Murderers In The Family - My Coley Line

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 So I have mentioned before how my paternal great great grandmother West Duck Lewis was murdered by Ben Collins around 1877 and how my great grandmother Sarah Jane Lewis was then sent to live with an uncle who then turned her over to Oxford Orphanage. 

Now I find that I have two people who committed murder in my family. On my maternal line, I found two first cousins 4 generations removed who committed murder. One of them was also probably responsible for this twin brother's death as well. Their names were Calvin Coley and Thomas Coley. Thomas was the older of the two and he had a twin brother named James. 

In 1890, James Coley was murdered. The house he was in was blown up using dynamite. No one was ever charged with this crime but it was believed by a great many people that his twin brother Thomas was the one who had killed him. Incidentally, the house belonged to their father Samuel who was not killed. 

Then on June 30, 1892 Thomas and Calvin Coley killed a Jewish peddler named Samuel Tucker, aged 25. This murder occurred in neighboring Franklin County, North Carolina which is not where Thomas and Calvin Coley grew up. No, they had been born and raised in Nash County, North Carolina, spending most of their time in the Griffins township area. 

Their parents were Samuel Coley and Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" Pegram. Samuel was 15 years younger than his wife. She had been married to Henry Harper and had two sons with him before he died around 1864. Her two sons with him were James Harper and Jackson Harper. 

Samuel was a farmer and the family was very poor. By 1880, Samuel and Mary had the following children: Thomas, James, Jessie and Calvin. Thomas and James were twins. The 1880 census was enumerated on June 11th. At this time it appears that Jackson Harper is deceased. James from Betsy's previous marriage is listed as James H Coley and he is 17. (After this census I can no longer trace him.) Thomas and James are listed as 14 and Jessie is 11 and Calvin aged 8. Living with them all are Samuel's elderly parents Frank aged 78 and Temperance aged 76. Frank is now blind and deaf. 

I am not sure what the issue was between Thomas, his dad Samuel and his brother James but in 1890 it turned deadly. Thomas is said to have placed dynamite under the house and blew it up with James and his dad inside. His dad was injured but recovered; James was killed.  Thomas was never formally charged with this crime as no one could prove he had been the one to do it. But the rumors around the community was that he was the one who did it. 

In June of 1892 Thomas was around 26 years old and Calvin was around 20 years old. They had gone into neighboring Franklin county where they had taken up with two women, sisters, named Lucy and Pinkey. (It was said that they were also from Nash County). In some accounts Lucy is known as Lucy Brewer and Pinkey is known as Pinkey Wilkins. In other accounts Pinkey is known as Pinkey Williams.  Pinkey was said to have recently lost her husband and she had two small children. The sisters' little home was located in Gold Mine Township of Franklin County, North Carolina. Neighbors apparently had been complaining about the nature of the comings and goings from their small home at the end of the wagon road. Neighbors felt that there were some shady dealings going on from the house either connected to illegal running of alcohol or prostitution. 

Thursday evening June 30, 1892 a Hebrew peddler named Samuel Tucker had come down the wagon road with his wares. He had stopped at Neverson Cooper Gupton's home and inquired about a place to stay for the night as he was tired. However, Neverson Gupton had several children and no room for a guest. He directed him to Lucy and Pinkey's home but with a warning that the home had a bad reputation. 

Samuel Tucker found the home of Lucy and Pinkey. Lucy introduced him to Pinkey and Calvin. After a while, Thomas came into the home as well. At some point in the evening an argument of some sort broke out and Samuel Tucker was set upon by Calvin Coley. While Calvin was setting upon Samuel Tucker, his brother Thomas joined into the fray. With Thomas now involved in the fray, Samuel Tucker never saw Calvin grab an axe. Calvin used the axe to strike two blows to Samuel Tucker's head, killing him. 

Calvin and Thomas made Lucy and Pinkey help them strip Samuel Tuckers body and throw it into a ravine not far from the house. Then they went back to the house and split the money and goods amongst themselves. On Saturday,  the foursome made a run to Norfolk , Virginia. For about two months all four were in Norfolk, Virginia until Lucy and Thomas decided to return to the little house in Gold Mine Township, Franklin County, NC. 

Now it must also be mentioned that Thomas Coley was a married man. On April 9, 1892 he had married Ella William King (1874-1961) in Nash County, North Carolina. He apparently came and went as he pleased and did whatever he wanted to do. Thomas was seen in the company of Lucy several times all the way into December of 1893. 

Now it came to pass that on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1893, two men went out hunting for the day. They were Lit Western and Irving King. What they found that day were the remains of Samuel Tucker not far from Lucy's house. Due to the close proximity of her home to the skeletal remains and the fact that no-one had seen Calvin and Pinkey for a long time, they went to Lucy to ask the whereabouts of Calvin and Pinkey. 

Lucy assured H C Kearney, who was the Constable, that Calvin and Pinkey were just fine and told them that they were in Norfolk, Virginia and had been since July 1892. But under continued pressure and the revelation that skeletal remains had been found near her home, Lucy broke under questioning and spilled the story of Samuel Tucker. She then pleaded with Constable Kearney for protection from the Coley brother's. She was arrested and carried to the Louisburg jail. 

For a look at the old jail follow this link to a picture that was posted to Flikr by Earl C Leatherberry. https://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/33324061950

Thomas was reported to be in the area of Gold Mine Township, so a search party was sent out to find him. He was arrested on Sunday December 31, 1893. At the time of his arrest, his wife Ella was about 6 months pregnant with his child. 

Based on the information that Lucy had given, Sheriff Kearney, a cousin to Constable HC Kearney, had sent word to Norfolk to have arrest Calvin and Pinkey. They were arrested and brought to Franklin County just after 1894 had begun. 

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2

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