Thriller Thursday - Unwritten Law

    If you missed last Thursday's teaser, you can view it here.

Newspapers.com, Jackson Daily News, Jackson, Mississippi,
Monday November 18, 1907, Page 7

    James Alonzo 'Lon' Tapley (1866-1919) was a member of the Jackson, Mississippi Police Force for many years.  He was a well-respected officer and member of the community who seemed to be instrumental in solving cases that others had been unable to solve.  At the time of this murder, he had been a police officer for three years.  

    On May 17, 1907, just 6 months before the above photo was taken, Lon shot and killed a man who he found in his own house with his wife.  Now let me be clear - this was a different time.  Just being alone in a house with another man's wife was highly inappropriate.  Even though there was no evidence of a physical relationship between Lon's wife and the gentlemen, it was still extremely improper. And this was not the first time Mr. Taylor had been in the house alone with Lon's wife. 

    H. W. Taylor was a chemist who worked for a fertilizer company just across the street from the Tapley home. While Mr.  Taylor's friends claimed that his relationship with Mrs. Tapley was purely of a friendly character, Taylor had been seen leaving the Tapley home as late as 3 o'clock in the morning when the husband, Lon, was on night duty.

    Lon had heard the rumors.  He had even warned the chemist frequently to keep away from his home because he suspected that the relationship between Taylor and Mrs. Tapley was not proper.  On that Friday morning, May 17th, Lon was sent on a call near where he lived and as he rode his horse by his home, he looked over and saw Mr. Taylor standing in the hall of his house, speaking with Mrs. Tapley. I'll let this newspaper article tell the full story:

Newspapers.com, Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi,
Saturday, May 18, 1907, Page 3

HERBERT TAYLOR IS KILLED BY POLICE OFFICER TAPLEY

A Sad Tragedy Growing Out of Family Matters—The Dead Man Had Hitherto Borne an Excellent Reputation.

Police Officer J. A. Tapley is confined in the city jail, while the dead body of Herbert W. Taylor lies at the Taylor Undertaking Parlors, pierced by a bullet from the officer’s pistol, the result of a sad tragedy in which the “unwritten law” will figure.

The tragedy took place at the home of Mr. Tapley, at 9:30 yesterday morning on South Farish street, and the killing was seen by no one except the participants in what has been the most sensational happening in this city in many years. The woman who was the cause of the tragedy had fled from the house and taken refuge in that of a neighbor when the shot was fired.

Story of the Killing.

The story of the killing, as gleaned from the neighbors and those who arrived on the scene a few moments after the fatal shot was fired, is as follows: Officer Tapley left his home at an early hour yesterday morning to report at police headquarters for his day’s assignment. The police court was in session and he was a witness in two cases, but while awaiting their trial, was sent on a call to that portion of the city in which his home is located. He is on the mounted force, and riding his horse along the street in front of his residence he saw Taylor and his wife standing in the hall. Tapley claims that he had repeatedly warned Taylor to stay away from his home, and cease interfering in his family affairs. He dismounted and started in the house, when Taylor, seeing him coming, called Mrs. Tapley’s attention. Tapley had gotten to the steps and Mrs. Tapley, when she saw him, exclaimed, "Yes, run for your life!" at the same time running into a room on one side of the hall, while Taylor ran into one on the other side, and bolted the door behind him.

Broke in the Door.

Tapley went to the door and tried to gain admittance, but found that it was bolted from the inside, and no response came from his demand for admittance. He then tried to shave it open with his shoulder, but found it too severe. Making a desperate kick, the latch gave way and the door swung open, the bottom panel of the door attesting the force of the kick.

Confront Each Other.

As the door flew open Tapley stepped inside and found Taylor at the foot of the bed, across the room, with a pocket knife in his hand, which he was attempting to open. The men must have only faced each other for a moment, in a very short space of time a shot rang out. Mrs. Tapley had, in the meantime, ran from the house and to that of a neighbor, only a few steps away, where she remained.

