The Indictment and Conviction of Florence Bootblack Jordan Black for the 1919 Murder of his Wife

Subject

The Law, Crime and Punishment

Description

A series of newspaper articles and other documents pertaining to the Wednesday, November 12, 1919 murder of his wife, George Anna.

Black was a disabled bootblack with either one leg or no legs (the papers differ as to which) whose stand was at 104 1/2 North Court Street in Florence, in front of Joseph Milner & Son, Druggists.

According to neighbors, Black and his wife, George Anna Fleming had an "unharmonious" marriage and in this instance were quarreling over money she had saved to pay for an automobile, with Black allegedly trying to force his wife to give him the money. Black claimed that at about 10 am his wife returned from the neighbors', where she was heard to say she was going home to get her money "if he killed her," and upon returning home threatened to shoot him. According to Black he thus shot his wife in self-defense. Black's acquaintance Talley or Tolley Crutcher, who was inside the house at the time of the shooting confirmed Black's story but was himself also arrested. The shot fired by Black struck his wife in the head, killing her instantly.

On January 5, 1920 a Lauderdale County grand jury indicted Black for first degree murder and on January 20, 1920 he was sentenced to life in prison. However on January 10, 1928 Black made application to the state Board of Pardons and was subsequently paroled on January 30, 1928.

Jordan Black (1881-aft. 1928) and George Anna Fleming (ca. 1893-1919) were married in Florence on August 29, 1911.

Jordan had at least one brother, Lacy G. Black, about four years younger than him. In 1910 the 29 year-old Jordan was living with his brother and his family on Irvine Avenue with their grandmother Cynthia Black, who lived to be over a hundred (her obituary claims she was 1908 at her death in 1913 however her 1910 census enumeration gave her birth date as 1811, which would've made her 102).

In December of 1916 Black and three other men were arrested and in March of 1917 were indicted on the charge of selling spiritous liquor without a license. Whether they were found guilty and what their sentence was isn't known at this time.

Source

1. Florence (AL) Herald
2. Florence (AL) Times
3. Florence (AL) Times
4. Florence (AL) Herald
5. Centerville (AL) Press
6. Lauderdale County, Alabama Circuit Court
7. Tuscaloosa (AL) News and Times-Gazette
8. Franklin County (AL)
9. Florence (AL) Herald
10. Lauderdale County, Alabama Circuit Court
11. Florence Times
12. Ancestry.com Library Edition.
13. R. L., Polk's 1913-1914 Tri-Cities Directory
14. Florence (AL) Herald
15. Lauderdale County, Alabama Circuit Court

Publisher

Newspapers.com
Bell & Howell Micro Photo Division
Lauderdale County, Alabama Circuit Court
Ancestry.com Library Edition
R. L. Polk & Co.

Contributor

Lee Freeman

Rights

Images are available for educational and research purposes. This image may not be reproduced for commercial purposes without the express written consent of the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the interested party to identify the copyright holder and receive permission.

Format

Jpeg

Language

English

Type

Still Images

Files

1. Negro Kills Wife FH Thu Nov 13 1919 p 4.jpg
2. Shoots Wife in the Head I FT Fri Nov 14 1919 p 1.jpg
3. Shoots Wife in the Head II FT Fri Nov 14 1919 p 1.jpg
4. Jordan Black from Local and Personal News Notes FH Thurs Nov 20 1919 p 1.jpg
5. Kills Wife in Quarrel Centerville Press Thu Nov 20 1919 p 1.jpg
6. The State Vs Jordan Black, Laud Co AL Indictment Rec 5 1916-1922 p 288.jpg
7. Special Murder Term Tusc Nws and Times-Gazette Sun Jan 4 1920 p 5.jpg
8. Court Adjourns with Many Convictions Franklin County Times Fri Jan 16 1920 p 1.jpg
9. Jordan Black App for Pardon I FH Fri Dec 9 1927 p 4.jpg
10. Jordan Black's Convict Record from AL Convict Records 1886-1952 from Ancestry.jpg
11. Cynthia Black FT Fri Jan 10 1913 p 3.jpg
Lacy Black 1910.jpg
1913-1914 City Directory.jpg
Sheriff WA Romine FH Thu Dec 21 1916 p 1.jpg
The State Vs Abernathy, Black, et. al. Laud Co AL Indictment Rec 5 1916-1922 p 17.jpg

Citation

“The Indictment and Conviction of Florence Bootblack Jordan Black for the 1919 Murder of his Wife,” Shoals Black History, accessed April 26, 2024, https://shoalsblackhistory.omeka.net/items/show/1263.