Will, an African American man in Bladen County, North Carolina, was enslaved by Elizabeth Blaning. On July 30, 1769, for reasons unknown, Will declared that he intended to poison Elizabeth Blaning's daughter-in-law Lucy Hall. The Bladen County constable apprehended Will on August 7 and Will promptly confessed that he had intended to drug Hall. Lucy Hall's husband Thomas later reported that Will, rather than facing trial, decided to take the poison himself and subsequently died at the Bladen County jail on August 7, 1769. Elizabeth Blaning later attempted to receive compensation for Will's death.