White Lightning Feuds: Kinder Trial Begins

White Lightning Feud Series: Part 9

 

NOTE: This is another in our series of articles reprinting prior published information on the White Lightning Feuds.

 

Historical Series Chronology Resposes have been favorable to this historical series. Additional material continues to come to light. This means the series will be longer than originally expected; therefore, we are including a brief chronology of past articles: Part 1 (printed 10/13/05) - J. H. Tuggle's rabid dog bit several livestock and other animals; W. W. Maddox assassinated by unknown person and rewards totalling $500 offered for arrest and conviction of the killer; J. H. Ramsey wounds J. D. Tuggle near Denman and Co. Hardware in Homer... Part 2 (printed 10/20/05) - Near Denman and Co. Hardware in Homer, J. D. Tuggle shot at John H. Ramsey, missed, and killed Professor J. H. Williams; W. W. Ramsey died and Hamp and Henry Tuggle were wounded in a shootout between the jail and Knighten's saloon in Homer... Part 3 (printed 10/27/05) - J. D. Tuggle and I. N. Glover died when ambushed by unknown assailant about three and a half miles toward Summerfield... Part 4 (printed 11/10/05) - Murray Tuggle, Hamp's 15-year-old son is shot and wounded; continuation of Dosia Williams' account of Hamp Tuggle's stay at Loyd Hall... Part 5 (printed 11/10/05) - Murray Tuggle, Hamp's 15-year-old son is shot and wounded; continuation of Dosia Williams' account of Hamp Tuggle's stay at Loyd Hall Part 6 (printed 11/17/05) - Henry Tuggle killed in field in presence of his three children. Link Waggonner shoots a Mr. Holland, then flees to Texas... Part 7 (printed 11/24/05) - Waggonner-Kinder grudge; Henry Tuggle makes dying statement that Tom Kinder shot him; Coroner's jury determines Tom Kinder shot and killed John Ferguson, a black man; Tom Kinder shoots at A. K. Clingman... Part 8 (printed 12/01/05) - Rewards totalling $1000 offered for Tom Kinder's capture and delivery to sheriff; Kinder surrenders... Part 9 (printed 12/08/05) - Waggonner on the run; Kinder trial begins...

 

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(continued from last week)

            [Kinder] says he wanted to ask Mr. Clingman some more questions about the remarks he had heard he had made about him, notify him that he would not take any advantage of him, and then drop the matter, but he intended no violence. He also says that the trouble between him and Clingman is of several years standing and that the public does not know its origin but will know.

            Mr. Clingman and his agent, of course, adhere firmly to the statements heretofore made.

            This man [Kinder] is in the hands of the law. There are serious charges against him. These charges are to be disposed of legally. Let this be done fairly and impartially, and let no guilty man escape.

            We have had much lawlessness in our parish. The way to suppress it is to fairly, firmly, and impartially enforce the law. Let us return verdicts in keeping with the law and the evidence and then apply the penalties of the law without fear or favor. When this is done, we believe the reign of law and order will be restored.

            The jail is being closely guarded, as it is [thought] by some that it might be attacked by a mob. We do not think there is any danger of such a thing. At a time when we are clamoring for law and order, we cannot afford to resort to mob violence.

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            Thos. D. Kinder is in jail and will answer the charges brought against him at the bar of justice. But he is not the only man that is charged with having violated the laws in this parish. There is Hamp Tuggle. He is indicted for a severe criminal offense and has not been arrested. It is whispered around that he spends at least a part of his time in this parish. Let him be arrested and brought to trial. The law must be enforced without any regard to persons. Let no guilty man escape.

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There are men still at large who are charged with serious criminal offenses committed in this parish. It is now in order to arrest and lock up all such parties.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

November 8, 1893

(NOTE: This may refer to Link Waggonner [who had fled to Texas] and Hamp Tuggle [who was at Loyd Hall near Cheneyville]. It's likely the item also refers to several unsolved murders in the parish.)

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            Link Waggonner was arrested last week near Nacogdoches, Texas, and is now in the Minden jail. Waggonner is indicted in Webster Parish for attempting to assassinate Holland. A number of other crimes are laid at his door.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

November 29, 1893

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            The Police Jury refused to pay J. H. Bridgeman the reward of $500.00 for the arrest of T. D. Kinder. They also refused to pay the persons who had been guarding the jail.

(NOTE: It was determined that the Police Jury was not permitted by law to offer a reward. J. H. Bridgeman later went to court to collect the rewards; however, it appears none of the $1000 in reward money [$500 by the Police Jury, $250 by the Town of Homer, and $250 by A. K. Clingman] was ever paid to Bridgeman. Both the Town of Homer and A. K. Clingman also refused to pay rewards to Bridgeman. As for the matter of not paying "persons who had been guarding the jail," we can only speculate. We know that Link Waggonner attempted to escape from the Minden jail, the Homer jail, and the Monroe jail. Perhaps "persons who had been guarding the jail" were bribed by Waggonner to help him escape or they were lax in their jobs. Waggonner, Kinder, and others were masters at threatening, bullying, and intimidating to get their way.)

