|
Albert Lawson shot and
injured Sheriff Chompton in 1909. After being a fugitive
for
several days,
he was captured and almost lynched. After being
returned to his
cell, he
was again captured
by
a mob, who
then lynched
him
behind the jail. This was
the first and only lynching
in
Henry County. |
W.E.T. Atkins fell off a
train while serving as a soldier in the Civil War. Never
mentally recovering from the accident, in 1879 he tried to kill his
wife, children, and in-laws. Family friend Isham G. Harris
bailed Atkins out of jail and his brother, J.D. C. Atkins was going to
support his defense. W.E.T. Atkins skipped town before the trial
and was never heard from again. |
|
John Grainger killed
Littleberry
Broach in 1829.
His lawyer argued a new concept as his
defense: self defense. This early case set
the precedent for other
self defense cases across the
country. |
Kenny Porter, son of
Governor Porter, shot and killed a man who was defending his sister's
honor against Porter. Later that day, Kenny's brother Dudley
overhead Alex White speaking poorly of Kenny, issued a duel challenge
and was killed by White. White had previously been stabbed by
Kenny Porter. White was acquited of the murder of Dudley Porter
and Kenny Porter was never found guilty of his crime. |