First On the Scene.

The first person to arrive on the scene of the killing was a young man who works at Dan Maybee’s building supplies shop, a few doors away. He was found Taylor lying flat of his back, near the foot of the bed gasping but that he died inside of ten minutes from the time he was shot. Tapley stepped out of the room, and seeing a passerby instructed him to mount his horse and go for the police. In a few moments two officers arrived, and one of them remained in the house with the body of the dead man, while the other escorted Tapley to the city jail.

Tapley’s Version of the Affair.

Tapley, when seen at the city jail while laboring under that excitement that would naturally exist under such trying circumstances, greeted the reporter of The Clarion Ledger pleasantly and said:

"I have very little to say for publication, only that I acted as any other man would under the circumstances. While I do not regret the act itself, I was forced to that. I do from the bottom of my heart regret the cause that made it necessary for me to kill a fellow man. It is hard to be forced to kill a man, especially under such and circumstances. For the little woman and her innocent children, who received the sad message, I have the greatest sympathy. But he brought it on himself, and I feel that my friends and the public will uphold me in my action."

The Other Side.

Friends of the dead man say that there was nothing improper in Taylor's conduct. That he was of that disposition that made him loyal to his friends, and being a warm friend of the Tapley family, he thought it duty to stop in on his way up town and bid Mrs. Tapley goodbye, as he intended to leave for Louisiana, where his wife and two little children had gone the evening before, and that he was simply on this mission when he met his death. They say that he often went to the Tapley home, which was just across the street from the Capital Fertilizer Factory, where he was employed as chemist, sitting on the front gallery, and would spend several minutes in friendly chat. He had packed his gripe, and leaving the office at the fertilizer factory, stated to his associates that he was going out to pay his respects to his friends, and that Tapley’s house being the nearest to his place of employment, was the first one at which he stopped. They claim that he was standing in the hall, and had just remarked to Mrs. Tapley how happy he would be the next day when he rejoined his wife and children at Baton Rouge. It was at that moment that Tapley came up and his wife seeing him with his hand on his pistol, told Taylor to "run for his life," while she did the same.

Something of the Dead Man.

Herbert W. Taylor has been a resident of this city about two years, coming here from Meridian, where he was employed as a chemist. For some time he held a position with the Mississippi Cotton Oil Company, but of late has been with the Capital Fertilizer Company. His friends and business associates were astounded when they heard that he had been killed under the above circumstances. They regarded him as a very high toned, honorable gentleman, strictly moral, devoted to his family, and the last man in the world who would get in such trouble. He was an Alabamian by birth, but married a Miss Young, of Baton Rouge, La., who was well known in this city in her girlhood days, as well as since she has resided here as the wife of Mr. Taylor, having been a pupil of Belhaven College, and graduated in the same class as did Miss Frances Manning. He is from a prominent family, one of his brothers being general manager of the Mexican Central railroad, another chief engineer of the Chesapeake & Ohio, and still another professor of chemistry in the University of Wisconsin.

Officer Tapley's Record.

J. A. Tapley, or "Lon," as he is known to his friends, is one of the best police officers on the Jackson force, and has always been regarded as a peaceful, law-abiding citizen. He is an officer in whom his superiors put explicit faith, and has been zealous in the discharge of his duties since he became a member of the force three years ago. This is the first trouble he has ever been in, in fact in the discharge of his duty, or as a private citizen, he has never been necessary for him to even strike a man with his hand. He believed he was justifiable in his act, and says he will so show when the time comes. He is from an old Jackson family, and has been well and favorable known in and around this city for years.

Mrs. Tapley's Condition.

