Abel Clemmons

On the night of November 10–11, 1805, 33-year-old Abel Clemmons murdered his wife and eight children in an axe attack in their home outside of Clarksburg, Virginia, United States. One of the first news accounts, entitled Murder—Horrible Murder!!, became known as an early "horror classic" during the late American Frontier years, resurging in popularity during reporting on other mass killings.

In Harrison County, Clemmons and his family, consisting of his wife Barbara, five daughters, two sons, and an infant of unknown gender, lived on the lands of U.S. Army Colonel George Jackson, about outside of Clarksburg, Virginia. Some relatives of Clemmons lived nearby, with a niece sometimes living at their residence. Clemmon was described as having a good relationship with his family and as having "the character of honesty and industry", Clemmons had last announced plans to move the family to Miami Valley, Ohio. In the weeks prior to the murder of his family, he was observed to be gloomy and melancholy, presumably due to great anxiety for the welfare of his large family. It is usually presented as the first published account, though there exists a different article also by Campbell and Britton titled A Particular Account of a Horrid Murder with identical text, albeit less professionally printed.

After committing the murders, he hid in a cliff of rocks on the north side of the town, but surrendered after a few days.

Clemmons, who was taken into custody in early December 1805, pleaded not guilty at his Morgantown trial in May 1806. Clemmons confessed to the killings, saying he wanted God to receive his family's souls and that he had intended to kill himself with a noose he had prepared. He insisted that his wife and most of their children died painlessly, except for two of his daughters, Betsy and Parthenia, who struggled with their father before they were killed. He was found guilty and hanged from a locust tree near Decker's Creek in the town on June 30, 1806. A 1910 local history book opined that Clemmons was likely insane, but that was not a valid defense at the time.