State of Mississippi, Circuit Court Criminal Case, Lowndes County State v. Joe, Case File No. 1255

Creator

Circuit Court of Lowndes County

Files

Description

Sixty-two pages of original court documents from the State v. Joe case dating 1857. The case was heard in the State of Mississippi Lowndes County Circuit Court.

Transcription

The State of Mississippi, Lowndes County, charged Joe, an enslaved man owned by Edwin Jordan, with assault and battery with the intent to kill and murder Scott Cratic, a white person on April 1, 1856. In 1857, Jordan states in an affidavit that one of his enslaved women, Ginney, is a material witness for the defendant Joe. Ginny is unable to travel to court due to sickness so Jordan requests additional time for her testimony to be heard. Jordan also states that according to Ginny and other witnesses the events surrounding the incident stemmed from a card game where Cratic lost his money and knife to Joe. This resulted in Cratic, sometime later, attacking Joe and threatening to whip him. Joe, attempting to return to work, had an axe in his hand. When Cratic struck Joe with the loaded part of the whip, Joe asked to be left alone to do his work because his master was not home. Other material witnesses include, but are not limited to, Capt. John Seale, a white man, and two enslaved women Amy and Henrietta.

Approximate Creation Date

1857

Time Period

1850-1859

Subjects

Slaveholders.; Slavery -- Mississippi.; Slavery -- Mississippi -- History -- Sources.; Slaveholders.; Slaves -- Social Conditions.; Crime and race.; Legal documents.; Negotiable instruments.; Crime--History.

Keywords

Slavery, Slaves, Circuit Court, State Court, Criminal Files, Enslaved persons, Lowndes County, Mississippi; Legal instrument

Geographic Location

Columbus--Mississippi; Lowndes County (Miss.).

Object Type

Text

Physical Format

Document

Digital Format

TIFF

Digital ID

CLP_CircuitCourtCriminal_1255_StateVsJoe_1857

Source

State of Mississippi Lowndes County Circuit Court State Criminal Case Files Collection. Billups-Garth Archives, Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System (Miss.).

Repository

Columus-Lowndes Public Library System

Publisher

Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System

Digital Publisher

Mississippi State University Libraries

Rights

Images, texts, transcriptions, and/or recordings reproduced in this document may be protected by copyright. Users who contemplate reproducing materials should determine ownership and, if restricted, seek permission before reproducing them. Whenever possible, the Local History Department (LHD) at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System will provide information about copyright owners and restrictions. The LHD provides this information as a service to aid researchers in determining the appropriate use of an item, but that determination ultimately rests with the researcher.

Recommended Citation

State v. Joe Case File No. 1255. Lowndes County (Miss.) Circuit Court State Criminal Cases. Local Government Records, Billups-Garth Archives, Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System.