Home of Charlie Troutman at Canoe Station. The home was constructed some years after the events of this story.
The lives of some are destined for tragedy. At some points in time the people who come into a person's life have unintended consequences for eternity. So was the case between Fredrick Hancock, Jesse Troutman and Ellie Winfied Weaver.
Hancock married Ellie Weaver's older sister, Elizabeth in 1901. The couple lived in Brewton and Hancock was a successful horse dealer. Ellie, also called "Winnie," came to live with the couple.
While living in Brewton, Winnie eventually met Jesse Troutman through some happenstance of social interactions. Professor Jesse Troutman was attracted to the Winnie and sought to court her affections.
At the time of their meeting, Jesse lived in Pollard. Troutman had moved to Pollard from Canoe with his parents when he was a small child. The young man suffered a debilitating illness at the age of 19, perhaps polio, although the record is silent, which resulted in him being permanently crippled as well as suffering some paralysis.
Yet the young Troutman did not let his disability become a crutch for his life. The diligent lad pursued a college education and became a school teacher at Pollard. He even went so far as to run for county treasurer. During the campaign he traversed the county, campaigning from the seat of his wagon. Even though he lost the 1904 race by a mere 20 votes, Troutman did not let the loss dampen his spirits in that the race had given him great notoriety and made him a household name throughout the county.
His fortunes stayed on the rise when he was soon named as principal at the Appleton School but he resigned to take the principal position at the Canoe, Alabama high school instead.
Yet during this time of upward mobility, Troutman pined for the affections of Winnie. Winnie descended from a well-respected family in Conecuh County who opposed the relationship. Hancock, Winnie's brother in law, and Troutman had words over the matter and the die was cast for a tragedy.
Apparently the breaking point was when Troutman proposed marriage to Winnie.
On New Year's Day, 1905, the Troutman family was celebrating the holiday at their ancestral abode in the Canoe area. At 10:30am, Hancock and his brother in law, Boland Weaver, boarded the L&N Number 5 in Brewton and headed to Canoe, Alabama. After arriving, the two men made their way to the Troutman residence and had a polite and normal conversation with Troutman and his brothers. Upon leaving, the two men asked Jesse if he would accompany them to the station.
Troutman followed them in his buggy but soon returned to the home saying that one of the men had slapped him. Troutman sought assistance from his brothers but for some reason he returned alone to meet the two men again.
After returning to the scene of the earlier confrontation, it was alleged that Hancock shot Troutman three times while he was seated in the buggy. A witness by the name of Mr. Horn stated that death came quickly to the frail, 70 pound occupant of the wagon. Other startled onlookers saw the bullet riddled buggy slowly begin to list down the road as its master lay dead inside. Hancock was alleged to have run into the swamp at this point and Weaver was taken into custody near the train depot in Canoe. Weaver is said to have insisted that he had no knowledge that Hancock had intended to shoot Troutman.
Sherriff Raley soon dispatched a team of bloodhounds to hunt Hancock. Yet the bloodhounds were unable to find the trail. Yet by the next evening, Hancock turned himself in and stated that he felt justified in the murder.
Meanwhile, Troutman was buried on January 2, 1905 at a massive funeral which brought family, friends and almost assuredly, spectators from afar.
The Pine Belt News reported that all three families were well-known and well-liked in the county and that the events had created quite a stir.
On Friday, January 6, 1905, a preliminary hearing was held before Justice McConnell in Brewton. It was eventually decided that Weaver had not had a role in the killing and that he was unaware of any intentions Hancock may or may not have had as to the events and he was therefore released from custody and the charges dismissed.
Things would not be so easy for Hancock. Within a matter of months, Hancock was indicted for murder in the first degree. He retained the services of Jesse Stallings, an ex-Congressman to represent him. Apparently, due to the prominence of the families involved, the prosecutors, in those days called solicitors, were carefully selected. Charles R. Bricken led the case for the State, and he was assisted by John D. Leigh. The defense sought a change of venue due to pre-trial publicity but this was denied by Judge Brewer.
The April 1905 trial drew onlookers from around the county and around the state. Jesse Troutman's brothers, huge men who farmed and were by no means given to displays of emotion, wept uncontrollably as they listened to testimony as they sit next to the solicitors.
Newspaper accounts held that Fred Hancock sat with his wife and two boys during the trial and displayed a "debonair" attitude during the hearing believing he would not be convicted.
Next week: The trial of the century begins in Brewton as newspapers from far away cover the events.
The book Shadows and Dust III: Legacies is now available for purchase. The hidden history of our area is documented through ten years of All Things Southern articles. Learn about the Canoe Highlands Colony, the ghost town of Falco, Alabama as well the forgotten history of the last great act in the drama that was the War Between the States as Union troops marched through the area. Shadows and Dust III is available online at Lulu publishing.com or by sending $35 (this includes shipping-the book cost without shipping is $30) to Kevin McKinley at PO Box 579 Atmore, AL 36054. Also available: Shadows and Dust I and II and Canoe: History of A Southern Town Shadows and Dust I and II and the Canoe book are available for $20 each
