The locals of Tar River in Tarboro, North Carolina, speak of a banshee that continues to wreak havoc to this day. This spirit of rage and hatred was born from the lips of a dying Patriot named David Warner in August 1781.
Warner turned his back on the British and lived as an American for as long as possible. That is until a neighbor warned David that the British were coming.
His response was cold. He said, “I’d rather stay and wring a British neck or two.”
You see, David could care less about the British army. From 1775, he continued working as a grain miller to make food for the Patriot army. According to legend, Warner would work nights to stay ahead of his work. A single lantern gave enough light to the area for work. The door to the mill would be wide open, yet Warner’s shadow was so large it covered most of the doorway. David was a large man.
Five British scouts approached David, the light of his lantern being their beacon of hope and justice. Was David baiting them? David knew they were closing in and said, “Make certain you pack every precious ounce of flour to deliver to General Greene. I hate to think of those British hogs eating a single mouthful of gruel made from America’s corn.”
The scouts provoked and attempted to restrain David. However, it took all five of them to do so. They concluded by executing David in the Tar River that night. Upon hearing this, Warner spoke a curse against them:
“If you take my life, hear me clear that a banshee will be summoned and will grieve over my death always. In her despair, she will hunt you down, as you did me, and she will see that every last one of you dies a terrible death.”
What is a banshee? According to Irish Mythology, banshees are a type of fae, or fairy, that carry doom wherever they go. You will know when a Banshee is close when you hear her haunting screams. They are also known for grieving over the dead, something David and the British troops knew of.
The scouts paid little attention to David’s curse, taking him to the middle of Tar River by boat. According to the legend, a millstone was tied to David. When they pushed the millstone off the ship, it sank him to the bottom of the river. Screams echoed from the depths of the water, but they didn’t belong to Warner. The screams turned into shrieks as the British scouts realized what David said was true. He cursed them.
A black substance began to surface and take shape. A beautiful woman arose from the darkness, her long blonde hair billowing out as if it had a life of its own. That is when her face changed. She went from beautiful to hatred and anger. The banshee grieved the loss of David as if her son, screeching with such force that it pierced the ears and hearts of the British soldiers.
Shortly afterward, the British set up camp around the abandoned mill. Everyone could hear the banshee’s screams, including the commanding officer. It wasn’t long before some scouts confessed to being the reason behind the spirit of vengeance. As punishment, the British packed up and moved on, leaving the scouts behind. And two by two, the banshee picked them off as each night passed. Once the final scout was alone, he tried abandoning his post. However, locals discovered the scout bloated and bloody, floating in the same spot of the river where he took part in executing David.
The locals say if you walk alongside the Tar River in August, you can hear screeching. Is there anything that can put the banshee to rest?
(Note) In April of 2024, John G. Clark Jr. of The Lantern visited the Tar River and Tarboro to explore the area. Storyteller, researcher, and writer at Southern Spirit Guide Lewis O. Powell, IV also wrote about this on his blog on August 21, 2018. In this article, we used the article from the Southern Spirit Guide to tell the tale for credibility purposes.
Written By: Izzy
Photo By: Gods and Monsters
Sources: https://www.southernspiritguide.org/a-blogiversary-banshee/