Tennessee Supreme Court Cases
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The files located in the Tennessee Supreme Court Cases represent an especially valuable resource for historical and genealogical research at the Tennessee State Library and Archives [TSLA].
Tennessee Supreme Court Cases
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| View Entry | Year | Case Name | County | Cause/Crime | Case Description | Division | Location | # Pages | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Entry | 1896 | Bard Green alias Bart Green v. State | Madison | Murder |
The plaintiff was convicted of murdering W. P. Mitchell with a shotgun & sentenced to death. The victim is also identified as M. P. Mitchell. The testimony of a large number of witnesses is included. Case originated in Hardeman County but venue was moved to Madison Co. The public was so outraged that it was believed that violent harm might be done to Green. The number of pages includes a folded letter to Gov. Turney pleading for executive clemency. |
West | Range: 82 Section: A Shelf: Box Number: 480 | 328 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1909 | Barney Long & Hays White v. State | Madison | Murder |
Victim: Albert Hunter. |
West | Range: 80 Section: E Shelf: Box Number: 1159 | 131 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1874 | Charles Clinton v. State | Madison | Murder |
Indictment. |
West | Range: 83 Section: C Shelf: Box Number: 248 | 3 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1911 | Early Senter v. State | Madison | Murder |
Victim: T. D. Bryant. |
West | Range: 80 Section: D Shelf: Box Number: 1115 | 217 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1879 | Henry C. Johnson v. State | Madison | Attempted Murder |
Victim: T. H. Rooks |
West | Range: 84 Section: G Shelf: Box Number: 134 | 0 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1874 | Jack Davis v. State | Madison | Murder |
Indictment |
West | Range: 83 Section: C Shelf: Box Number: 248 | 4 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1878 | John Harris, et al. v. State | Madison | Murder, Attempted |
Additional Cause of action: Felonious Assault. Additional parties: G. W. Brown. |
West | Range: 84 Section: F Shelf: Box Number: 116 | 24 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1910 | Jesse Stewart& Charles Taylor v. State | Madison | Murder |
Victim: Ed Pearson |
West | Range: 80 Section: G Shelf: Box Number: 1225 | 353 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1906 | Levi Bond v. State | Madison | Murder |
Victim: Azie Lee Clark |
West | Range: 81 Section: J Shelf: Box Number: 978 | 11 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1875 | Milton McLean v. State | Madison | Murder |
Sentenced to death by hanging. |
East | Range: 5 Section: D Shelf: Box Number: 35 | 16 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1877 | Minn Wilson v. State | Madison | Murder in the First Degree |
Minn Wilson had an alias of Nimrod Wilson. The victim in this case was Newton C. Perkins. |
West | Range: 84 Section: D Shelf: Box Number: 52 | 0 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1886 | Neil McCallum v. State | Madison | Murder |
Victim: Robert Slate |
West | Range: 83 Section: D Shelf: Box Number: 301 | 59 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1905 | Pat Magee v. State | Madison | Murder |
Murder of Bill Smith. |
West | Range: 82 Section: H Shelf: Box Number: 694 | 187 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1887 | State v. H. Johnson et al. | Madison | Murder |
Additional defendants: J. V. Hudson, G. Whiswork Johnson |
West | Range: 83 Section: G Shelf: Box Number: 395 | 16 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1896 | State v. Mose Walker | Madison | Murder |
Cary Bond, a co-defendant at the first hearing of the case, was granted a severance by the court because of conflicting interests. Defendant Walker is charged with the murder of Melville Reed (marked as "C"). |
West | Range: 83 Section: J Shelf: Box Number: 454 | 40 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1934 | State v. C. D. Johnson | Madison | Murder |
Johnson was accused of felonious and malicious murder of J. T. Johns ("Johnny"), on Dec. 20, 1931. Johns was a highway patrolman on duty at the time of the accident. A wrecker was called to pull a car from a lake by a highway between Jackson and Bemis. Johns was directing traffic around the wrecker when he was struck and killed by dfnt. driving from Bemis to Jackson. 2 folders. |
West | Range: 76 Section: A Shelf: Box Number: 2163 | 311 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1895 | State v. Dink Cole | Madison | Murder |
Defendant is accused of shooting and killing George Cole (identified as "col") "to the evil example of all others, and against the peace and dignity of the state." |
West | Range: 82 Section: F Shelf: Box Number: 632 | 58 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1899 | State v. Jack Neil (Col.) | Madison | Murder |
Victim: Willie Neil. Neil was 8 year old child who was beaten to death by his father, Jack Neil. |
West | Range: 82 Section: H Shelf: Box Number: 676 | 90 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1904 | State v. Ben Springfield | Madison | Murder |
Defendant appealing his death sentence. Was found guilty of murder in the first degree in the Sept. 1903 shooting death of his wife, Willie (Pegues) Springfield. Defendant argued that her death was unintentional; he had meant to shoot her father, Annanias Pegues. |
West | Range: 81 Section: F Shelf: Box Number: 886 | 131 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1906 | State v. Clyde & John Hicks | Madison | Murder |
The victim's name in this case was Ben Gill. |
West | Range: 80 Section: B Shelf: Box Number: 1036 | 35 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1912 | State v. Long Bow et al. | Madison | Murder, Attempted |
Additional Defendants: Long Yee and Lee Gin. The victims' names were Louie On, Charlie Nigh, Wong Gow, and Louie Lee. This file consists of three folders. |
West | Range: 80 Section: H Shelf: Box Number: 1259 | 456 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1919 | State v. Ernest Wilson | Madison | Murder |
