On a cold winter morning in New Boston, New Hampshire, a promising young life was tragically cut short. Sevilla Servilla Jones, a white female of 17 years, was on her way to school on January 13, 1854, accompanied by her younger brother, Plummer. Their routine walk was violently interrupted by a 23-year-old woodcutter named Henry N. Sargent. Sargent, whose family lived near the Joneses, was infatuated with Sevilla and believed she had given him encouragement.
However, his affections were not fully returned, as Sevilla had another suitor, a young man named Bartlett.
Blaming Sevilla's mother and Mrs. Bartlett for turning the young woman against him, Sargent's unrequited love turned to obsession and ultimately, to a meticulously planned act of violence. That fateful morning, he confronted Sevilla and her brother. After she greeted him with a simple "Good morning Henry," he grabbed her by the arm and, using an Allen & Thurber pepperbox revolver, shot her four times in the head, killing her instantly. In the immediate aftermath of his horrific act, Sargent turned the gun on himself. Though he did not die immediately, a local doctor, angered by what Sargent had done, reportedly refused to treat his self-inflicted wound, and he succumbed to his injuries hours later.
In the wake of the murder-suicide, no arrests were made as the suspect had taken his own life. The sole suspect was definitively identified as Henry N. Sargent. In a long, rambling diary entry, Sargent detailed his perceived betrayal and his twisted justification for the murder. He expressed a desire to be buried beside Sevilla, a wish that was not granted. Sevilla's grieving mother, Sarah Jones, ensured her daughter's story would not be forgotten and that her killer would be forever named. She commissioned a gravestone for Sevilla in the New Boston Cemetery with a pointed inscription that reads: "SEVILLA, daughter of George and Sarah JONES. Murdered by HENRY N. SARGENT, January 13, 1854. AEt. 17 years & 9 mos." The epitaph continues with a short poem detailing the crime: "Thus fell this lovely blooming daughter. By the revengeful hand - a malicious Henry. When on her way to school he met her, And with a six self-cocked pistol shot her."
