Criminal Justice: Winn Mob Fails In Lynch Attempt, 1888, Winn Parish, LA. Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: May 26, 1950 Winnfield News-American Winn Mob Failed In Attempt To Lynch Negro Murderer (Editor's Note: This is the fifth of a very interesting series of 21 articles about early Winn Parish court days written about 25 years ago by Hon. George M. Wallace, former prominent local attorney who is now executive counsel to Governor Long. Be sure to read this series of feature stories in each issue of the Winnfield News-American) by George M. Wallace The Fourth Judicial District Court for Winn Parish met at a regular jury term on June 4, 1888, with Hon. R. D. Bridger, Judge, Hon. R. E. Milling, District Attorney, R. C. "Uncle Bob" Jones, Clerk, and E. W. Teddlie, Deputy Sheriff. Hon. R. D. Bridger had been re-elected district judge and Hon. R. E. Milling had been elected district attorney. Their commissions were presented and they took the oaths of office. At that time the salary of the district judge was $ 3,000 per annum and that of the district attorney was $ 1,000 per annum and certain fees for convictions. W. T. Teagle, on account of ill health, L. B. Conner, on account of deafness, Asa Teddlie, on account of having served as juror within two years, and I. N. Capps, on account of being a deputy sheriff, were excused from serving as jurors. On motion of Mr. Milling, probably on account of not being familiar with them, all criminal cases then pending were continued until the next regular jury term. At this session, a committee of attorneys, composed of Judge W. U. Richardson, yet living and practicing law at Arcadia, Will A. Strong, then a member of the Winnfield bar who had served as La. Secretary of State from 1877-1884 and later editor of the Southern Sentinel, forerunner of the Winnfield Times, which was forerunner of the Winnfield News-American, John C. Roberts, and W. C. Roberts, both now deceased, and S. H. Gilbert, presented resolutions, which were adopted, lamenting the death of the Hon. S. M. Brian, then of the Alexandria bar, which occurred on February 1, 1888. In part, the resolution read: "We mourn the loss of Hon. S. M. Brian as irreparable; that in his character as a man, his conduct as a citizen, and his career as an officer and as a lawyer, we recognize an example worthy of emulation." A grand jury was empaneled, composed of A. L. Stinson, foreman, Brown Thompson, Marvin James, Ollie Till, J. W. Kelly, T. C. Kidd, T. J. Brown, J. W. Bundrick, T. J. Hodge, D. D. Boyd, E. P. Martin, Willis P. Teddlie, Ernest Maseberg, J. W. Kelly, J. E. Brett, and J. B. Abrams. On the same day, June 4, 1888, the grand jury returned an indictment against John "Dummy" Paxton, a Negro that Major Will A. Strong had picked up on the wharves of New Orleans and brought to Winnfield. He was charged with the murder of Stewart A. Strong, 20 years old, and son of Major Strong, on March 27, 1888. I will gradually creep upon a list of the attorneys who frequented the Winnfield bar. So far, we have Hon. R. D. Bridger, Judge; Hon. George Wear, Hon. R. E. Milling, Hon. Henry Bernstein, Judge W. U. Richardson, Major Will A. Strong, Hon. S. H. Gilbert, Hon. S. M. Brian, W. C. Roberts, J. C. Roberts, and A. J. Dorman. At that time, we had a circuit court of appeals, with jurisdiction extending to all cases, civil or probate, when the matter in dispute or the funds to be distributed should exceed $ 200 and not more than $ 1000. They received salaries of $ 4,000 and were elected by the legislature. Winn Parish, with the parishes of Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Bienville, DeSoto, Red River, Claiborne, Union, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Sabine, Jackson, and Caldwell composed the First Circuit. Hon. John C. Moncure of Shreveport and Hon. A. B. George of Arcadia were the Circuit Judges. George Washington has been frequently slandered by many people who think my name is derived from his cognomen. But not so. My name is George Moncure, after the two circuit judges for this circuit at the time, Judge George has been dead for many years, but Judge Moncure died only within recent years. While the Negro John "Dummy" Paxton was in jail awaiting trial, a mob formed to lynch him. My father, who was jailer at the time, gave the jail keys to my mother, and she buried them in our garden, which was on the plot in the rear of the brick buildings south of the Court Square. The leaders of the mob couldn't get the keys, and cooler counsel dispersed it before entrance to the jail was effected. On June 5, 1888, John "Dummy" Paxton was brought into court, and being unable to employ counsel, Messrs. S. H. Gilbert, W. C. Roberts, and A. J. Dorman, attorneys, were appointed to defend him. He was arraigned on June 6th, pleaded not guilty, elected trial by jury, of course, and his case was set for the 8th. Upon application of his attorneys, Drs. C. S. Smith, F. N. Brian, N. J. Little, D. H. Caldwell, W. B. Moss, and J. F. Kelly (there must have been a lot of sickness, judging by the number of doctors in those days) were appointed to examine Dummy so as to be in condition to testify as to his mental condition. I am unable to tell whether this was a formal plea of insanity, or what. Apparently, insanity was to be the defense, and the matter went to the jury. On June 8th, the case was taken up, and the following jury selected.: J. W. Dean, Jr., W. B. Brister, G. A. Gaar, M. M. Collins, T. L. Page, M. E. Jones, J. T. Young, J. R. Hand, J. M. Arledge, W. E. Curry, James Anderson, and J. G. Williams. During the selection of jurors, the regular venire was exhausted and it was necessary to summons tales jurors. That is almost invariably so in murder trials, it being impossible out of 30 men to pick 12 satisfactory to both sides. The case took up the rest of the 8th and the trial went into the 9th, when the jury, after being out a short time (so the meticulous record informs us) returned a verdict of guilty without capital punishment, and the accused was sentenced to be imprisoned at hard labor in the state penitentiary at Baton Rouge for the period of his natural life and to pay the costs of the prosecution (a fat chance, of course, he had of complying with the latter portion of the sentence).