Butts County GaArchives News.....Judge T. S. Hammond – An Outrage September 9 1890
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Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 February 7, 2004, 8:02 pm

Middle Ga. Argus – Week of September 9,1890
The recent arrest of Judge T. S. Hammond, of Elgin, in this county, was the 
most outrageous affair ever perpetrated upon a law-abiding citizen in Butts 
County.  In order that our readers may fully understand the facts in the case, 
we give them as follows:

Jack Lofton, a deputy U. S. Marshal, was in possession of a warrant for a negro 
who was doing some masonry on Mr. Hammond’s new dwelling, and just at noon on 
August 9th he went to make an arrest.  As the Marshal rode up Mr. Hammond with 
his family and some white working men were in the dining room eating dinner, 
not dreaming of any trouble or disturbances.  To their utter astonishment a 
report of a pistol was heard near their door, which considerable startled 
them.  At first thought they supposed some of the negroes – quite a number 
being employed on the new building – were fighting, but on rushing out to see 
what the trouble was, Lofton was found in the yard with a smoking pistol in his 
hand.  Mr. Hammond inquired the cause of the pistol being fired, when Lofton 
replied that he had attempted to arrest a negro and he(the negro) had run and 
he shot to stop him.  Mr. Hammond then said to Lofton that he did not like for 
his family to be disturbed and that he should have been put on notice.  He then 
asked Lofton, inasmuch as the Negro had made his escape, to get out of his 
yard.  This he at first refused to do but afterwards went reluctantly, saying 
that if it had not been for Mr. Hammond and his son’s interference he would 
have captured the negro.  This the Judge promptly branded a false, as he knew 
nothing of the warrant for the negro or of Lofton’s presence on his premises 
till the pistol fired and the Negro had escaped.

Lofton went immediately to Macon and swore out warrants for Judge Hammond and 
his son Robert, alleging that they had obstructed him in making an arrest.  
They were taken in custody by two other deputy marshals and carried to Macon on 
28th ult. to answer the same before commissioner Irwin.

When the case was called and the facts learned by the commissioner, the warrant 
against the Judge was promptly dismissed, and marshal Lofton sharply 
reprimanded for having the warrants issued on such a flimsy pretence.

It is well known that Judge Hammond is one of the most peaceful and strict law 
abiding men in the county, and our whole people were indignant and felt 
outraged when they learned of the trouble.


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