The Murder of Jacob Black

The Jacob Riley Black family
Back row (left to right):  Ella Mae, Jacob Riley, Lang G., Roy Kilby, Cecil Banks, James Leland, William Thomas
Middle row (left to right):  Ruth, Eunice Fae, Wade Dewitt, Evelyn Kate
Front row (left to right):  Doris, J.C., Riley Ray

For today's post, I'd like to investigate an incident that took place over 78 years ago, not to a direct ancestor of mine, but to his brother.  That distant uncle's name is Jacob Riley Black.  On February 19, 1940, Jacob Black was murdered.  Or was he?

My 3rd great-grandparents, Riley and Elvina Mauldin Black, were the parents of fifteen children - five girls and ten boys.  One of those children was my second great-grandfather, Andrew Paul Black, whose history I will explore in a later post.  However, great-great-grandpa Andrew Paul ("Paul") had a brother named Jacob.  That makes Jacob my third great-uncle, or the uncle of my great-grandmother, Myrlie Catherine Black Foster.

If this is confusing to you, join the club.  Even after doing genealogy research for over ten years, I still have to draw myself a diagram sometimes.  Hopefully, the below pedigree chart will make the family relationships a little easier to understand (click the photo to enlarge):

See my 2nd great-grandfather, Andrew Paul Black, there toward the right?  One of his brothers was named Jacob.  Below is where Jacob falls in my family tree:

Okay, so now that we hopefully have that down, let's talk about Jacob.  As you can see from the above photograph, Jacob and his wife, like Jacob's parents, took the whole "be fruitful and multiply" thing very seriously.  They had a total of 8 boys and 4 girls.  I haven't yet researched the families of each of Jacob's and Paul's siblings, but if each one of them procreated this much, then my 3rd great-grandparents Riley and Elvina ("Vina") Black very likely have hundreds, maybe even thousands of descendants in the Greenville/Pickens/Anderson, South Carolina area.  But I digress...

Jacob Riley Black was born in South Carolina on April 4, 1884, the fifth child born to Riley and Vina.  Because of the fire and resulting water damage that ultimately caused nearly all of the 1890 US Census records to be destroyed, the 1900 census is the first census record where Jacob appears.  He is 16 years old, and his name is misspelled as "Jabos."  In 1900, he was living in Liberty Township, in Pickens County, with his parents and ten siblings.  Jacob, along with each of his brothers aged 10 or older, has his occupation listed as "farm laborer."  It is therefore a safe assumption that Jacob and his brothers were raised to work on the family farm from a very young age.

The Riley Black family in the 1900 United States Federal Census, District 115, Liberty, Pickens, South Carolina

In the next census record in 1910, Jacob is married and has his own family.  According to the 1910 census, Jacob married Ella Mae ("Mae") Kilby in 1906 at age 22.  At first, it appears that Jacob may have been a bit of a scoundrel, as the 1910 census states that Jacob and Mae have been married for four years, yet there is a five-year-old son (Cecil) listed living with them.  That makes Cecil's birth year 1905, a full year prior to Jacob's and Mae's wedding.  Even worse, Cecil's Social Security record and death records state that he was actually born even earlier in 1903.  However, before we all begin clutching our pearls, let's take a closer look at the records.  It is quite possible that either the census enumerator or the person who was the informant on behalf of the family for the 1910 census (which could have been Jacob, Mae, or a neighbor or another family member) made an error with regard to Mae and Jacob's marriage date.  I have thus far been unable to locate a marriage record for Jacob and Mae, so this is difficult to determine with certainty, but the 1930 census for this family does shed further light on this issue (see below).  Nevertheless, in addition to Cecil, in 1910 Jacob and Mae also have two other sons - Leland, age 3, and Roy, age 1.  This young couple, like so many others of that time, has also suffered the tragedy of having lost a child.  The circumstances of the child's death are not given, but the 1910 census record does state that Mae has given birth to four children, with only three surviving.  This is yet another reason why it is likely that the marriage date is incorrect - Mae would have had to have given birth to four children within four years' time.  While that is certainly not impossible, together with Cecil's age, it is far more likely that Jacob and Mae have been married for longer than four years at this point.

The 1910 census also shows that Jacob is renting and working a farm right next door to his mother and father-in-law, James and Laura Kilby, in Liberty (Pickens County), South Carolina.

1910 US Federal Census, District 141, Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina
Jacob and Mae are living beside Mae's parents, James and Laura Kilby.

By 1920, Jacob is renting and working a farm in Anderson County, very close to his sister-in-law's parents (and my 3rd great-grandparents), William Jefferson ("Bud") King and Carrie Zora Young King.  (See the chart below the census record for a diagram of that relationship.)  Ten years earlier in the 1910 census, Bud and Carrie King are listed only a few pages away from the Black family, also in District 141 in Liberty, Pickens County.  It is unlikely (but not impossible) that both families with no direct blood relationship would have moved together from Pickens to Anderson.  So what in the world is going on here?

