Winn Parish Louisiana Archives Court.....Mixon, Et Al, John 1940 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Greggory E. Davies gedavies@winnfield.net January 18, 2007, 3:47 pm Source: Winnfield News American; Winn Parish Clerk Of Court Written: 1940 April 26, 1940: Hold Final Rites For John Mixon, Negro is Arrested Victim of Shooting is buried at Natchitoches Funeral services were held for John Mixon, 33 year old Winn Parish farmer who lived near Clarence, at the funeral parlor in Natchitoches, and burieal was made in the Natchitoches cemetery Sunday afternoon. Mr. Mixon, a farmer, was killed instantly Saturday night at about 9 o'clock by a negro youth who allegedly with a pistol shot him once in the shoulder and fatally in the forehead. The negro, William Sikes, turned himself over to Sheriff Sholars in Winnfield Monday morning and he and another negro, Alfred Hardison, Jr., 25, accused of furnishing the gun that was used to do the killing, are now in the parish jail. There were several eye witnesses to the shooting, reports Sheriff Sholars. "It may not be necessary to have a coroner's jury investigate the shooting," he stated, "as the grand jury will convene on June 4th." No charge has been filed against the negroes by Thursday, the district attorney being out of town, but it was expected that both will be charged with murder. The trouble happened in front of the house owned by a negro, Edward Wyatt, a few miles away from Mixon's houme, which is near the Saline Lake dam. Mixon drove up to the place, where Sikes and several other negroes were. Sikes was given a gun by Hardison and shot the farmer, for whom he worked. The cause of the shooting is not definitely known. The young negro got away before the law officers were called but gave himself up Monday morning at Dan Roberts' service station next to the jail. The farmer is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Mixon, who live at the Saline Lake, and two sisters, Mrs. Paul Abatt of Longino, Texas and Mrs. J. H. Hankins of Campti. May 30, 1940: Grand Jury Continues March Session Monday, June 3; Two Shooting Cases on Calendar Death of John Mixon Near Saline Dam and Injury of Frazier Tarver May Be Investigated ...Since adjourning, two shootings have occurred that will be brought for the grand jury to investigate. One was of John Mixon, 33 year old farmer who was killed at a negro place near Saline Dam on April 20. Two negroes, William Sikes and Alfred Hardison, Jr., reported to have given Sikes the gun, are under arrest and both charged with murder. ...Serving on the March grand jury were Harper Terrill, foreman, H. P. Parker, Wiley E. Jones, H. M. Rosell, Lois Lucas, Bill Gibbs, C. A. Waller, Clarence Weatherford, Eddie Howard, Arthur Chandler, W. E. Smith, and A. W. Berdon. June 14, 1940: Four True Bills Are Returned By Jury As Session Ends Adjourned Session Also Finds Four No True Bills ...William Sikes and Alfred "Sonny Boy" Hardison, Jr., negroes, murder of John Mixon on Saturday, April 20. June 14, 1940: Negroes Charged With Mixon Murder to be Tried June 24 at Special Session of Court Jury Commission To Meet June 18 To Draw Necessary Petit Jurors Trial of William Sikes and Alfred "Sonny Boy" Hardison, negroes charged with the murder of John Mixon, has been set for June 24 at a special criminal term of court ordered for that purpose by District Judge Cas Moss. Following the indictments of Sikes and Hardison by the recent grand jury, Judge Moss issued an order for a special term of criminal court in which he instructed Clerk of Court C. F. Walsworth to call the jury commission to meet Tuesday, June 18, to select the necessary petit jurors. The jury commission is composed of W. S. Carter, D. W. White, H. V. Mays, J. W. Shows, and John W. McCloy. Arraignment for the two was made Wednesday afternoon when they appeared in court represented by their counsel, A. A. Moss, R. Poinsett Johnson, Jr., and Jack Oglesby. Counsel for the two negroes was appointed by the court. ... Mixon Killed April 20 The fatal shooting of John Mixon occurred near his home on the night of April 20. The victim had driven to the home of Edward Wyatt, a negro who lived near Mixon a few miles from Clarence, where he found Sikes and several other negroes. Hardison gave Sikes a gun, it is alleged, and the latter shot Mixon in the shoulder and fatally in the forehead. Cause of the shooting was not known. Sikes got away before law officers were called but gave himself up the following Monday morning at Dan Roberts' service station next to the local jail. Hardison was arrested shortly after and the two have been in jail since that time. June 21, 1940 Sikes, Haridon Plead Guilty, Get Life Sentences; Special Session of Court Eliminated Speedy disposal of the John Mixon murder case was made Monday when William Sikes and Alfred "Sonny Boy" Hardison, negroes charged without capital punishment and were sentenced by District Judge Cas Moss to serve a life term each in the State penitentiary. The two were scheduled to begin trial Monday in a special session of criminal court, necessity of which was eliminated by the new turn of events. The two were transported to Angola by Sheriff Sholars Tuesday morning. Arraignment of Sikes and Hardison had been made June 12 when they appeared before Judge Moss, who at that time sentenced two other negroes, A. D. Booker and Kermit Scarborough, to one year each in the State penitentiary for forgery. Disposition of the Mixon case eliminated a heavy expense which the parish would have borne had the special session of court been held. The police jury last week adopted a resolution requesting that the regular fall term of criminal court and the fall session of the grand jury be postponed because of insufficient funds, the budget for operation of both already having been overdrawn. As a result of Monday's action, the meeting of the jury commission slated for Tuesday this week was not held. At that time petit jurors for the special session were to have been selected. Additional Comments: Murder of John Mixon File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/winn/court/mixoneta243gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/lafiles/ File size: 6.6 Kb