Henry Nesbitt

Serial Killer

Henry Nesbitt: The Reported Georgia Serial Killer

Overview

Henry Nesbitt, whose surname also appeared in historical records as Henry Nesbit, was a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer active in southern Georgia during the 1890s. Surviving accounts describe him as a gunman who may have killed as many as nine men before his arrest in June 1897. However, documentation from the period is incomplete, and only one killing can be firmly connected to his conviction and execution. Another shooting death was attributed to him in later summaries, while the names and circumstances of several additional alleged victims have apparently been lost. Nesbitt operated in and around Irwin County, Georgia, at a time when rural communities were separated by long stretches of farmland, woodland and poorly traveled roads. Law enforcement agencies had limited communication systems, forensic science was undeveloped and many violent deaths were reported only briefly in local newspapers. These conditions make it difficult to reconstruct the complete history of Nesbitt's alleged crimes or determine whether every death attributed to him was investigated as part of a single series.

The Murder of James Arlington

The crime for which Nesbitt was convicted was the shooting death of James Arlington on June 1, 1897. Arlington was a Black man living in Georgia, although surviving summaries provide few reliable details about his age, occupation or family. The killing occurred in Irwin County, the jurisdiction in which Nesbitt was later tried and sentenced to death. Available historical records identify shooting as the cause of Arlington's death. The precise location of the confrontation and the events leading to the gunfire are not clearly preserved in widely available accounts. It is also uncertain whether the killing resulted from an argument, robbery, personal grievance or another motive. What is established is that authorities treated Arlington's death as murder and identified Nesbitt as the person responsible. The Arlington homicide became the central case against Nesbitt. He was apprehended during June 1897, only a short time after the killing. The speed of the arrest suggests that investigators either obtained witness information, recovered evidence connecting him to the shooting or already regarded him as a dangerous suspect. The surviving summaries do not provide enough detail to determine exactly how officers located or captured him. ...

Confirmed Victims: (1)

James Arlington , Date of Death: June 1, 1897

Suspected Victims:

Dick Wright , Date of Death: June 3, 1897

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