Mrs. Tapley was in such a nervous and excited condition yesterday that it was impossible for her to give any connected account of the tragedy that so nearly affects her. So overcome was she by the dreadful happening that she was got to bed at a neighbor’s house, and told a reporter that it was impossible for her to give any account of the killing, but protested that she was guiltless. She referred the reporter to a friend who she said would detail the circumstances of the killing, which were about as given above. Mrs. Tapley is a small woman of pretty features, the mother of two handsome boys, and has been married to Mr. Tapley about fourteen years.

Was On Eve of Departure.

Taylor was to have left Jackson last night. It is said that he became possessed of a nice little sum of money a short while ago through a legacy and with this had purchased a plantation near Baton Rouge, and intended to spend his life as a planter with his wife and children. They had left the city the day before his death, to arrange things for his coming, while he remained behind to close up his affairs, and a happy reunion was anticipated be the wife instead of the sad message she received of his tragic death.

Preliminary Today.

Tapley will be given a preliminary hearing in the Police Court this morning at 10 o'clock, and is confident that he will be able to prove to the court his justification, while the friends of Taylor are equally as confident that the dead man was only making a friendly call.

Relatives Will Come.

Taylor’s body was taken directly from the Tapley residence to the H. M. Taylor Undertaking Parlors, where it was embalmed, and his family notified. Some of his relatives were expected last night, among them his wife’s father, ex-Sheriff Young, of Baton Rouge. - Transcription by Google Gemini

    Lon was taken to jail immediately after the shooting.  The next day, Saturday, May 18th, a preliminary hearing was held late into the night with many witnesses testifying.  (Mrs. Tapley was not required to testify.) There were four hours of witness testimony and four more hours of arguments by two of the foremost criminal lawyers in the state pitted against each other. Shortly before midnight, the Police Justice announced that he would grant the defendant bail in the amount of $2,000.  This was posted by three of Lon's friends, and he was required to appear at the circuit court session in September 1907.

    Immediately after being granted his freedom, Lon was given a 10 day leave of absence by the Chief of Police.  After the leave, he returned to the city and resumed duty as a patrolman.  The sympathies of the police department were plainly and unmistakably with Lon.  Several of his brother-officers were familiar with his family troubles during the last couple of years and were firmly convinced that Lon followed the unwritten law in killing Taylor.

    So what was this unwritten law?  According to Google Gemini, "The "unwritten law" referenced in historical legal contexts and news reports of that era was a social and legal defense. It traditionally referred to an unwritten legal doctrine or customary social code that morally or culturally justified a homicide committed by a husband, father, or brother who caught a man involved in an illicit sexual relationship with a female family member.

    In practice during the 19th and early 20th centuries, men who invoked the "unwritten law" used it as a defense for vigilantism—arguing that killing someone to defend family honor or avenge a perceived violation of domestic sanctity was justifiable, and juries frequently acquitted defendants who used this defense."

    What about Mrs. Tapley?  She was the former Lida Chapman.  She and Lon were married November 21, 1891 and were the parents of two sons when this incident occurred.  When she saw Lon coming into the house that morning, she told Mr. Taylor to run for his life.  She then fled the house and ended up at a neighbor's. She talked with news reporters about noon that same day and said that "Mr. Taylor had always conducted himself as a gentleman in my presence. Nothing that would smack of improper conduct ever existed between myself and Mr. Taylor."

    Lon continued to work as a patrol officer and did his job well.  Lida came home. September came and the newspapers came alive debating will he? or won't he? be indicted for the murder.  

    Then on September 10, this was published:

Newspapers.com, Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi,
Tuesday, September 10, 1907, Page 5

Police officer J.A. Tapley, who was charged with the killing of J. P. Taylor several months ago, was yesterday released from bond after the failure of the grand jury to bring in an indictment against him.

    The unwritten law defense, along with the added self-defense excuse, won. Lon went on with his life.  He and Lida remained together and had two more children. She passed away just two years later, in 1909. Lon remarried in 1911 to a woman named Fannie Carroll who was 26 years younger than him.   They had a daughter together. At some point during this time, he left the Jackson police force, became a deputy sheriff and then was employed by the Illinois Central railroad as a special officer (detective). In 1913, he was elected Constable in the fifth district of Jackson.  Lon was a beloved citizen of Jackson, a very successful police officer, husband and father.

