Thomas David Carr (March 6, 1846 – March 24, 1870) was an American thief,

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

ist, war criminal and self-confessed serial killer. He was hanged in 1870 for murdering 13-year-old Louisa Fox in Kirkwood Township, Belmont County, Ohio, and shortly before his execution, he confessed to murdering 14 men, including to participating in a famous 1867 murder that occurred in West Virginia.

Biography

Upbringing and military service

Thomas David Carr was born on March 6, 1846, as the fourth son in a family of five boys and three girls. His father, William Carr, had been an abusive parent who treated him harshly throughout his childhood. Three years after his birth his family began moving frequently around West Virginia, living in Woods' Run, Fulton, Centre Wheeling and settling in North Wheeling. Thomas grew up as a troublesome child, who frequently fought with other children in the street. He formed bad associations, and when he began work, he did jobs for river men, brickyard hands and colliers. In 1854, he was sent to prison for unknown reasons. Carr claimed that he was intimate friends with a John H. Burns and his accomplice Oscar Myers, who had murdered a woman named Mary Montonie. Burns had been sentenced to death, while Myers to life imprisonment. While on a visit to the prison, Carr had slipped poison for Burns to kill himself with, but the man was "too cowardly to do it". Shortly after, his family moved again, this time to Belmont County in Ohio. Soon after, the now 16-year-old Carr was enlisted with the

16th Ohio Infantry The 16th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Three-months regiment The 16th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Columbus, Ohio, in response to President Lincoln's call f ...

and served 3 months in West Virginia. Following this, he enlisted for 3 years in the

18th Ohio Infantry The 18th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Three-months regiment Companies A, C, and E enrolled at Ironton, Ohio, on April 22, 1861. Company B enrolled at Marietta, Ohio, o ...

, and when that term expired, he enlisted to another division yet again. During his military career, Carr was frequently arrested due to misconduct, and twice sentenced to be shot for violating regulations. On one such occasion, he was forced to dig his own grave. Then-president Abraham Lincoln felt pity on the boy, and pardoned his sentence.

War Crimes

The first murder Carr confessed to took place near