More testimony in the Riggs case

I am continuing to make my way through the 107-page case file from the Tennessee State Library and Archives for State of Tennessee v Pleasant Riggs. Yesterday I covered the testimony of my 3rd-great-grandfather, Joseph Jones. The testimony of witness Columbus Biddle provides more context into the dispute that led to the killing of Captain John A. Thornhill. Biddle stated that there were two factions in the regiment, one led by Thornhill and one led by Colonel Parsons. He said "the feeling was very bitter between the two parties. I do not know which side Riggs was on. Captain Bell was on the Parsons side. Riggs was a private soldier in Captain Bell's company."

Sarah Jane Thornhill Ryan, sister of Richard Thornhill, and Margaret Emily Thornhill Bowers, sister of Captain John Thornhill, were present at the home with the company led by Captain Bell arrived. They both provided testimony that the company called John out of the house and shot him as he ran.

The rest of the case file shows the charge to the jury in Grainger County and the costs provided to the court and witnesses.

Testimony of Joseph Jones

I have been very lucky to stumble across various cases and documents referring to my 3rd-great-grandfather, Joseph Jones. His Civil War pension file provided a wealth of information, identifying his four wives. A Civil War pension file for Thomas W. Thornhill included a handwritten note signed by Joseph. The case surrounding the murder of Captain John A. Thornhill mentions Joseph Jones as part of his command in the 9th Tennessee Cavalry. It was a nice surprise to see his name mentioned again in the Supreme Court of Tennessee records for State of Tennessee v Pleasant M. Riggs.

Testimony of Joseph Jones. State v. Riggs, 1869.

According to Joseph's testimony, he was marching with the company when the lead group shot and killed John Thornhill at his uncle Richard Thornhill's home. He did not see the shots fired, but he agreed with other testimony that Riggs' mule was in the lead and had tracks near where Thornhill was shot. On cross-examination, Jones said he was riding with Captain Bell and did not see who had fired shots at Thornhill. Joseph Jones and James Cox were part of the group that arrested Pleasant Riggs later that evening in Morristown, Tennessee.

A scout, who is never named, had been sent ahead with the lead group. Several witnesses stated that private soldiers knew nothing of the object and purpose of scouts.

The case mentions refers to several witnesses in the case, all who have connections to the Jones and Thornhill families. Joseph Jones was compensated for 12 days of being a witness. Richard Thornhill was compensated for 13 days. Jacob Ryan (here spelled Ryans) was compensated for 8 days. He was the husband of Sarah Jane Thornhill, youngest sister of Richard. Margaret Emily Bowers was a sister of John Thornhill. Roland Larimore was possibly married to a sister of Richard Thornhill and was certainly a close friend and neighbor.

The case was originally filed in Jefferson County, but the venue was moved to neighboring Grainger County. The case was initiated on 15 August 1865, against James Bell, Samuel E. Rankin, Pleasant M. Riggs, Job Powell, Jacob Letcher, John Biddle, John James, Isaac Frazier, Peyton Rutherford, Benjamin Lockhart, Monroe Hooper and Joseph Parsons by Richard Thornhill and Joseph Jones.

Looking into the Riggs case

In Monday's post, I started revisiting the case of State of Tennessee v Pleasant Riggs. Riggs was a Private in the 9th Tennessee Cavalry from 1864-1865. He had previously served in the Confederate Army from 1861-1683. Riggs was with the Union soldiers during the murder of Captain John A. Thornhill on 24 June 1865. A civil suit was brought against Riggs and other soldiers, this wound its way up to the Supreme Court before being sent back to the circuit court in 1866, finding judgment in favor of Riggs that the circuit court had ruled against him in error. This case file covers the retrial in Grainger County, Tennessee from November 1866 to 1869. The new trial began on 24 December 1866.

A Grand Jury was formed, and Riggs posted a $3000 bond on 28 December 1866. The next proceedings in the case were on 29 April 1867. The Tennessee Attorney General represented the State, charging Riggs with murder. The State also claimed Riggs was in default on the $3000 bond. Riggs filed an appearance on 28 August 1868. In December 1868, Riggs' counsel requested a continuance to the next term of the court (April 1869). In April 1869, Riggs' counsel again requested a continuance to the next term, August 1869. On 25 August 1869, Riggs entered a plea of not guilty. The jury found Riggs guilty of second degree murder, sentencing him to 10 years hard labor in jail.

Riggs took his case back to the Supreme Court of Tennessee. On 1 September 1869, Riggs' counsel provided a series of exhibits in support of his client. First, they claimed two of the jurors were ineligible to have been empaneled. Second, the jury should have been advised that Riggs was a soldier in the US Army and was ordered by a superior officer to be at the place where the murder occurred, that he was lawfully there and no act or deed of the others could be given in evidence of the defendant Riggs.

Third, Riggs' counsel argued that the State had to provide that Riggs "had knowledge of the object and purpose of the expedition and actually participated in the killing, and knew that the act was unlawful." Fourth, the State had to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Supreme Court sided with Riggs.

After the case
Riggs married in 1869 and moved to Hawkins County, Tennessee. He had a daughter Eliza in January 1870, and a son John in 1872. By 1880, Pleasant and wife Joanna were living in Hamblen County, Tennessee. Pleasant Riggs died in 1887 in Hamblen County.

Update
Riggs married Joanna Giffort or Gifford in Grainger County, Tennessee on 15 September 1868. He had been previously married to Fanny A. M. Ellis on 28 October 1860 in Jefferson County. Fanny and Riggs were separated during the Civil War, and the depositions in the Riggs case mention that he was living apart from his wife.

--

While this marked the end of the Supreme Court case, this recap only covers the first 37 pages of the file. There are still 100 more pages to cover. Fortunately the case file also included the witness testimony from the circuit court, and this is where it becomes very interesting for my family history research. I will continue this in the next post.

Another one from the Tennessee State Library & Archives

A frequent research subject on the blog has been the facts surrounding the murder of Captain John A. Thornhill, nephew of my 4th-great-grandmother Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. I have posted before about finding cases mentioning family from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. While looking again for references to the Matthews family I decided to check if I may have missed cases for the Thornhill family. I apparently missed a big one. The case of State of Tennessee v Pleasant Riggs (1869) is a whopping 107 pages. This is a companion case to Rankin v State of Tennessee, argued before the Supreme Court of Tennessee in 1867.

Source: TSLA. State v Pleasant Riggs, cover page.

The case includes depositions and statements from several of my extended family, including my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Jones, Elizabeth Thornhill Jones' brother, Richard Thornhill, and others.

I have long thought that I had enough background material to turn the stories surrounding Thornhill into a book. Adding another 107 pages of case material from the Tennessee State Library & Archives expands this greatly. I will work through this slowly and try to weave in references from my prior research. There's much more to come on this case.

The Guardian

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural by Francisco Letelier at Santa Monica Red Cross.

This mural, called "Guardian," is located on the Santa Monica Red Cross building on 11th Street in Santa Monica, not far from our condo. The work was painted by Venice-based artist Francisco Letelier in collaboration with Beautify Earth. It is a beautiful piece and looks inspired by Gustav Klimt's style in the golden hair of the woman.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural by Francisco Letelier. 25 Sept 2017.