    Lon passed away suddenly on January 5, 1919:

Newspapers.com, Jackson Daily News, Jackson, Mississippi,
Monday, January 06, 1919, Page 6

    Oh and to answer the final question: Once I discovered Lon's full name of James Alonzo, I found him in my family tree as we are actually related!  

Thriller Thursday - A tease...

  While doing some Tapley research, I came across this in the Chattanooga, Tennessee newspaper:

Newspapers.com, The Chattanooga News, Chattanooga, Tennessee,
Friday, May 17, 1907, Page 2

Sounds intriguing, right?  Just the sort of thing I would want to know more about, right?  So many questions...

    -    What is the "Unwritten Law"?

    

    -    Am I related to this Lon Tapley, a policeman??

    -    What happened to his wife???

  Research time!  And boy did I do a lot of research, and I found answers to these questions and more.  HOWEVER, I ran out of time to prepare a full debriefing today.  So I give you this teaser, and I will provide the answers in next week's Thriller Thursday blog!

Thriller Thursday - From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man (Part 1)

    To share a preview of what Elridge Price was about, let me share this opinion column that was published in 2007:

Newspapers.com, "Out Yonder" column by Ross McSwain, Standard-Times,
San Angelo, Texas, Sunday, March 25, 2007, Page 13

"Con men were full of confidence

Ross McSwain Out Yonder

Texas has had many confidence men over the years, and one of the most famous is former Pecos businessman Billie Sol Estes, but he will have to take second or third place to a pair of Ballinger con artists as the most colorful. 

Billie Sol was planning his first deals in cotton allotments and fertilizer tanks that got him into trouble with the law when obscure con man Eldridge Solomon Price of Ballinger went to jail for the last time.

Eldridge Price’s ghost rose from the grave when my longtime friend, Associated Press reporter Mike Cochran, wrote one of his delightful pieces on Billie Sol, a West Texas icon we bought spent time covering for newspapers during the latter part of the 20th century. Over the years I crossed trail a number of times with Estes. He is a gracious man, as any admitted con man should be, but he never granted me an interview. Perhaps it is just as well, since he knew my late mother who lived in Brady at the same time that Estes called the Heart of Texas town home, and at one time he rented a farm near Clyde from my late uncle, Bill Chambers.

Although Estes holds the unofficial title of Texas’ best known con man, some folks believe Price was the kingpin among southwestern confidence men, taking millions of dollars from hundreds of people during the toughest times of the Great Depression. He started serving his last lengthy prison sentence in 1960, a good while before Estes' shadowy deals in anhydrous ammonia tanks became national news.

According to newspaper reports, retired FBI agent Ed Dorris of San Angelo said people were afraid to talk to Price because they were fearful he would sell them something. Early San Angelo Standard-Times files say Price worked his scams from coast to coast. Estes' activities were generally located in Texas.

The smiling, nattily dressed Price was 65 years old when he entered Leavenworth Federal Prison for the last time after being convicted of swindling 36 persons on promises of oil well riches. He was described in court as being "the world's greatest salesman." Price had something in common with Estes besides the middle name of "Sol." He also was pudgy-built, wore expensive clothes and eyeglasses.

Price's troubles centered around the sale of fake oilfield leases in Texas and stocks in a Utah uranium mine. Over his long years of dodging lawmen, tax revenue agents and even fellow thieves, Price reportedly was involved in crimes ranging from stealing gold-filled watches in Florida in 1915 to assault with intent to murder in Texas in 1930. When convicted on 14 counts of fraud involving oil leases and the uranium stock in November 1957, he was released on $10,000 appeal bond. When he failed to appear for the appeal hearing, he was ordered arrested. He was found in El Paso in January 1960. He reportedly died in prison.

