Nine indicted in 1909 case involving double murder in Monroe County

Rube Burrow

From the June 9, 1909 edition of The Evergreen Courant:

UNITED STATES GRAND JURY Indicts Nine Monroe County Men

(Mobile Register, June 4)

Indictments were returned in the United States Court yesterday against nine prominent Monroe County citizens, charging peonage and conspiracy to commit peonage, and the returning of these indictments caused quite an excitement. The indictments grow out of a tragedy of Jan. 3, 1908 when H.C. Walston and Lee English were both killed. Dr. B.R. Bradford, Julius P. Farish and O.B. Deason were tried in connection with the killing, but acquitted. The man English was well known, in that he was the man who killed McDuffie, the capturer of Rube Burrows, the noted train robber.

The beginning of the cases which will grow out of the indictments returned yesterday was that H.C. Walston was alleged to have been holding a number of Negroes in peonage. A couple of them wanted to leave and work for English, which they both finally did. English, it is said, offered to pay Walston what the Negroes owed him and went to do so, but it is said Walston refused to give the statement, an altercation and a tragedy followed.

The indictments returned yesterday follow:

William Shannon, seven counts, three for conspiracy and four for peonage. The aggregate of Shannon’s bonds is $3,500. Shannon is a planter.

Joe Holloway, six counts, three for conspiracy and three for peonage. Holloway is a justice of the peace, and it is claimed issued warrants for the arrest of Negroes held as peons. Bond, $1,500.

Barney Dawson, three counts, one for conspiracy and two for peonage. Dawson is a planter. Bond, $1,500.

G.A. Fountain, four counts, two for conspiracy and two for peonage. Bond, $2,000. Fountain is a justice of the peace.

J.L. Courtney, two counts, one for conspiracy and one for peonage. Bond, $1,000. Courtney is a constable.

Dr. B.R. Bradford, two counts, one for conspiracy and one for peonage. Bond, $2,000. Bradford is a doctor and a planter.

Neal Andress, two counts, one for conspiracy and one for peonage. Bond, $1,000. Andress is a planter.

Julius P. Farish, two counts, one for conspiracy, and one for peonage. Bond, $1,000. Farish is a planter and a merchant.

O.B. Deason, two counts, one for conspiracy and one for peonage. Bond, $1,000. Deason is a planter.

There are numerous cases intricate and interesting in these indictments. These indictments in some cases charge actual holding of peons and in other cases conspiracy to commit peonage.