PELICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY
Gretna 2016
Copyright 2016
By T. J. Ray
All rights reserved
The word Pelican and the depiction of a pelican are
trademarks of Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., and are
registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ray, T. J., author.
Side by side : moonshine and murder in Mississippi / by T.J. Ray.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4556-2183-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4556-2184-2 (e-book) 1. Mathis, Will, -1902. 2. MurderMississippiOxfordCase studies. 3. Oxford (Miss.)History20th century. I. Title.
HV6534.O94R39 2016
364.1523092276283--dc23
2015030524
Printed in the United States of America
Published by Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, Louisiana 70053
To Mary Jo Ray, the love of my life
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Genesis 4:8
Is it pleasant to introduce a story by confessing a myriad of omissions in it? Such is the dilemma facing me at the moment. Let me explain.
Many years ago a very sweet old lady let me read a manuscript someone had sent her. Its author was Marvel Ramey Sisk, its title was Crime Drama in Oxford, Mississippi, and it was dated 1972. The tragedy it depicted in fantastic detail locked my attention and prompted me to look for more about the events of those days in 1901-1902.
Twenty years later someone provided another view of what happened in a document titled A Dastardly Deed, which was Researched and compiled by: Amil Mask, September, 1995. Not only did Mr. Mask add photos of the time, but he also presented wonderful information about all the trials that resulted from that dastardly deed.
Interest in such a sensational event in a small town doesnt fade away. In 2006, D. H. McElreath, C. L. Quarles, and John Ramey, all local residents, produced The Last Public Hanging in Oxford, a seventeen-page history.
For nearly three decades my curiosity about that awful day in Oxford and its aftermath kept my attention. I tried to imagine the uproar that the double murders of two federal marshals would cause in the little townfollowed by the simultaneous hanging of the two culprits after half a dozen trials. My search resulted in a monstrous pile of scans and photocopies of documents. Finding the court transcripts was a dusty business. Waiting for answers to letters to the Justice Department and the Marshal Service was tedious. Reviewing reel and after reel of microfilm of old newspapers was fascinating.
In the end, much of what I put on paper had to be scrapped, at the suggestion of an excellent editor. The subsequent happenings in the lives of some main characters would certainly provide another volume.
Through all of the research and rooting around courtroom vaults for transcripts, my sweet wife, Mary Jo, supported me. And she deserves the credit for this book, putting up with my trips to courthouses and all. Sadly, she will not get to hold the book as she passed away in June 2015.
Alternate spellings of the names of several individuals appearing in this narrative can be found in the historical record. Those spellings have been preserved whenever quoted and are noted in the following profiles.
J. W. T. Falkner One of Orlando Lesters appointed attorneys. Grandfather of William Faulkner.
John Harkins Sheriff of Lafayette County.
Acting Gov. Harrison Approved September 24, 1902, as the ultimate date of the Mathis/Lester hangings.
William Bill Jackson Brother of George Jackson. Friend of Will Mathis. Convicted in the murders of John A. Montgomery and Hugh Montgomery and sentenced to life in prison. Spent two years in the state penitentiary.
George Jackson Brother of William Bill Jackson. Friend of Will Mathis. Convicted in the murders of John A. Montgomery and Hugh Montgomery. Sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary.
Walter Jones Potential witness against Will Mathis. Involved in Lesters arrest for moonshining. Survived an attempted assassination in September 1901.
Orlando Lester Employee of Whit Owens. Involved in the murder of Hamp Williams. Hanged for the murders of John A. Montgomery and Hugh Montgomery. Also referred to as Orlanda/Olander/Orlander/Orlandus/Arlandus Luster.
Gov. Andrew Houston Longino Governor of Mississippi during most of the trials. Granted Mathis and Lester a respite from the first hanging date to June 1902 and again from that date to September 10, 1902.
Baxter Cleveland Clelon Mathis Second son of Will and Cordie Mathis. Named after his uncle, Baxter Clelon Mathis. Also referred to as Clelan.
Cordelia Cordie D. Mathis Wife of Will Mathis. Daughter of Whit Owens. Also referred to as Cordia. Last name sometimes spelled Matthis.
William Edward Will Mathis Son of Samuel Mathis of Chickasaw County. Husband of Cordie Mathis. Father of Clelon. Hanged for the murders of John A. Montgomery and Hugh Montgomery. Last name sometimes spelled Matthis.
Frank Matthews Deputy US marshal.
P. E. Matthews Former sheriff of Lafayette County.
Dave Montgomery Brother of Hugh Montgomery who identified Hughs watch at the trials.
Hugh Montgomery Deputy US marshal murdered in November 1901. No relation to John A. or M. A. Montgomery.
John A. Montgomery Deputy US marshal murdered in November 1901. No relation to Dave, Hugh, or M. A. Montgomery.
M. A. Montgomery US district attorney for Northern District of Mississippi. Referred to as Professor. No relation to Dave, Hugh, or John A. Montgomery.
Martha Mat Owens Wife of Whit Owens. Mother of Cordie.
Whit Owens Husband of Martha Mat Owens. Father of Cordie Mathis. Father-in-law of Will Mathis. Tried for the murders of Hamp Williams, Hugh Montgomery, and John A. Montgomery. Served seven and a half years of a life sentence.
Tom Ragland Jailer at Lafayette County Jail.
J. O. Pete Ramey Deputy sheriff. Father of Marvel Ramey Sisk. Brother-in-law of Sheriff John Harkins.
W. A. Roane District attorney for Lafayette County.
Dave Rogers Deputy US marshal, whom Mathis attempted to murder.
Hubert D. Stephens Son of Z. M. Stephens, whom he assisted in defending Whit Owens.
Judge Zacariah Marion Stephens Hired by Whit Owens to defend him.
Dan Welch Neighbor of Will Mathis, who with his wife, Ellen, and their neighbors, Lonnie Roebuck (sometimes spelled Robuck) and his wife, discovered the bodies of the Montgomerys .
Hampton Hamp Williams Negro accidentally killed in the attempted assassination of Walter Jones.
November 5, 1901 Hamp Williams is fatally shot. Walter Jones, the intended victim, is wounded.
November 16, 1901 John A. and Hugh Montgomery are killed.
December 31, 1901 Special session of circuit court begins for the Montgomery murders. Mathis and Lester are tried and sentenced to hang. William Jackson is sentenced to life in prison. George Jackson is sentenced to two years in prison.