Another notable Ballinger con man was B. W. "Chophouse Charlie" Pilcher. He left a mark on the Runnels County town and it wasn't just for selling Bibles.

Pilcher spent most of his nights and days dealing stud and monte, and carried a silver dollar with a diamond embedded in it for marking cards. He was a gambler and opened the first and last gambling hall in Ballinger. Pilcher arrived in Ballinger in 1886. He was 29 years old and looking for work in the town the Santa Fe Railroad promised to make prosperous. Pilcher told Standard-Times reporter Frank Burnett in 1945 that he walked all the way from Abilene to Ballinger. In a few days he had earned enough to allow him to bank his own game, first in a tent and later in a dugout on Main Street.

Pilcher made lots of money gambling, but he changed his ways in 1893 when "he heard the gospel" at a church meeting. He told Burnett his life changed and he became a "new man."

Pilcher was to become a constable, and started selling Bibles all over the Concho Country. He later served as chief of police, justice of the peace and operated a café. His last card game was in 1926 on a trip to Mexico. He made enough to pay all the travel expenses before his wife caught him and made him quit the game.

I would have loved to have crossed trails with Chophouse Charlie and ol' Eldridge. What a pair.

I'll be seeing you Out Yonder.  Transcription provided by Google Gemini.

    Points to remember about cousin Elridge:  Nothing is ever as it seems; there are no clear cut answers or information - as a matter of fact there are at least two answers for every fact; and very little is the truth from his side of things.  As far as con men and swindlers go, Elridge was evidently one of the best, if not THE best.  

    Elridge (The vast majority of newspapers referred to him as Eldridge, but that was not his name. I think the first misprint was copied from then on out.) Solomon Price was born on July 2nd or 4th, 1893 in either Emanuel or Johnson County, Georgia.  He always told people he was born in Wrightsville in Johnson County.  He was the second child and first son born to Solomon 'Solie' Price (1868-1929) and Jemsie Ann Missoura Hatcher or Hadden (1871-1919).  

    At the age of 17, he married Anna Morgan Outlaw on February 19, 1911 in Johnson County.  They had one child together, Annie Evelyn Price, born December 4, 1913 in Wrightsville.  I have found no divorce record for them.  This will become an important point soon.

   From 1915, I found the following article.  I wasn't sure it was the same Elridge Price.

     JAX GIRL WEDS IN THE NORTH DESPITE PARENTS

Miss Lillion King and Eldridge Price Marry After Being Separated.

Outwitting every effort of the bride's parents in Jacksonville and her relatives in New York to break off their engagement, Miss Lillian King and Mr. Eldridge Price, both of this city, were married Tuesday by the Rev. Dr. Henry T. Beattle, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, of Hoboken, N. J. The marriage was performed at the parsonage at a time that corresponded exactly with the time the marriage license was issued, twenty-four hours earlier.

The story of the elopement became known when an aunt of the bride, a Miss McRae, who lives in New York, went to Hoboken to make inquiries about the marriage. She was surprised to learn that neither distance nor parental determination had prevented the marriage of her niece to Mr. Price.

Miss McRae told Dr. Beattle that Miss King's parents in this city strongly objected to their daughter's marriage to Mr. Price. Both are twenty-one years old. In order to break off the match, the bride's mother, Miss Ethel McRae King, sent her to New York and tried to keep her whereabouts a secret from Mr. Price. This was ten days ago.

Mr. Price, after spending considerable money in telegraph and telephone tolls, located Miss King and the marriage was arranged. And now that it's all over they will leave shortly, it is understood, for Panama on their honeymoon.

Newspapers.com, Jacksonville Journal, Jacksonville, Florida, Wednesday, June 23, 1915, Page 9. Transcription by Google Gemini.  

