Aftermath of Hardin Case

• Cleveland Hardin

Aftermath of Hardin Case. An Unusual and Deplorable Tragedy; Similar Incidents in the History of Lauderdale. The exciting scenes incident to the crime committed in the Oakland beat on the 22nd of March by Cleveland Hardin have passed into local history and the quiet even tenor of life in our county has quickly assumed that usual way. The combination of this tragedy left a quietude in most striking contrast with the furious spirit that had existed the two days before.With the people the issue was a closed book; in their opinion justice has been administered and the ordinary currents of business went on as before. Fortunately no race feeling was engendered that left an abiding impression. The rarity of this occurrence in this community, the peaceful character of the color population and the repudiation of the act by many leading colored men, all tended to divest the matter of any acute race proposition, so far as it relates to bitter antagonism in concrete form. The Hardin affair calls to mind other instances of a similar kind, when Judge Lynch and illegally adjusted the scales of justice. Fortunately however in the memory of the oldest inhabitant there has never been but one other case of right. This case occurred on the Key place about the year 1875. Jim White was the guilty man. On a change of venue he was tried in Tuscumbia, found guilty, and legally hand. In addition to this it is remembered that four other persons have been hung, three white men and one Negro. This occurred in the troubles time soon after the war in 1872. The white men were Tom Clark, a County man, and two robbers.They were in jail here and were taking out and hung near the corner of Court and Tombigbee streets. The Negro in 1882 had most heartlessly murdered a boy at Lock Six. He robbed him, beat him nearly into insensibility and threw him into the river. When the boy tried to come up the bank he was successfully beaten back in the water with rocks until exhausted he sunk into the water and was drowned. He was promptly captured brought to jail here and after being there about 10 days he was taken there from and hung from the limb of a tree near where the Southern depot now stands. The name of the Negro was George Ware. It appears from the above that so far as can now be recalled there have been lynched in this county in the last half century six individuals three white and three colored two for high-handed robbery, two for rape, two for murder.

“Aftermath of the Hardin Case.” March 29, 1907. https://shoalsblackhistory.omeka.net/items/show/312.