A July 23, 1872 *Lauderdale Times* report of the July 22 sentencing of Alfred Johnson in the Mayor's Court of Florence to the tune of $10 and court costs for "'kicking his wife' last Saturday."

Note: In the 1870 Lauderdale County federal population census, p. 592B a fifty year-old mulatto "laborer" named "AB. Johnson," his forty year-old wife "Russet," and their six children ranging in age from 29 years to 10 months were enumerated in T3SR11W near Florence. This may be the Alfred Johnson who was fined for kicking his wife above.]]>
An August 13, 1872 report of the August 9 session of the Mayor's Court in Florence at which African-American resident Ellen Amonett was charged with "chastising" Amelia Cooper for "slander-talk" and was fined by Mayor Neander H. Rice for $10 or ten days in jail. Emma Hardy and Martha Armistead, two other black women, were also charged with a similar offense--jaw-slapping and hair-pulling and sentenced to a fine of $5 or five days in jail,.]]> An August 13, 1872 *Lauderdale Times* report of the arrest of Geo. Howel [sic] for assaulting Reuben Walker with a pop-gun at the Memphis & Charleston Railroad depot over a perceived wrong. Howel was brought before Mayor Neander H. Rice who bound him over in the amount of $100 for his appearance at the circuit court.]]> A June 26, 1873 Tuscumbia North Alabamian article reporting that upon the request of the Governor of Tennessee, Marshal County, Tennessee African-American burglar and fugitive George Phillips, who had been arrested in Lauderdale County and held for safekeeping in Tuscumbia, had been transported to the Marshal County, Tennessee jail by Marshal County Sheriff John Champs.]]> 1873-06-26
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A Thursday, May 4, 1876 Tuscumbia, AL North Alabamian article reporting the incarceration, on "Saturday last" of Richard West, in default of $300 bail, for perjury, in the Colbert County jail in Tuscumbia.]]> 1876-05-04]]> ]]>
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A Series of 1874, 1875 and 1876 Florence Gazette, Florence Times-Journal and Tuscumbia North Alabamian newspaper articles chronicling the arrest, trial, conviction, appeal, escape from jail, recapture and execution of James "Jim" Boddie, alias James White, for the attempted rape of "an orphan girl" named Artelia Little in Colbert's Reserve in Lauderdale County on Friday, Sept. 4, 1874.

Boddie allegedly dragged the young lady off of her horse but was interrupted before he could rape her by unnamed passers-by.

Boddie's preliminary hearing was held at the fall term of the Circuit Court in Lauderdale County at which time he pled innocent to the charge of attempted rape; his trial was set for "the second Wednesday of the Second Week of this term of this Court."

At some point before his trial Boddie was transferred to the Colbert County jail in Tuscumbia and his trial took place in Tuscumbia, Judge William B. Wood presiding.

Boddie was represented by Col. Richard O. Pickett and and the Hon. James S. Clarke, two of the ablest attorneys of the bar. Boddie insisted that he was innocent and another African-American man, Abe Walston, was guilty; "From his own description of Wlaston, however, the evidence proved that Walston was not the man," and the jury found Boddie guilty of attempted rape and he was sentenced to be hung on Friday, August 6, 1875 at the court house in Tuscumbia.

Boddie's attorneys appealed his case to the Alabama Supreme Court, which upheld his conviction and sentencing.

Sunday, September 12, 1875 Boddie escaped from the county jail in Tuscumbia, which occasioned a series of editorials and letters to the editor in the North Alabamian of Tuscumbia and Florence Gazette of Florence attempting to place blame for the escape on the jailor and his assistant who allowed Boddie to escape.

In the meantime a wanted poster was circulated by Colbert County Sheriff JG Alexander and published in the North Alabamian which offered a $500 reward from the sheriff for Boddie's capture as well as a $900 reward offered by Alabama Governor George S. Houston (1874-1878). His wanted poster described Boddie as:

"About 5 feet 8 inches tall, fleshy--weighing about 160 pounds--full, round face, large prominent eyes, showing much white of them, is about 30 years old, brown in color, nose somewhat lighter shade, has rather small foot for his size. When he escaped . . . he wore thin beard all over his face."

Boddie was recaptured Monday night, December 12, 1875 at the home of an alleged relative in Iuka, Mississippi and he was remanded back to the Colbert County jail, to the same cell he had earlier escaped from. The North Alabamian of Tuscumbia reported on December 23 that his "papers" had been sent to the Alabama Supreme Court and that Boddie sentence would be carried out and "he will probably be hanged next month."

James "Jim" Boddie was hung in Tuscumbia on Friday, April 28, 1876 with the Colbert Greys militia company and several extra deputies on hand to prevent any possible violence. He died protesting his innocence.]]>
2. Tuscumbia, Alabama North Alabamian
3-4. Lauderdale County, Alabama Circuit Court Minute Docket "G," 1870-1875, pp. 702-703.
5. Florence Gazette
6-10. Tuscumbia North Alabamian
11. Florence Gazette
12-13. Tuscumbia North Alabamian
14-16. Florence Gazette
17-20. Tuscumbia North Alabamian
21-22. Florence Gazette
23-27. Tuscumbia North Alabamian
28-36. Tuscumbia North Alabamian
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Unknown Microfilm Company]]>
1. 1874-09-09
2. 1874-09-10
3-4. Spring Term, 1875
5. 1875-03-31
6-8. 1875-04-03
9. 1875-08-05
10. 1875-08-19
11. 1875-09-15
12-13. 1875-09-16
14-15. 1875-09-25
16. 1875-09-25
17-19. 1875-10-07
20. 1875-10-03
21-23. 1875-10-05
24. 1875-10-14
25-26. 1875-12-16
27. 1875-12-23
28. 1876-03-09
29. 1876-03-23
30 1876-03-30
31. 1876-04-20.
32-33. 1876-04-27
34-36. 1876-05-04.]]>