 

 

Newspapers.com, The Jersey Journal, Jersey City, New Jersey, Monday, June 21, 1915, Page 5

 

"COUPLE WEDDED ON AN ALTERED CERTIFICATE

Time of Issuance Changed in Attempt to Comply With Twenty-four Hour Law—Clergyman Says He Didn’t Notice It.

CLERK TUCKER NOT RESPONSIBLE

Rev. Henry T. Beatty, D. D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Hoboken, to-day denied that he had observed any alteration in the marriage license issued by Elridge S. Price and Lillian King, a runaway couple from Jacksonville, Fla., who were wedded by him at 2:45 o'clock last Wednesday morning. Dr. Beatty declares that he believed the license to have been issued at 2 o'clock the preceding morning and had no idea the provision of the law requiring 24 hours to elapse between the time of issuance of the license and the ceremony was being evaded.

That the license was altered, however, an examination of the blank in the office of Registrar of Vital Statistics Joseph S. Tucker shows. The license was issued at 7 o'clock p. m. on Tuesday, June 15. The figure "7" had been scratched out with a knife, rubbing the surface off the blue paper and the word "two," in a handwriting very different from Mr. Tucker's, written in the space before the printed letters "a. m.".

Mr. Tucker stated to-day that when he issued the license at 7 o'clock last Tuesday evening Price, the bridegroom, asked him if he could not "fix it" so that the twenty-four hour law might be evaded, saying that he and wife-to-be wanted to start for Panama. Tucker declares he positively refused to be a party to any such violation.

"The license appeared perfectly regular to me," Dr. Beatty explained to-day. "I did not notice anything that looked like an alteration."

The document plainly shows, however, that it was altered. The handwriting of the word "two" is similar to that in which the names of the witnesses to the marriage, Mrs. Edith Beatty and Homer Price, are written.

Dr. Beatty said to-day that his wife, Mrs. Beatty, was one of the witnesses. On the certificate her name is spelled incorrectly, having but one "t" in it instead of two.

"Who wrote in the names of the witnesses to the marriage?" Dr. Beatty was asked.

"I did," he replied.

There has been a disposition in some quarters to throw blame on Mr. Tucker for issuing a license at 2 o'clock in the morning. He naturally resents this, declaring that he never issued a license at such an hour. There is nothing in the law, however, to prevent him doing so if he so desired.

Be that as it may, it is quite plain that the time of the issuance of the license was altered so as to comply with the twenty-four hour law. Health Commissioner Dr. J. F. X. Stack, head of the Vital Statistics Department, stated to-day that he proposed to have the license, showing the alteration, photographed in readiness for any eventuality that might arise."  Transcription by Google Gemini.

Newspapers.com, The Montgomery Times, Montgomery, Alabama, Wednesday, September 01, 1915, Page 1

"Chicago Police After Pair Wanted in South

CHICAGO, ILL., September 1—The Chicago police yesterday were asked by telegraph to search for Eldridge S. Price, wanted in Georgia and Florida and New Jersey on several charges. The message came from Sheriff G. M. Grier, of Dublin Ga., and stated that Price is wanted there on a charge of bigamy, on complaint of his 16-yearold wife, Lillian Price. The telegram described Price at 23 years old. He is said to be an automobile salesman.

A telegram received yesterday from Montgomery, Ala., asked that the police here arrest Homer Billingsley, a graduate of Auburn college, who was employed as a chemist in the Alabama state food department. He is said to have embezzled several hundred dollars. A reward of $250 is offered for his arrest."  Transcription by Google Gemini.

    I now knew these articles about this marriage to "Lillian" was MY Elridge Price because of several points, i.e., the time frame fits.  Elridge would have been 22-23 at this time. The first article, however, was wrong that both he and Lillian were 21.  Her being 16 would explain why her parents were so against the marriage. The mention of New Jersey... that was where he and Lillian married.  I guess you should always combine business with pleasure on your travels.  The third article states that he is said to be an automobile salesman, and Elridge was - among other things.  Last but not least, the man that stood up for Elridge at the marriage... Homer Price... that is Elridge's brother. So it appears he married another woman while he was still married to his first wife.  