I have taken a look at the enumeration maps for Pickens and Anderson countries from this time period, and both of these enumeration districts (141 in Pickens and 33 in Anderson) are very close to the county line separating these two counties.  I therefore believe that Jacob and his family were living on the same farm in 1920 as they were in 1910, but that the county lines had changed around them, giving the appearance that they had moved from one county to another.

1920 US Federal Census, District 33, Brushy Creek, Anderson County, South Carolina
Jacob and Mae are living very nearby William and Carrie King.

My relationship to William "Bud" and Carrie King - click the photo to enlarge

In the 1930 census, the family is still living in Brushy Creek, Anderson County, on what I believe is the same farm where they have lived for at least the past 20 years.  This census record also gives the ages of Jacob (listed as "Jack") and Mae at the time of their marriage - 19 and 16, respectively.  This means that Jacob and Mae were likely married in 1903.  Jacob would have turned 19 on April 4, 1903, and Mae would have turned 16 on May 19, 1903.  However, my records show that their son Cecil was born on May 24, 1903.  That only gives a 5-day window for the marriage to take place between Mae's 16th birthday and Cecil's birth.  Even if Mae's age at the time of marriage is incorrect in the 1930 census, Jacob had just turned 19 a little over one month prior to Mae's 16th birthday.  So in order for Cecil to not have been at least conceived prior to their marriage, both Jacob's and Mae's ages at marriage would have to be incorrect.  You can grab those pearls now - it seems there may have been a bit of a scandal, after all!

1930 US Federal Census, District 0014, Brushy Creek, Anderson County, South Carolina

The 1930 census was the very last census in which Jacob Black was enumerated.  By the time the 1940 census was taken, Jacob was gone.

Sometime prior to April 1, 1935, the Jacob Black family relocated to Pickens County, where Jacob was born and raised.  All those years of hard work on someone else's land finally paid off, and Jacob bought his own farm in the Croswell area of Easley in Pickens County.  He must have taken a lot of pride in finally working his own land, and was very protective of what was his.

On the evening of February 19, 1940 at around 5:00, approximately one hour before sunset, Jacob went into the woods on his property with an axe.  The family may have needed wood to burn to keep warm during the cool February night.  Mae remained in the house with the four children still living at home - Wade, age 19, J.C., age 16, Ray, age 14, and Doris, age 10.  While he was chopping wood, Jacob encountered his friend and neighbor, Henry Addington.  Henry was younger, age 37 (the same age as Jacob's eldest son Cecil) to Jacob's age 56.  Henry was also outside working, repairing a fence on his property.  His 16-year-old son, Henry Jr., was helping him, or was at least working outside somewhere nearby.

Henry apparently approached Jacob regarding his choice of timber, claiming that Jacob was cutting wood on his (Henry's) land.  Jacob disagreed, and insisted on continuing to cut his timber.  There is no evidence as to how long the argument lasted, but it escalated dramatically.  The discussion got more and more heated, until, according to eyewitness testimony, Jacob charged at Henry Addington with his axe.  Addington ran away and leaped over his fence - begging the question as to just whose property he was on prior to leaping the fence.  Nevertheless, he ran and grabbed his shotgun before turning back to face his attacker.  He may have had the shotgun nearby and already loaded to protect himself from animal attacks.  He was working out in the woods, after all.

Addington quickly discharged two shotgun shells full of buckshot at Jacob Black.  Jacob was hit in the face and back.  And just like that, Jacob Black's life abruptly came to an end.  The farmer, husband, and father of twelve had died instantly from his wounds.  His youngest child was just ten years old.

The sheriff was called to the scene, and Addington immediately claimed that the shooting was in self-defense.  After all, Jacob Black had come after him with an axe, right?  Nevertheless, Henry Addington was immediately taken to the Pickens County jail.

The story of the shooting ran on the front page of The Greenville News the following day, below the fold and nestled in among stories about the war in Europe.  Still, this was very big news for this area and time period.

The Greenville News front page, February 20, 1940
Just to the right and below center - "Jake R. Black of Easley is Fatally Shot."

The newspaper story of the shooting, enlarged.  Blurry, but still fairly readable.

The Easley Progress, February 22, 1940

Amid the media hype, Jacob was buried on Wednesday, February 21, at the Zion United Methodist Church cemetery in Pickens, South Carolina.

Jacob Black Obituary, The Greenville News, February 21, 1940

The shooting and Jacob's death were apparently the talk of the town.  A coroner's inquest was held just 2 1/2 weeks after the funeral on Saturday, March 9.  The inquest was originally scheduled to be held at the City Council's chambers at City Hall, but there were so many spectators (around 500) that the inquest had to be moved to a nearby school auditorium.  Apparently, the Black family, with all of those many descendants, showed up in droves.  The coroner's jury returned a verdict that Henry Addington was responsible for the death of Jacob Black, and that he should be put on trial for murder.  From the Easley Progress:

The coroner's jury, after hearing one eyewitness to the shooting, Ellison Richey, and a statement prepared by Dr. N.C. Brackett, said Black came to his death from gunshot wounds at the hands of Henry Addington.

