Fauquier County Tapscotts - Benjamin H. Tapscott

Benjamin H. Tapscott.
Washington Herald, 6 Sep 1927

Among the misfortune-ridden offspring of Henry C. and Elizabeth Sowers Tapscott, Benjamin H. had the most disturbing episode. Benjamin, whose middle name is said by many to be “Henry” without any evidence cited, was born in Clarke Co, VA, 18 Jul 1889. By 1900 he was living with his widowed mother and siblings in Baltimore, where he was employed as a ten-year-old sweeper, having dropped out of school to help support his destitute family. He continued to live with his mother when she moved to Laurel, MD, where he was a drawer in a cotton mill in 1910, but was without work in 1920. Then trouble erupted, as documented in several newspaper articles, most of which gave Benjamin’s middle name as “Franklin,” possibly a chosen name or newspaper poetic license.

 

Around 1924, approximately three years before the events that would place him at the center of widely reported criminal investigations, Benjamin married Emma Christie Wells. Their marriage quickly deteriorated, probably in part to Emma’s being only around age sixteen when she married. Born 25 Jun 1908, she was nineteen years younger than Benjamin. Emma left Benjamin within a month, moving into the household of her sister, Nellie, wife of contractor and local politician Walter Wiley.

Nellie Wells Wiley (L) and
Emma Wells Tapscott (R).
 Washington Herald, 6 Sep 1927

The separation set off a prolonged period of strife. Benjamin reportedly assaulted his estranged wife on a public street soon after she left him, resulting in his being placed under a six‑month peace bond. Over the next eighteen months, a series of suspicious fires occurred at Laurel properties owned or occupied by members of the Wiley family. A vacant Wiley-owned house was set ablaze twice in succession, and later, a fire at the home where Emma was living with her brothers nearly resulted in tragedy. Investigators found kerosene poured on the steps, suggesting deliberate arson. The incidents heightened tensions within the family and contributed to fear and speculation in the community.

The conflict reached its peak on Labor Day 1927, when a powerful explosion destroyed a garage and warehouse belonging to Walter Wiley. The blast, heard for miles around, shattered the holiday quiet and immediately drew the attention of law enforcement. Investigators determined that dynamite had been placed beneath the building’s floor and ignited by a three‑foot fuse. Entry appeared to have been gained through a rear window facing the Patuxent River.

Suspicion quickly focused on Benjamin Tapscott. An 11‑year‑old boy, Francis Chaney, who lived across the street in another Wiley-owned property, told authorities he had seen a man he recognized as Benjamin Tapscott running from the direction of the garage moments before the explosion. Chaney’s account became the central piece of evidence in the case. Based on his statement, a warrant was issued for Benjamin’s arrest on charges of malicious destruction of property.

Benjamin was taken into custody as he returned from what he described as a squirrel‑hunting trip, shotgun slung over his shoulder. He admitted having been near the Wiley property earlier in the day to get a drink from a spring but denied any involvement in the explosion. Despite his denial, the Prince George’s County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment on October 7, 1927, formally charging him with malicious destruction of property. Prosecutors alleged that the dynamiting was motivated by a longstanding grudge against his brother‑in‑law, Walter Wiley.

At the time of the indictment, Emma Tapscott filed for divorce, with the case expected to come before the court soon. The intertwined domestic and criminal proceedings underscored the depth of the family conflict and the degree to which it had spilled into the public sphere.

Available records do not indicate the final outcome of the criminal case; however, it appears that Benjamin was acquitted since no news articles are found reporting conviction. Moreover, in 1930, Benjamin is found living by himself and working as a laborer on odd jobs in Laurel. Acquittal likely occurred because charges rested on the testimony of an 11-year-old.

Benjamin dropped out of sight after 1930 until his death, location unknown, in January, 1965. He left no known descendants. Emma married again, around 1929, with Elery Clifton Kaiser. She passed away in Solomons, MD, on 10 Apr 2002.