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Newspaper
Athens Weekly Banner
Location
Athens, Georgia, United States of America
Date
Jun 18, 1889
Page
6
Fragmented courtroom notes describe testimonies from Anderson, Woolfolk family, and neighbors about a fatal killing near Macon Georgia in June 1889. Witnesses discuss threats, property, and alibis while jurors hear Birdsong’s shocking account and defense strategy unfolds.
Witnesses describe the night of the Woolfolk killings with claims of nervousness and alibis. The defense challenges blood evidence while prosecutors push circumstantial links, as in later reports a separate execution notes John Pickett’s hanging for a murder linked to Nelson Brooks and Rhoda Brooks.
Perry report states J S Holley, a state witness in the Woolfolk case, is charged with mortgaging a crop and a horse for supplies in 1887. He obtained the money, sold the horse in the fall, and moved to Texas where he has since lived.
Wheat June 793, Corn July 343 8 3114c, Oats July 224c. Pork July 11.60, Lard July 6.62, Ribs July 5.82.
New York spot cotton remains steady with middling uplands at 11.03 cents. Futures steady with June at 10.45, July 16.46, August 10.52.
Special to The Lanner reports Henry Harrison and Bart Davis fought on Parson's plantation over their children. Davis used a knife and struck Harrison in the left breast, the blade piercing the heart and causing almost instant death.
Atlanta June 14 Captain Jackson declines election as Lieutenant Colonel of the Fourth Georgia Battalion writing to Adjutant General Kell. Disastrous floods devastate southern Indiana crops with thousands of acres of corn and wheat under floodwaters along the White River. Farmers driven from White River bottoms to higher ground.
Len Olvey killed James Bellew at Bellew's house near Burn Rings Georgia after a prior quarrel. The two men were drinking. Olvey reportedly had killed another man before. He called Bellew to the door and shot him in the mouth as he appeared. No arrest reported.
Patrick A. Ward a Clan na Gael leader dies in Indianapolis amid rumors tied to Dr. Cronin’s Chicago murder. Friends report he faced unkept promises from influential Republicans after his campaign work and his recent prominence did not shield him from disappointment.
Will DeBill was hanged in Thomasville Georgia for the murder of Walter Long. He stated before execution that he killed Long because he did not talk, describing Long as desperate and dangerous. The private execution took fifteen minutes with neck dislocation and no spectators beyond those permitted by law.
In Atlanta on June 14 a lively dispute unfolds between Dr. Joseph Jacobs and Dr. Walter Taylor. Jacobs produced a letter from Anthony Comstock claiming Taylor’s advertising material was suppressed as indecent. Taylor retorts he never saw the material and had it suppressed when informed. The exchange continues via mailed circulars as both sides press their positions and future moves.
June 14 Cariaco dispatch reports the Cronin murder case implicates ice man Sullivan with damaging evidence. It claims Sullivan arranged for his own escape or for hired assassins after Cronin’s death. Rumor also cites a possible killing of Mr. T. T. Conklin en route to Chicago from Logansport, Indiana, though unconfirmed.
The final spike on the Georgia Pacific western extension was driven at Winona Mississippi joining the Richmond and Danville system to provide a through route from Washington via Atlanta to Greenville Mississippi and into Arkansas City as a leased branch to Arkansas.
In Johnstown Pennsylvania on June 15 workers tally rises to about fifty added to crews removing the wreckage from the stone bridge. A heavy rainstorm hinders efforts while fires burn fiercely and dynamiting continues through the night. Contractor McKnight aims to clear the drift by tomorrow despite the blaze. Explosions scare residents as houses tremble nearby.
Gainesville's Marshall Hanie and U.S. Deputy Marshal Cape escorted Wilkes county chain gang member Thrailkill from Atlanta. At Social Circle Hanie mocked Thrailkill, sparking a confrontation until Cape warned he would shoot if more violence occurred on the Madison-bound train.
In Atlanta on June 15 the Woolfolk trial in Perry stirs memories of the Woolfolk Camp duel near Columbus around 1829 30. Mil ton from Tennessee killed Camp after threats, Woolfolk’s kin involved, Camp later linked to Augusta’s Planters hotel owner W A Camp, and Milton later became Florida governor.
A June 15 reunion in Ga. brings together Prof J W Magill taught bands from Hoschton Harmony Grove and Barber's boys. About three hundred attend a grove gathering at the academy with separate and combined plays using 25 instruments and a joyful basket dinner. Senator McCarty and Prof. Moss give impromptu speeches. Perfect order marks the day.
Alexander Henderson was executed for the February murder of Amos Jackson and his nine year old daughter. The public hanging at Barnremper drew about five thousand witnesses as Henderson confessed after conviction, naming his wife as motive and asking forgiveness. He spoke to the crowd before the trap released, noting betrayal and prayer.
Herbert Sperry of Tremont Illinois suffered Erysipelas in both legs confining him to home for six weeks. He endured two years of severe itching until using Clarke's Extract of Flax Skin Cure which he credits with his complete recovery. Clarke's Flax Soap is also praised for bath and toilet use with Skin Cure priced at one dollar and Soap at twenty five cents.
Western Union Telegraph Company at work extending a new telegraph line from Macon to Athens along the C M railroad. Construction crews are at Gould and expected to reach Athens by mid next week, delivering improved communication and satisfying a long felt need.
An advertisement asserts malaria or ague can be rapidly cured by a remedy free of quinine or arsenic. It claims thousands cured and offers full treatment at no cost by a physician of high standing, with a trial remedy mailed on request to ASAHEL MEDICAL BUREAU in New York.
The article notes old stills in cellars and under houses are repaired for the peach crop. Prohibition bans sale but not making or drinking brandy, with expectations of a large peach brandy output. The main shortage is a heavy crop.
Special session ordered the regular June term of the City Court of Clarke County to adjourn and reconvene at 10 a.m. on Monday July 1, 1889 due to sickness in the Fludge family. All parties witnesses and concerned must attend. the clerk will publish this order in the Athens Banner and Athens Chronicle. Judge Howett Coss.
Athens celebrates its New Capitol praising Captain W W Thomas as architect and commissioner whose leadership kept costs under the million dollar appropriation. The board credits his foresight and labor with completing the splendid edifice which locals call a monument to his thought and work.
Uncle Sanford Williamson of Georgia traveled to the city and claimed his horse Red Buck is the finest four year old Hamiltonian raised in the state. He says the trotter, lightly trained, can run a mile in the forties and plans to take the horse to Atlanta. Williamson offers Red Buck for sale to any buyer seeking a promising trotter.
Athens reports minimal sickness with strong health regulations. Lamps along the walk from the college gate to the chapel improve safety for visitors reaching the chapel.
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