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            Thos. D. Kinder was turned over to Deputy Sheriff Reagan of Webster parish last Friday, and by the order of Judge Watkins was taken to the Shreveport jail for safekeeping. W. J. Mercer and O. P. Bailey accompanied Reagan to Shreveport.

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            We learn through private sources that Link Waggonner came very near making his escape from the Minden jail last Saturday morning [December 2, 1893]. He had improvised some tools and had almost sawed through the iron bars when the sheriff discovered what was going on.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

December 6, 1893

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            The persons confined in the Minden jail came very near making their escape again Tuesday night of last week [January 2, 1894]. This is the second effort Waggonner has made to escape from the Minden jail within the past few weeks. The Webster authorities will have to be careful when they have such characters as Link Waggonner in charge.

— Guardian-Journal, page 2

January 10, 1894

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            Link Waggonner has been moved from Minden to Monroe for safekeeping.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

January 10, 1894

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            Link Waggonner recently told a newspaper at Monroe that he would come out of his troubles all right and that he would soon be a free man again. He also said that there was but one man in North Louisiana with whom he wanted a reckoning, and that was Tom Kinder. Both Waggonner and Kinder will be tried at Minden next month.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

January 17, 1894

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            Mr. Frank Gill, formerly of Homer, died at Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on Tuesday of last week [January 23, 1894]. The corpse was brought to this place and buried at Coal Springs. We learn that Mrs. Gill will return to Homer to live.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

January 31, 1894

(NOTE: Part 4 of this series had this: "...friends of Hamp Tuggle advised him to leave, which it is thought, he did; also Frank Gill, the barber, and Joe Clingman, friends of Tuggle." Then Part 7 mentioned Mrs. Frank Gill's Homer visit indicating that Frank Gill and his wife had moved to Mt. Pleasant, Texas, after the killings of John H. Ramsey and an unnamed negro plus J. D. Tuggle and I. N. Glover, all between March and August, 1891. Now it appears the widowed Mrs. Gill planned to return to Homer.)

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            Tom Kinder has been moved from the Shreveport to the Minden jail. Court will convene at Minden next week, and we presume Kinder will be tried during the term.

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Town Council Proceedings

The following was presented:

[Town of] Homer

To: J. H. Bridgeman

            For the arrest and delivery of T. D. Kinder to the Sheriff of Claiborne Parish, pursuant to a resolution passed by the board, Two Hundred and Fifty ($250.00) Dollars.

            After a vote the bill was rejected.

(signed) J. E. Hulse, Mayor,

R. L. Richardson, Clerk

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

February 14, 1894

(NOTE: We earlier commented on J. H. Bridgeman's seeking to collect the $1000 in rewards offered by the Police Jury, the Town of Homer, and A. K. Clingman in connection with Tom Kinder's capture. However, the Council rejected Bridgeman's claim. We reviewed the original minutes in Book 2 of the town records for the meeting of the Town Council on Friday,  February 2, 1894. The minutes contain no discussion or explanation of the matter, only the Council's rejection of Bridgeman's claim to the reward. We note that in Part 8 of this series, Bridgeman is referred to as "a relative of Kinder's." The impression may have been that Kinder and Bridgeman schemed to make it appear that Bridgeman had "captured" Kinder and turned him in for the reward. If that's true, the conspirators obviously intended to share the $1000 in reward money.)

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            District Court is in session at Minden this week. Both the Kinder and Waggonner cases are expected to be tried this term. These cases will excite interest throughout this session. A large number of witnesses have been summoned from this parish in the Kinder case. This case is fixed for Friday, February 23, 1894, and will probably last for several days.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

February 21, 1894

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            The Kinder trial did not come off at Minden last week. The case was fixed for Friday [February 23, 1894] but was postponed until yesterday on account of the absence of witnesses. There are a large number of witnesses summoned for both the State and the defense. Many of the witnesses are from this parish. If the case was taken up yesterday, it will last for several days, probably all the week. This case and the Waggonner case will attract great interest throughout this section of the State.

— Guardian-Journal, page 3

February 28, 1894

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The Kinder Trial—No Verdict Yet

            The celebrated Kinder case was tried at Minden last week. Tom Kinder was charged with the murder of Henry Tuggle, who was assassinated while picking cotton in his field at Cotton Valley in Webster Parish in November, 1892. Kinder was indicted by the Webster grand jury. The trial of the case commenced on Tuesday of last week [February 27, 1894]. A jury was obtained sooner than was expected. It is said that the jury was a good one.

            The evidence for the state, in brief, consisted of the dying...to be continued

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Note: Bill Hightower and Jimmy Dean researched this series of articles.