Murder House

The years preceding the Fishers' descent into darkness were not born of sudden madness, but of a gradual erosion of hope and dignity. John Fisher's carpentry business had once been the pride of the small town, his craftsmanship renowned for its precision and beauty. Intricate wooden furniture, delicate architectural details, and meticulously constructed homes had flowed from his workshop, earning him respect and admiration.

But the economic downturn of the early 1820s struck with merciless precision. Banks failed, trade routes collapsed, and the once-thriving local economy crumbled like the very wood John would carefully shape. Contracts dried up, and his reputation, built over decades, began to crack and splinter like an old, neglected beam.

Elizabeth had watched her husband's spirit diminish with each passing season. She had married him with dreams of prosperity, of building a life filled with comfort and opportunity. They had two children once—Thomas and Margaret—but illness had claimed them both before they reached their fifth birthdays. The loss had carved a permanent hollow in their hearts, a wound that never fully healed.

Their marriage, once filled with laughter and shared dreams, became a silent battlefield of unspoken resentments and desperate survival. Elizabeth's ambition, tempered by years of hardship, began to simmer with a dangerous intensity. She had watched other families prosper while they struggled, had seen the indifference of wealthy travelers passing through their town, oblivious to the suffering around them.

The idea of targeting travelers didn't emerge overnight. It was a concept that grew slowly, like a poisonous vine taking root in fertile soil of desperation. Elizabeth would spend hours watching the main road, observing the carriages of wealthy merchants and aristocrats. Their fine clothes, polished luggage, and casual displays of wealth became a constant reminder of everything the Fishers had lost.

"We're not murderers," John would often say, more to convince himself than Elizabeth. "We're survivors."