The Ouachita Telegraph - ASSASSINATION OF AARON DOBBINS Date: Oct. 2000 Submitted by: Lora Peppers ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** The Ouachita Telegraph Friday, May 16, 1879 Page 2, Column 3 ASSASSINATION OF AARON DOBBINS. A Mysterious and Bloody Crime - Full Particulars. In a small frame cabin on Oak street, eight squares from the river, lived until Monday night a colored man of some local notoriety named Aaron Dobbins. His family consisted of his wife Caroline and his step-son Ben. Monday night Aaron returned home about 8 o’clock, and he and Ben prepared and ate their supper, Caroline being out on a visit a few squares away. About 9 o’clock the reports of two shots, fired in rapid succession, were heard nearly all over the city. Shooting at dogs or firing off pistols in the neighborhood of Aaron’s cabin not being an uncommon occurrence, no attention was paid to the shots even by those who lived ear. It was not so with Aaron Dobbins. The two shots were his summons to appear in judgment before his Maker. The facts connected with this tragedy are but few, and are best told by the evidence taken at the inquest held by Coroner Locke. The jury summoned and sworn by the coroner was composed of the following citizens: W.P. Vinson, W.H. Ferry, R.W. McClendon, Jr., T.J. Larkin, and H.C. Downs. The investigation was conducted by District Attorney Pots aided by Judge Garrett. THE VERDICT. The said jurors after being sworn to inquire on behalf of the State when and by what means the said Aaron Dobbins came to his death, upon their oaths do say: that the said Aaron Dobbins came to is death from nine gunshot wounds in his stomach, apparently made by a load of buckshot from a shotgun, in the hands of some person to the jurors unknown. T.J. LARKIN, W.P. VINSON, H.C. DOWNS, Wm. H. FERRY, R.W. McCLENDON, JR. The principal witness, and the only eye-witness, was the boy Ben who is some 15 years old. Ben Johnson sworn says: I was out on the gallery at Aaron Dobbins’ house last night about 9 o’clock, when a man came walking along slowly to the fence in front of the house. The house is about 12 feet from the fence. At that time Aunt Mariah Williams was calling Jennie Wimberly. The man stopped at the gate. I hollered and told Aunt Mariah that Jennie was not at home; she still hollered for her. The man asked me where was Jennie Wimberly; I told him I did not know where she was; there was a light in the house, she must be at home (she lives at next house to left as you face the depot). The man walked that way a few steps; then Uncle Aaron Dobbins asked me who that was. I told him I did not know who it was. He asked me was it white or colored. I told him I did not know; if he wanted to know who it was he could come and see. He then came to the door, and the man shot him. Did not see the gun; saw the flash when he shot. He shot twice, and then broke and run across the street and across commons toward the depot. Aaron called me and said he was shot. I asked him did he know who did it, and he said he did not. He was standing just inside the door when he was shot and fell back towards the window to the right of the door as you face the street. He got up from there and leant down on a washstand between the door and window. The shots were very close together; Dobbins fell at the second shot. I left him leaning against the washstand and went to Perry Jackson and told him about it. There was no light in the house, except a little fire where we had been cooking, and I saw no blood. I did not come back till this morning; he was dead then. The man who shot came from towards town when he first came up to the gate, and walked a few steps back that way when he left before he shot. Dobbins had not gone to bed; he was lighting his pipe when the man first came, and when he got it lit went to the door and got shot. The man who shot was a tall man. I never saw the note produced and shown me by the coroner, marked X. I have a brother older than I. He and my father did not get on well before he left. He is now on Crew Lake working for W.H.H. Mullin; he can write a little; the voice was not my brother’s. I did not see the man who shot throw any note over the fence. His BENJ. X JOHNSON. Mark Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 13th day of May, AD. 1879. J.W. LOCKE, Coroner. Perry Jackson, an elder in the colored Baptist church and who lives not over 75 yards from Dobbins’ cabin, testified to seeing the flashes of the gun, but knew nothing further. He went to see Dobbins in about 5 minutes after the shooting, and inquired of Dobbins if he knew who shot him. His reply was that he did not, and did not know for what reason. Caroline Dobbins, the wife of the deceased, was sworn and testified: I know nothing of the shooting