Earlier this year, I discovered court records for the case of William A. Lankford, who was charged with assault with intent to murder. Since William is my 4th great uncle, the case caught my interest. A month later, while once again browsing through the Greene County, Georgia court records, I discovered another case of assault with intent to murder, this time involving my direct ancestor, James C. Lankford. James is William’s nephew and my 2nd great grandfather.
In the case of the State vs. James C. Lankford during the March 1871 term of the Superior Court, James was charged with the offense of assault with intent to murder Oscar B. Johnson on January 25, 1871 in Greene County. Allegedly, James used a knife, valued at 50 cents, to unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, and with malice aforethought, strike, thrust, beat, and stab Johnson, inflicting severe wounds with the intent to kill.
The Grand Jury returned a “True Bill,” meaning they found sufficient evidence to indict James on the charge. James waived formal arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty. He was ultimately found not guilty by the jury in the trial that took place in September 1871. The verdict was recorded on October 11, 1871, by Clerk Isaac R. Hall.
James was a 21-year-old butcher living in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia, with his wife and son in 1870. He lived five houses away from Oscar, a 22-year-old white farmer who lived with his wife and their four-month-old daughter in Penfield. Both likely still resided in Penfield in January 1871. They likely knew each other well, living so close together and with James supplying meat to the community.
You can view the actual court records on the FamilySearch website at the links below. You will need a free account to access:
Greene. Court Minutes 1872–1874
Greene. Miscellaneous Records 1866–1871, 1870–1873
Greene. Miscellaneous Records 1866–1871, 1870–1873
References
- Greene County, Georgia Court Minutes 1872–1874, image 191, FamilySearch.
- Greene County, Georgia Miscellaneous Records 1866–1871, 1870–1873, images 348 and 379, FamilySearch.
- U.S. Federal Census, Penfield, Greene County, Georgia, 1870.
- U.S. Federal Census, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, 1860.
