Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State: Solomon Efaw's Christmas Pardon

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Solomon Efaw's Christmas Pardon

WV State Penitentiary ca 1922
Source: WV History on View

Merry Christmas from Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State!

Today it is known as one of the most haunted places in the country, but at one time, the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville was simply the home to some of the state's worst criminals. Overcrowding issues, combined with violence, sickness, and despair, led to the prison's haunted reputation, but every once in a while, there was a glimmer of hope. For example, every Christmas, it was customary for the governor of West Virginia to grant a Christmas pardon to the oldest and/or longest serving inmate at the prison. In 1909, that inmate was Solomon Efaw.

Solomon Efaw, who was around 60 years old at the time of his pardon, had been at the penitentiary for around 19 years. He was serving a life sentence for the 1891 murder of B.B. Bennett in Upshur County.

On May 8, 1891, B.B. Bennett was staying at a relative's home in the Sand Run area, just north of Buckhannon. While asleep in a bedroom shared with two young cousins, around 11pm, someone threw oil-soaked rags through a window, right at the foot of Bennett's bed. The commotion awoke Bennett and the rest of the family, and the fire was put out, but not before burning a large hole in the floor.

Bennett went to stoke the fire in the fireplace in order to bring in additional light to see the damage. As he looked toward the window, a shot was fired, hitting him in the chest and killing him almost instantly.

Witnesses said they saw Solomon Efaw's face, and later identified the murder weapon, a Marlin rifle, as belonging to Efaw. No motive was given for the murder, other than the idea that Efaw and a man named Isaac Kesling had a beef with Bennett earlier.

While in prison, Efaw became a model prisoner, and was well-liked by guards and fellow inmates alike. He played the fiddle and even learned to write. He used this new skill to write many letters, pleading his innocence over the years, and even applying several times for the yearly Christmas pardon.

He was finally granted his pardon in 1909 by Governor Glasscock. Apparently, this conditional pardon was Governor Glasscock's first Christmas pardon, he having taken the oath of office earlier that year. Warden Matthews delivered the news personally. Solomon Efaw ate one last Christmas dinner with the rest of the inmates, and then was released with a gift of $25, courtesy of the prison staff.

Following his release, Solomon Efaw led a long life. He passed away from heart disease at the age of 86 on December 10, 1936. There are some who believed that Solomon, although probably implicated in the murder, was not the one who pulled the trigger.