last night. I was at Mrs. Ezelius’ at the time; came home about 11 o’clock. My husband, Aaron Dobbins, was dead when I got home. I know of no difficulty between Aaron Dobbins and any one else. I know of no one who had any hard feelings toward him. Don’t think he dreaded any one, or thought there was any one wanting to kill him. He generally comes from work about dark, or a little after. He was working yesterday at Mr. Dan Doyle’s. I have no idea why he was killed. Other witnesses were examined, but their evidence related only to what transpired after the shooting and to matters not material to the discovery of the guilty person or the cause for which the dark crime was committed. >From this category, however, may be excepted the evidence of Mr. Thos. S. O’Kelley, which we give in full. Myself, Mr. Endom and Mr. Fullam were looking in Aaron Dobbins’ front yard, between the house and the gate, for footprints or other signs, and I found the paper hereto annexed and marked X. The paper reads: “Mister coroner this man was killed for attempting to outrage a white lady let all evil disposed men white and black take warning.” I do not know the handwriting on the paper. I picked this paper up and said, “Here’s the wadding.” Then I saw there was some writing on it and said it was a note to Mr. Conner, and then Mr. Endom and I read it and found what it was. Mr. Endom kept the paper, and I saw him give it to Mr. Locke the coroner. This is the same paper I picked up in the yard. I came to the house of Aaron Dobbins just behind Endom and Fullam. Aaron Dobbins was lying on his front gallery when I came. I did not examine his wounds. We did not look for tracks as soon as we came, and when we looked there had been so many persons along that we could not tell anything. T.S. O’KELLY. The note marked X, referred to, was written with ink and in a large running hand. The letters are well-formed and the penmanship is of that style peculiar to those who have been taught writing after the writing school model. The paper is a page torn from a pocket ledger or memorandum book about 3x6 inches. It was picked up closely compressed into a ball, or wad, near the front steps of the cabin where it must have been thrown after the shooting. This note we copy, following the irregular length and construction of the lines: Mister Coroner This man was Killed for attem pting to outrage a white lady let all evil disposed men white and black take warning This note, whatever real importance it may have, leads us to say of Aaron that his reputation as a faithful husband was notoriously bad. Only a few days ago he was heard to boast of what he could do with women and with other men’s wives. Although a member of Elder Jackson’s church and himself a preacher, Aaron did not take Joseph for his exemplar; but, rather, he followed after the ungodly nature of his progenitor Ham. We doubt not, in the least, nor does any one who knew of Aaron, that his belief in free love, preached, as we hear, and practiced, was the prime cause of his assassination. Our belief in the statement that he was “killed for attempting to outrage a white lady” is not, however, so strong. Inquiries have failed to elicit even a rumor of such an attempt, and Aaron has never been accused of any improper conduct towards a white lady. The statement is, therefore, lacking in probability. And yet it may be true. He was of strong, if not ungovernable passions, and may have recklessly attempted the act charged in the mysterious note. The absence of any publicity, or even rumor, concerning the crime, is not unaccountable, if we consider that such publicity would have afforded no relief, but rather aggravated the injury by setting the thousand tongues of gossip and scandal to wagging, and perhaps forever destroyed the peace of a happy household. And if the statement be true, looking at the result, the death of Aaron, it is needless to say that publicity of the crime alleged against Aaron, could not possibly have saved his life. A community would have done, in that event, what one man has done. There is another speculation, that Aaron’s cruel treatment of his wife - herself not a paragon of fidelity - beating her at times and otherwise maltreating her, may have had something to do with his taking-off; and such seems from the evidence, to have been one view entertained by the Coroner’s jury. But, dismissing all speculations - of which there are others not mentioned here, but all pointing to Aaron’s besetting sin - the fact of his assassination and of the dark crime remains as a fact to be deplored and condemned. With that the community can deal with a certainty. It is a grave offense - a sturdy blow at the majesty of the law, without whose protection there cannot be either States, cities or society. # # #