3 folders. Wilson is charged with the murder of B. E. Dickinson. "The deceased, B. E. Dicikinson, a man about forty-four years of age, was sitting in his home, reading to his wife from a Bible, on the night of April 3, 1918, when he was shot by someone standing on the outside of a window in the north side of the room." |
West | Range: 79 Section: H Shelf: Box Number: 1567 | 483 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1922 | State v. Austin Harris | Madison | Murder |
Victim: Ellis Robinson, negro. Austin Harris saw Robinson with "his girl" and threatened Robinson. Robinson later was found in his cabin which he shared with Harris with blunt force trauma to the head by an axe or shovel. Both men worked on T. C. Long's farm and were roommates in one of the negro cabins. Harris claims it was self defense, that Robinson came at him with a hot poker. Harris was found guilty of murder and set to die by electrocution at Nashville's State Penitentiary. |
West | Range: 78 Section: C Shelf: Box Number: 1692 | 63 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1923 | State v. Walter Nichols | Madison | Murder |
Nichols was charged with the murder of Wilburn McClatchey. He was also assumed to "incite, urge, move, procure, aid, counsel, induce, and command Pearl McClatchey" to murder Wilburn in the first degree. Housed in 3 folders. |
West | Range: 78 Section: D Shelf: Box Number: 1714 | 296 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1924 | State v. Henry Transou | Madison | Murder |
Victim was Albert Sledge. Albert was shot with a shotgun. Docket number is not legible. |
West | Range: 78 Section: F Shelf: Box Number: 1784 | 41 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1873 | State v. Patrick Joyce | Madison | Murder | West | Range: 84 Section: B Shelf: Box Number: 19 | 0 | Order A Copy | |
| View Entry | 1878 | State v. Augie McCorry | Madison | Murder |
Defendant accused of murdering the infant son of Sallie McCorry, also African American. |
West | Range: 84 Section: F Shelf: Box Number: 119 | 0 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1884 | State v. Hutch Green, alias Bob Green | Madison | Attempted Murder |
The charge is attempt to commit murder in the second degree. He reportedly set upon one Samuel McCoy with a razor, with the intent of killing him. |
West | Range: 83 Section: C Shelf: Box Number: 263 | 29 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1888 | State v. M. B. Nelson | Madison | Murder |
Second degree. |
West | Range: 83 Section: H Shelf: Box Number: 403 | 80 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1896 | State v. George Pearson | Madison | Murder |
George Pearson charged with murder in first degree; shot and killed Sam Walker on 3 May 1896. Both Pearson and Walker African Americans. The two men were enemies; Pearson maintained that Walker planned to kill him. Pearson originally sentenced to be executed 20 Aug. 1897. Original decision upheld; Pearson sentenced to be executed 18 June 1898. |
West | Range: 82 Section: H Shelf: Box Number: 671 | 59 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1899 | State v. Jim Woodson (col.) | Madison | Murder |
Charged with assaulting and shooting Ludie Summers to death. Testimony by Mrs. Harris, E. S. Harris, Mrs. Haynes, Mary Anderson, W. H. Wood, S. C. Cole, Andrew Hunt, Henderson McKennie, Geo. Reid, Bessie & Dora King, Mrs. Haley, J. T. Rollins, J. D. McAbee, Tina Birdsong, Ella & Robert Caruthers, and surnames: White, Fippens, Thomas, Griffen, Johnson, Bordy, Jett, May, McCabe, Snider, Woodson, Vinson, Hopper, Futrel, Conger, Miller, Blankenship, Steadman, Mianard, Fox & Temple. See Box 841 |
West | Range: 81 Section: A Shelf: Box Number: 727 | 156 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1900 | State v. Jim Woodson | Madison | Murder |
This is additional testimony added to the case. The original case is found in Box 727. |
West | Range: 81 Section: D Shelf: Box Number: 841 | 6 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1902 | State v. Bob Hunt | Madison | Murder |
This case involves more than one cause and more than one trial. Bob Hunt is accused of killing Charley Parker. Hunt's brother, W. H. Hunt, has brought a petition saying that the original sentence, for which Bob Hunt is now serving ten years in prison, is illegal and without authority of law, and he asks for a rehearing of the case. W. H. has also brought a petition of habeas corpus so his brother can be released for another hearing. |
West | Range: 81 Section: E Shelf: Box Number: 848 | 57 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1932 | State v. Haywood Delaney | Madison | Conspiracy to Commit Murder |
Delaney and James Donovan plotted to kill Clyde Little, but charges against Donovan were dropped by the grand jury. Delaney is repeatedly listed as "Haywood (FH) Delaney" or "Haywood (F. H.) Delaney". Donovan rode the rails into Jackson (TN) only to be kicked off, and hitchhiked with Delaney, who asked Donovan, "do you want to get to Tampa, FL bad enough to pull the trigger on a son of a bitch for me?" Delaney explained the long history between him and the Little gang, Donovan considered offer. |
West | Range: 77 Section: G Shelf: Box Number: 2081 | 140 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1911 | Vaulx Mahon v. State | Madison | Murder |
Murder victim is D. W. Dickson. The case is large, consisting of two volumes and additional materials. It has been placed in three folders. Additional materials related to this case are in box WT 1083. Additional plaintiffs: Floyd Parr and Tasso Moore. A change of venue was filed and original proceedings occurred in Gibson County. |
West | Range: 80 Section: J Shelf: Box Number: 1289 | 1358 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1879 | William Knight v. State | Madison | Murder |
Thomas Wilkins, Victim. |
West | Range: 84 Section: F Shelf: Box Number: 125 | 0 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1879 | William Knight v. State | Madison | Murder |
Indictment. |
West | Range: 83 Section: C Shelf: Box Number: 248 | 4 | Order A Copy |
| View Entry | 1896 | Walter Lane v. State | Madison | Murder |
Murder of Andrew Pearson |
West | Range: 82 Section: A Shelf: Box Number: 465 | 38 | Order A Copy |