Stewart Homestead

The Stewart Homestead

Several miles into Green Swamp sits the old homestead of Isham “Isom” and Sarah “Sallie” Browning Stewart, and the site of their murders. The story is steeped in legend and folklore, but what all the stories can agree on is that the Stewarts were killed in their beds by their grandson with an axe, although eyewitness testimonies and reports differ from person to person.

The Murders of Isham and Sarah Stewart

Isham raised and sold cattle, depositing his money in the bank. Many people at the time had distrust in city affairs, including Isham, who eventually withdrew all his money and took it home. Some weeks later, Sarah’s son, George Browning from another marriage, stopped by. Some folktales claim that it was simply a cattle hunter who was wandering by. Buzzards took off from the Stewarts’ cabin roof as he approached. What was found inside was a scene from a horror movie.

According to George, he found his mother on the floor with her left hand and leg nearly severed, and her head caved in. Beside her was an empty money box sitting in a pool of blood. Isham was still in bed, his skull crushed from an axe to the head. The sheriff’s report differs, saying the Stewarts’ bodies were found rolled up in mattresses and buried outside, not far from the cabin.

Josh Browning’s Testimony

Josh Browning, George’s son, was apprehended and charged with their murders along with his friend John Tucker. According to Josh’s testimony, the two visited the home on the afternoon of May 9, 1918, and ate supper with the old couple before retiring to bed. It was a small one-room cabin furnished with two beds, a table, and three or four chairs.

At about 9 p.m., when the Stewarts had gone to bed, Browning and Tucker got out of bed. Tucker grabbed an axe, reached over Mrs. Stewart, and crushed her husband’s skull, killing him instantly. Mrs. Stewart woke up and tried to grab the shotgun in the corner of the room. Tucker swung wildly, breaking her arm and leg, and crushing her skull as well.

The reason for the Stewarts’ murders? $1,500. Like many people during this time, the Stewarts had distrusted banks due to recent memories of financial panics and the effects of World War I. This money was split between Browning and Tucker. Although Browning changed his story multiple times, this is the one the court agreed upon. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received 20 years at Raiford prison.

Escape from Raiford Prison

Around 1928, Browning escaped with Luther Wilson, a 33-year-old man serving a life sentence for assaulting his sister-in-law and murdering Sheriff Deputy B. C. Wilcox, who attempted to apprehend him for said assault. Wilson was killed in a shootout with authorities after he escaped from prison. According to legend, Josh Browning returned to Green Swamp to recover the money he had stashed away from the murders. He gave himself up after being on the run for ten years.

Release from Prison

Upon his return to prison, Browning was granted a motion to withdraw his plea of second-degree murder since he did not have the money to hire an attorney, and the court never asked if he would like to be appointed one. Browning was also not advised of his constitutional rights. He was released from prison in December 1938.

The money and its whereabouts differ from story to story. Some claim Browning gave the money to his dad, George, who bought a new truck. Others claim the money is still out in Green Swamp, buried where no one will find it.

Isham and Sarah Stewart are buried at the site of their old homestead, surrounded by a fence to keep out cattle and boars. A small wooden structure stands close to the Stewarts’ gravesite, which in folklore is said to have been the cabin where the murders occurred, although that isn’t true. Although the Bronson family, who bought the property in 1934, claims they tore the cabin down, it actually burned down sometime in the 1920s in a forest fire.

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