlie Lawson took his family into town for an unusual shopping spree. They bought new clothes and had a family portrait taken, an uncommon extravagance for a working-class rural family of the era. This seemingly innocent act sparked speculation that the upcoming tragedy was premeditated.
The Bloodshed Begins
The bloodshed began on the cold, crisp afternoon of Christmas Day. With a 12-gauge shotgun in hand, Lawson first shot his daughters, 12-year-old Carrie and 7-year-old Maybell, as they set out to visit their uncle and aunt. He lay in wait by the tobacco barn, ambushing the girls as they approached. After shooting them, he ensured their demise by bludgeoning them with brutal force. The bodies were unceremoniously placed in the tobacco barn, their innocent lives snuffed out in an instant.
The horrific carnage continued as Lawson returned to his family’s homestead. Fannie, his 37-year-old wife, was standing on the porch when he gunned her down without mercy. The sound of the gunshot sent 16-year-old Marie into a panic, her terrified screams echoing through the house as her younger brothers, 4-year-old James and 2-year-old Raymond, scrambled to find a hiding place. But there was no escape. Lawson shot Marie and then hunted down the two small boys, ending their lives with cold precision. Finally, he turned his attention to the baby, 4-month-old Mary Lou, who is believed to have been bludgeoned to death.
With his family dead, Lawson fled to the nearby woods. Several hours later, he took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot. The only survivor of this gruesome massacre was his eldest son, 19-year-old Arthur, who had been conveniently sent on an errand just before the bloodshed began.
The Motive Behind the Massacre
The motive behind this horrific act remains a subject of intense debate and speculation. Some theories suggest that a head injury Lawson sustained months before the massacre had altered his mental state, but an autopsy and analysis of his brain at Johns Hopkins Hospital found no abnormalities.
A more sinister theory emerged with the publication of the book “White Christmas, Bloody Christmas” in 1990. According to the book, an anonymous source claimed that Charlie Lawson had been sexually abusing his eldest daughter, Marie, and had even impregnated her. The day before the book’s publication, the author received a call from a relative, Stella Lawson, who confirmed that she had overheard Fannie’s sisters-in-law and aunts discussing Fannie’s concerns about an incestuous relationship between Charlie and Marie.
In the 2006 follow-up book, “The Meaning of Our Tears,” a close friend of Marie Lawson’s, Ella May, came forward and revealed that Marie had confided in her that she was pregnant by her own father just weeks before the fateful Christmas of 1929. Both Charlie and Fannie were aware of the pregnancy. Many believe that Charlie Lawson’s desire to keep this dark secret from being exposed may have driven him to commit the atrocious massacre of his own family.
Another close friend and neighbor to the Lawson family, Hill Hampton, stated that he knew of serious problems within the family but declined to elaborate further. The true motive behind the murders may never be fully understood.
The Gruesome Aftermath
The gruesome aftermath of the tragedy became a twisted spectacle as the Lawson home was opened as a tourist attraction by Charlie’s brother, Marion Lawson. A cake that Marie had baked on Christmas Day, the very day her life was taken, was displayed as part of the tour. It was eventually placed in a covered glass cake server after visitors began picking at the raisins to take as macabre souvenirs.
The Lawson family murder has been immortalized in songs and ballads, including “The Murder of the Lawson Family,” originally recorded by the Carolina Buddies in 1930 and covered by the Stanley Brothers in 1956. The family was buried together in a single plot, drawing a crowd of an estimated 1,500 curiosity-seekers to their funeral.
Conclusion
The chilling events of that fateful Christmas Day in 1929 continue to captivate and horrify those who delve into the story. As the snow fell gently on the quiet town of Germanton that year, the blood of the Lawson family stained the earth, leaving an indelible mark on history and a chilling reminder of the dark secrets that can lurk behind the most ordinary of facades.
Deep Lore 