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A Series of 1874, 1875 and 1876 Florence Gazette, Florence Times-Journal and Tuscumbia North Alabamian newspaper articles chronicling the arrest, trial, conviction, appeal, escape from jail, recapture and execution of James "Jim" Boddie, alias James White, for the attempted rape of "an orphan girl" named Artelia Little in Colbert's Reserve in Lauderdale County on Friday, Sept. 4, 1874.

Boddie allegedly dragged the young lady off of her horse but was interrupted before he could rape her by unnamed passers-by.

Boddie's preliminary hearing was held at the fall term of the Circuit Court in Lauderdale County at which time he pled innocent to the charge of attempted rape; his trial was set for "the second Wednesday of the Second Week of this term of this Court."

At some point before his trial Boddie was transferred to the Colbert County jail in Tuscumbia and his trial took place in Tuscumbia, Judge William B. Wood presiding.

Boddie was represented by Col. Richard O. Pickett and and the Hon. James S. Clarke, two of the ablest attorneys of the bar. Boddie insisted that he was innocent and another African-American man, Abe Walston, was guilty; "From his own description of Wlaston, however, the evidence proved that Walston was not the man," and the jury found Boddie guilty of attempted rape and he was sentenced to be hung on Friday, August 6, 1875 at the court house in Tuscumbia.

Boddie's attorneys appealed his case to the Alabama Supreme Court, which upheld his conviction and sentencing.

Sunday, September 12, 1875 Boddie escaped from the county jail in Tuscumbia, which occasioned a series of editorials and letters to the editor in the North Alabamian of Tuscumbia and Florence Gazette of Florence attempting to place blame for the escape on the jailor and his assistant who allowed Boddie to escape.

In the meantime a wanted poster was circulated by Colbert County Sheriff JG Alexander and published in the North Alabamian which offered a $500 reward from the sheriff for Boddie's capture as well as a $900 reward offered by Alabama Governor George S. Houston (1874-1878). His wanted poster described Boddie as:

"About 5 feet 8 inches tall, fleshy--weighing about 160 pounds--full, round face, large prominent eyes, showing much white of them, is about 30 years old, brown in color, nose somewhat lighter shade, has rather small foot for his size. When he escaped . . . he wore thin beard all over his face."

Boddie was recaptured Monday night, December 12, 1875 at the home of an alleged relative in Iuka, Mississippi and he was remanded back to the Colbert County jail, to the same cell he had earlier escaped from. The North Alabamian of Tuscumbia reported on December 23 that his "papers" had been sent to the Alabama Supreme Court and that Boddie sentence would be carried out and "he will probably be hanged next month."

James "Jim" Boddie was hung in Tuscumbia on Friday, April 28, 1876 with the Colbert Greys militia company and several extra deputies on hand to prevent any possible violence. He died protesting his innocence.]]>
23-27. Tuscumbia North Alabamian
28-36. Tuscumbia North Alabamian
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Unknown Microfilm Company]]>
21-23. 1875-10-05
24. 1875-10-14
25-26. 1875-12-16
27. 1875-12-23
28. 1876-03-09
29. 1876-03-23
30 1876-03-30
31. 1876-04-20.
32-33. 1876-04-27
34-36. 1876-05-04.]]>
This is a newspaper article about Jim Boddie, who was apprehended for the alleged rape of a white woman. While Boddie was awaiting execution, he escaped and was captured near Iuka, MS. Boddie was hanged in May 1876 in Tuscumbia.]]> 1875-12-16]]> jboddie2.png
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A series of newspaper articles and other documents chronicling the November, 1878 murder of of black Florence resident Tobe Irvine in Key's billiard saloon by fellow-black residents John Mayfield and Alex Jones, the subsequent trial and sentencing of both men, and Mayfield's March, 1880 execution by hanging.]]> 4. Lauderdale County Circuit Court Minute Docket Aug., 1875-Dec., 1878, p. 441.
5-10. Florence Gazette.
11. Tuscumbia, AL North Alabamian
12-13. Florence Gazette.
14. Moulton (AL) Advertiser
15-16.. Florence Gazette
17. Tuscumbia, AL North Alabamian
18. Moulton (AL) Advertiser
19. Florence Gazette

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1. 1878-11-13
2. 1878-11-20.
3. 1878-11-27
4. 1878-12-20
5. 1879-03-12
6-7. 1879-05-28.
8. 1879-06-04
9.-10. 1879-09-17
11. 1879-09-19
12. 1879-10-22
13. 1879-10-29
14. 1879-11-06
15. 1879-11-12
16. 1880-01-10
17. 1880-03-05
18. 1880-03-11
19. 1880-03-13]]>
December, 1879 Florence Gazette notice stating that according to Jas. J. Olive, "last Saturday" an unnamed Negro man was killed on the Dillahunty farm seven miles from Florence by a white man named "Jones."]]> 1879-12-03]]>