    Sometime between 1915 and 1917, Elridge and Anna must have divorced, though as I said, I have not found a record of that.  

    It was around this time that Elridge began to move westward.  He married Edith Shanklyn Wynn from Virginia on February 9, 1917 in Jackson, Madison County, Mississippi.  Then when their first child was born, they were in Dallas, Texas.  They had 4 children in less than 10 years:

        * Alsace Lorraine Price on January 19, 1919 in Dallas, Texas

        * Eldridge Solomon Price, Jr on November 5, 1921 in Dallas.  (Junior changed his legal name to Bradford 'Brad' Fulford once he was an adult.)

        * Alvin Armington 'Al' Price was born January 31, 1924 in Dallas.

        * Sterling Woodrow Price was born in Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas on October 19, 1928.

    Then it appears that Elridge and Edith divorced.  They were married again in Gregg County, Texas on May 16, 1929.

    Their 5th child, Jeamisean Edith Price, was born sometime between 1935-1936 in Alaska.

    Alaska? You ask.  Well, it seems Elridge had fled there to avoid tax evasion charges. 

    Then in 1940, Elridge and Edith are estranged again. He was trying to gain custody of their youngest daughter, who was 4 years old at the time.  Elridge filed a sanity complaint against Edith.  After being interviewed by two physicians, they found that Edith was in fact not insane so the custody trial could continue. During the case, Jeamisean had been put in the custody of her older sister, Lorraine. I have been unable thus far to find out the verdict in this case or whether it was dropped because the couple reconciled. Because obviously, they did reconcile...

    However, Edith filed for divorce in Austin, Texas in late 1943 or 1944.  Edith filed an injunction against Elridge and the judge restrained Elridge from interfering and annoying his wife and their two minor children, Jeamisean, age 9, and Sterling, age 15. However, he was acquitted on a lunacy complaint Edith had filed against him. 

    In her petition for divorce, Edith alleged cruel treatment. She sought monthly support of $100 for the two children until they reach the age of 16. She also stated in the petition that she and Elridge were married in Jackson, Mississippi on February 19, 1917, and that they lived together intermittently as husband and wife until December 5, 1944.

    The couple filed for yet another marriage license in 1947. So what is that? 3 divorces and 4 marriages just with each other?!!

    This blog post is just part 1 of probably at least a 3 part series.  In the next post, I will share Elridge's criminal exploits between 1915-1940.  

Elridge Solomon Price Sr, his wife, Edith Shaklyn Wynn
with their two oldest children, Alsace Lorraine and Elridge Solomon Jr

Elridge and Edith
ride or die

Thriller Thursday

     Today's story is a sad one.  Of course, when there is a death, it is always sad.  However, this one seems to be a case of domestic violence that left a young girl (a baby, really) without her parents.  

    Allen Thomas Brantley was 32 years old and lived in Dublin, Georgia when he died.  He was married to Dawn Elizabeth Fordham and they had a little girl.  He was a veteran of the Air Force and a former police officer.  He was a police officer in both Soperton and Dublin for 12 years.  He had just left the force a year earlier.  At the time of his death, he was a sales rep for an industrial contracting company (or as the newspaper article terms it, "a local machine and tool shop) in Dublin.

    Dawn worked at a Dublin furniture store.

    From the outside looking in, they were just a normal couple, working hard to provide for their family.  

    During the early morning hours of Sunday, April 6, 1997, Allen shot and killed his wife, Dawn.  He called his sister to come get his child.  Then he killed himself.  

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia, Monday, April 07, 1997, Page 3

    Both Allen and Dawn were buried on the same day in separate cemeteries. However, they were mentioned in each other's obituaries.    

