HAGERSTOWN, Md. — It was the summer of 1827, and there was passion and foreboding in the air. A young man named George Swearingen, a legal administrator, had been elected as sheriff of Washington County. He and his wife, Cumberland native Mary Scott, had recently welcomed a new baby girl, also named Mary, into the world, and their future was looking bright.
Then came a woman named Rachel Cunningham, a well-known “lady of the night” in Hagerstown with whom George became infatuated. Their relationship had been suspected by many in town and would ultimately lead to the biggest scandal in Washington County.
George Swearingen was a young man with a lot of promise. He began his life in law at the age of 21 as a clerk for his Uncle John Swearingen, who at that time was sheriff of Washington County. It was at that time he began to study law and in 1823 had received his license.
In addition to his studies of law, Swearingen was also a member of the secretary for the Mount Mariah Masonic Lodge and a fireman with the First Hagerstown Hose Company. By the time he was elected to his post as sheriff, Swearingen was a well-known figure in many social and business circles throughout Hagerstown.
No doubt his outgoing nature, social status and position of power made him an ideal target for a woman like Rachel Cunningham, who was a laundress by day and a prostitute by night. It was through her daytime business that Swearingen first became acquainted with Rachel.
The sheriff knew that in order to pursue his new love he would first have to get rid of his wife. He had first staged a buggy “accident,” but when that failed to bring about the desired task, he formed a new plan.
Mary and George often traveled to and from Cumberland on horseback to allow time for Mary to visit with her parents. On Sept. 8, 1828, on their way back to Hagerstown, a local farmer found George on the side of the road kneeling beside the body of his bleeding wife. George said she had fallen from her horse.
A coroner’s inquest had initially declared the death of Mary Swearingen as an “act of Providence.” George had thought this was the end of the ordeal, but it wasn’t. While being prepared for burial, one of the ladies who was caring for the body noticed strange bruising around her neck. Mary’s mother became suspicious upon hearing this and requested her daughter be re-examined.
Fearing he would be suspected, George and Rachel fled the area and headed south. George was caught in New Orleans and brought back to Maryland where he would face trial for the suspected murder of his wife. He would be represented at his trial by well-known local solicitor William Price, the builder of the Miller House where the Washington County Historical Society now resides.
The trial, which took place a year after Mary’s death, was the talk of all Washinton County. One of their most respected brethren was accused of murder. All the scandalous details of his relationship with Rachel Cunningham had been fully revealed. He was found guilty and sentenced to death.
George Swearingen confessed to the murder of his wife before he met the executioner. He said he had knocked Mary off her horse with a punch to the side of the head. She fell to the ground, hitting her head on a rock. No mention was made about the bruising around her neck. He was hanged on Oct. 2, 1829.
The fate of Rachel Cunningham is a mystery. No official record has been made about what exactly happened to her.