Mr. Richey was the only witness testifying besides Dr. Brackett.

Mr. Richey said that Addington shot Black following an argument between the two on land boundaries.  He said that Addington charged Black with having cut some timber on his (Addington's) land.

Addington was not present for the inquest.  The shooting occurred on February 19.

Dr. Brackett's statement, which was read at the inquest, said Black's death "was due to gunshot wounds in the head."  Black, however, suffered five buckshots in the back; one in the neck and two in the head.  The shots in the head entered through his face, the statement said.

Addington has been held in the Pickens county jail since the shooting.

The Easley Progress, March 14, 1940

The Greenville News article on the inquest reads almost identically, but adds the additional tidbit that Addington had not yet made bond.

However, by the time the enumeration date for the 1940 census rolled around on April 9, Henry was back at home comfortably with his family - and just five residences away from the children that he had made orphans and the woman that he had made a widow.

The 1940 US Federal Census, District 39-1, Croswell, Pickens, South Carolina

Oh, there was a trial.  According to my grandfather, who vividly remembers this incident from his childhood, the trial was a huge spectacle and lasted for several weeks.  Henry Addington was ultimately found guilty of the murder of Jacob Black.  I wish I could tell you that I had seen the court records and that I know what the smoking gun was that caused the jury to return a guilty verdict.  But I haven't.  I do hope to one day get down to the Pickens County courthouse to dig up the records, but that would require a day off from my job in Spartanburg, and that isn't a reality right now.  But hopefully someday soon.

So why on earth would the jury have found Henry Addington guilty of murder, when he was clearly only defending himself after being threatened by an axe-wielding madman?  Well, was he?  Let's take a closer look at what we know about what happened:

First, despite the varying (and incorrect) ages given by the newspaper articles, there was a fairly significant age gap between Jacob and Henry.  I have checked the census records for both men going back to their childhoods, and I feel confident in saying that Jacob was 56, and Henry was 37 - young enough to be Jacob's son.  It is unlikely, although not impossible, that Jacob, who had been a hard laborer for his entire life, would have been able to keep up with the much-younger Henry if Henry had been running away from him at a full sprint.  Remember, Jacob was also running while allegedly carrying the extra weight of an axe.

Second, take another look at the Greenville News article above about the murder (the one below the full newspaper page).  The eyewitness, Ellison Richey, said that Henry had leaped over a fence - one that he was admittedly building or repairing on his property, so it is likely that he was over his own property line and trespassing on Jacob's land when the argument commenced.  Jacob was defending, and chasing Henry off of, his own property.

Third, Richey also said that Addington had run about 50 yards to fetch his shotgun.  FIFTY YARDS.  That's half the length of a football field.  I have a hard time believing that Jacob was continuing to pursue Henry on a chase of that length, especially after Henry had leaped back over his fence onto his own property.  Nowhere in any of the stories is there an eyewitness account of Jacob pursuing Henry by jumping over the fence after him.

Last, back to the newspaper articles.  Did you happen to notice what they said about Jacob's cause of death?  Allow me to refresh your memory:

Dr. Brackett's statement, which was read at the inquest, said Black's death "was due to gunshot wounds in the head."  Black, however, suffered five buckshots in the back; one in the neck and two in the head.  The shots in the head entered through his face, the statement said.

(Emphasis mine.)  Jacob was actually shot in the back more than he was shot in the head or face.  Now, I realize that buckshot scatters after exiting the gun.  And I realize that a gunshot blast has some serious force behind it, and that it's possible that the first blast spun Jacob around.  However, I find it hard to believe that Jacob could have suffered more shots in the back of his body than in the front if he was still charging at Addington with an axe.  It seems much more likely to me that Jacob was fleeing from the gun-wielding Addington, and that Addington still gunned him down in cold blooded revenge.

So was this actually a murder?  Or was it simply a case of a man defending himself against another man with some serious anger issues?  We may never know.  Or maybe we will.  If and when I am ever able to get my hands on the court records, I will write an update to this story.  But until then, I am left wondering and drawing my own conclusions.  For now, I am inclined to believe that Addington was fleeing in self-defense, but ultimately decided to turn around and commit a revenge killing.  In my opinion, Henry could have easily made the choice to remain on his own property after fleeing, rather than grabbing a shotgun and going back after Jacob and killing him.  Henry could have made the choice to allow Jacob to live out the remainder of his life with his family.  But instead, he made a very different choice that altered the lives of everyone involved in this situation.

The jury, however, did hear all of the evidence, and they returned a guilty verdict.  They decided that Henry had committed a murder, not a killing in self-defense.  However, it seems that later, at least eleven of them had a change of heart:

The Greenville News, April 5, 1945

Henry Addington was granted a full pardon and released from prison in April 1945 after serving only five years of a life sentence for murder.  He died at age 61 on January 17, 1964, having spent the last nineteen years of his life as a free man.