    This is the only article I found about the incident, so I do not know if anyone ever knew what happened that night to drive Allen to do this.  I share these stories, not to revel in the thriller aspect; I share them to show that our ancestors and outlying family are/were just people, with happiness, depression, joy, trauma, love, and anger during their lives.

Thriller Thursday - The McDonald's Murders

    My cousin Keith and I rode down to Dublin this week to visit a couple of cemeteries.  When I go on a trip like that, I print out a report from Family Tree Maker listing everyone in my family tree that is buried in the particular cemetery I plan to visit.  I indicate on the report how I am related to them, who they are descended from (because Keith always asks me, and I can never remember!), their married name for women, and any other information I think I might need while I'm out there.  It's not a perfect system, but it works for me.  So while I was researching the family members on said report, I discovered a cousin that had died at age 34.  Well, I smelled a story.  So I started searching Newspapers.com, and boy, did I find a BIG story.  A sad story, but one that needs telling.  You'll understand why in a moment.

    Fredrick Lee 'Rick' Kea Jr (1954-1989) was living in Macon, Georgia in January of 1989.  He had worked as a manager at the McDonald's on the corner of Riverside and Northside Drives for about five months.  He had worked at Wendy's prior to this job.  McDonald's had a policy of doing night deposits.  We have all heard the stories about employees being robbed late at night when they leave to make the night deposit for a restaurant.  

    On the night/early morning of January 14, 1989, the restaurant closed at midnight.  Rick and another manager, Steve Rose, stayed until 2:30 am doing inventory.  I know they understood the inherent danger of their jobs because they had actually sent out the night deposit early - before midnight.  For whatever reason, inventory took about an hour longer than usual this particular morning.  

    They finished up and walked out the side door of the restaurant - the one by the drive thru lane.  All McDonald's have that exit door.  Evil was waiting for them outside.  Evil had stalked and waited that extra hour for the managers to leave the restaurant.  There was no hesitation on the part of the killer(s).  Rick was shot in the chest immediately and was found a few minutes later by police right in the drive thru lane where he fell. 

    Steve Rose reacted and began to run away.  He ran toward Northside Drive in front of the restaurant and was shot in the arm and leg while he ran.  He made it across the road and tried to climb an embankment behind the Gulf Insurance office and Steak 'n Ale, but because of his injuries, he couldn't make it.  A shooter/robber/murderer followed him, shot him in the left temple, and left Steve there where he was discovered by police about 3 hours later.  Steve was 40 years old and left a wife and two children.

    There was no night deposit to be stolen.  The killer(s) took each man's wallet.  That was it.  

    From the start there was little to go on to solve the crime.  There were no cameras like there are today.  The killer(s) never entered the restaurant so there was no fingerprints or DNA (even if there was DNA testing in 1989) or eyewitnesses.  There were a few spent shells that told the police that a .22 caliber pistol was used.  That was it.  There was a reward put together by the city, county, McDonald's and others that grew to almost $50,000, but no leads ever came out of that. Time was wasted chasing a fake lead a woman in Atlanta called in.  Turns out, she was just trying to get revenge on her boyfriend.   

    The police worked non-stop trying to solve this crime.  The McDonald's itself was outside Macon city limits, but where Steve Rose died was inside the city limits.  So the city police and the county sheriff departments came together to work this case.  No one ever came forward to say they saw anything or to name someone they thought was involved.  Nothing.  All leads dried up.  

    I followed the articles all the way until 2005 when the lead detective on the case retired.  It was still unsolved 16 years later.  I checked again tonight and the case has never been solved.  It has been 37 years.  These families deserve justice.  

    If anyone has information regarding this cold case, they should contact the Bibb County Sheriff's Office at (478) 751-7500  or use the the tip line for Macon Regional Crimestoppers at (478) 742-2330 or toll-free at 1-877-68-CRIME (1-877-682-7463).

 

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia

Monday, January 16, 1989, pages 9 & 10

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia
Tuesday, January 17, 1989, pages 1 & 4