Saturday, December 22, 2012

Alabama Lynching.

Little Murders
(From The Davenport Daily Leader, Davenport, Iowa, January 1, 1893)

Alabama Lynching.
 
Two Murders Strung Up by a Mob.

Not given a chance for prayer.
 
Unlike Most Southern Lynchings the Victims This Time Were White Men and Had Murdered a Tax Collector and Robbed Him of $2,000 in Cash—Both Men Confessed Their Crime—How the Mob Entered the Jail.
 
Greenville, Ala., Dec. 31. – About midnight Thursday night two strangers went to the residence of Jailer Hill Bargainer and, arousing him, told him they had a prisoner to put in jail. Bargainer went with them to the jail and upon reaching that place was met by 100 armed and masked men, who, with pistols pointed at his head, demanded the keys of the jail. He gave the up and the cells of the John Hipp and Charles Kelley, murderers of Tax Collector C. J. Armstrong of Butler county were opened. Both men were taken out in their nightclothing. Ropes were place about their necks and they were hurried to the court house near by and hanged, not even being given time to pray. The mob then quietly dispersed. The verdict of the coroner’s jury was that the men were hanged by unknown Persons.

The Murder of Armstrong.

On Dec. 17 last, Tax Collector Armstrong while collecting taxes in Butler county was waylaid, murdered and robbed at Panther Creek bridge, the murderers getting $2,000. Rewards amounting to $1.500 were offered for the arrest of the murderers and great indignation existed among citizens. A week ago John Hipp, a noted desperado, was arrested for the murder after a desperate fight with the sheriff’s posse, in which Hipp was seriously wounded. Last Monday Charles Kelly was arrested in Monroe county, Ky, as Hipp’s accomplice. The confession of the gang made the evidence convincing. Both were white men.
 


The Davenport Daily Leader, Davenport, Iowa, January 1, 1893

6 comments :

Sarah Miller says:
June 22, 2016 at 11:30 PM

Kelley was found in Monroe County, Alabama, not KY.

Sarah Miller says:
June 22, 2016 at 11:31 PM

Kelley was found in Monroe County, Alabama, not KY.

jasonhipps70@gmail.com says:
April 19, 2019 at 2:55 PM

Hipp nor Kelly ever killed anyone in Alabama. The only crime the two of them committed was in Georgia while working at an almost out of business gold mine. Came back to Alabama and lived for many years in complete peace and even started families and were land owners until Georgia lawmen came looking for them. When these crimes were committed Hipp was in North Alabama (Eva), with his wife and children. He and Kelly had committed a murder but it was in Georgia a long time before these crimes. I know this because he was my great great grandfather. I am Jason Hipps. My father John Hipp wrote a book about what happened entitled "Murder In Butler County" published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 29, 2016).

Patty B. Wright says:
April 27, 2019 at 10:55 PM

We always feel bad for this type of news. I think you can find more info here Alabama County Appraiser about peace and hope. I hope everything will be fine in future.

Sarah Miller says:
February 4, 2022 at 3:53 PM

Sadly, Jason Hipps in incorrect. His father erroneously assumed that our John Hipp was his great grandfather when he could not find where his relative was buried. That is why his John Hipp was in North Alabama while our John Hipp was committing murders with his gang, which actually included more people than you will hear about because they managed to avoid be lynched. John Kelley was born in Starlington Alabama to an unwed mother who died when he was young. He married Emma Sims, but they never had children, so therefore there are no descendants of John Hipp. Just to make sure, I researched the genealogy of both the real lynched John Hipp and the John Hipp of Cullman Alabama, and they were absolutely, without a doubt, two different men. The real story can be found in the book "The Bad Boys of Butler County", available on Amazon, and it includes historical documents that prove everything I just said.

JOHN HIPP, HVM says:
April 27, 2022 at 4:11 PM

Undoubtedly, I must have stepped on Sarah Millers toes by unknowingly mentioning a relative of hers in my book Murder In Butler County published on Amazon. I can think of no other reason for her questioning my being the great Grandson of the John Hipp of 1892.in Butler County. I did not knowingly insult her family. So if she was related to one of the members of the mob or the sheriff or other elected officials. I appo9logize.
Signed John Hipp of Altamont, Tn.

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