James Smith Ledford was born in Tennessee on 7 Jul 1847 to
John Macon Ledford and Elmira Roxanne Edney.[1]
By his 20’s Ledford had earned a reputation as a by the book Federal Agent,
much to the ire of moonshiners in the Dark Corner.[2]
He had a reputation for collecting taxes for distilling, even if it
meant liens and the loss of one’s property.
Ledford’s father John Macon was born in Burke County, NC in
1815. About 1816 the family decided to move to Tennessee. While camped for the
night, a large tree crushed the family wagon during a brutal storm, killing all
inside except for John Macon and his little sister.[3]
In 1843 he married Elmira Roxanne Edney[4]
the daughter of Rev. Asa Edney (1772-1842) a circuit rider for the Methodist church
and Sarah Mills (1774-1856), whose family Mills Gap and Mills River is named
for in Western N.C.[5]
John Macon worked as a carpenter and he and Elmira had five children.[6]
Elmira died in 1867.[7]
John Macon must have been proud of his son, James Smith when
on 12 Jun 1877, he was one of many notable people asked to travel on the
inaugural ride of the Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad to the new depot in
Landrum, S.C.[8]
A swarm of people were on hand to greet the train including some desperados out
for revenge and seeking out Ledford. In the book, “The Rest of Dark Corner’s
Twice-told Tales”, author Dean Campbell (known as The Squire of Dark Corner)
explains that friends of Ledford’s caught wind of bad intentions and urged
Ledford to hide in a corn crib until the crowds dissipated.
Upon the conclusion of the celebration and the train’s
whistle signaling it was time to go, Ledford re-boarded the train. Campbell
relays that in a scuffle with the men who earlier made the threats, shots rang out
missing Ledford, but he was stabbed in the back. A 20 June 1877 article in the
Union Times gives a slightly varied version of the account, reporting that Ledford
told two friends he was riding with that he had spotted a man named Weaver that
he had arrested a few weeks prior. Weaver had threatened to murder him on sight
if they ever crossed paths again. Weaver confronted Ledford and asked him if he
was the man that arrested him, to which Ledford confirmed. Weaver asked him if
he “wanted to try it over?” but Ledford explained that he had been in authority
and did not want any further trouble. Weaver allegedly approached him again on
the pretext of having a friendly drink, which Ledford declined.[9]
With the locomotive about to depart, Weaver arrived with a
few cronies, including one named Bud Casey. Weaver and Casey taunted Ledford
who was sitting on a flat car. A scuffle ensued between Ledford and Casey in
which Ledford was beaten with sticks and pistols. According to the paper, the
shots fired hit Ledford, taking off a finger and lodging in his shoulder and
lung area, when Casey’s father appeared and stabbed him in the back. Ledford
yelled out, “Oh Lord! I’m dead!” while the outlaws were able to flee. Ledford
was moved to a boxcar while the train sped to Spartanburg for medical attention.
A conscious Ledford requested that his wallet and watch be sent to his father. The
29-year-old lawman died before the train reached Spartanburg.
James Smith Ledford was buried near his mother in the
Jarrett Cemetery in Asheville, Buncombe County, N.C.[10]
The murderers were later arrested, but never charged. The
Falls River Daily Evening News of Falls River, M.A. reported the miscarriage of
justice in December of 1877, stating that “the result was a farcical
prosecution, a feeble charge, and an immediate verdict of ‘not guilty’, amidst
the applause of the large crowd of spectators.”[11]
John Macon lived until 1897, leaving explicit instructions
in an envelope that was not to be opened until his death. In it, the carpenter
explained exactly how he wanted his coffin made of “good pine wood” with a
“covering of heart pine over the vault”. He requested a tombstone in Jarrett
Cemetery, explaining who he was and “no more”, ending the letter with his birth
date, a blank death date, and the words “Oh great spirit go with me through
this awful time”.[12]
[1] Tombstone,
FindAGrave.com, entry for James Smith Ledford, accessed 27 May 2021
[2] Campbell,
Dean, The Rest of Dark Corner’s Twice-Told Tales, Tamaczar Productions,
2017, 83
[3] Obituary,
“The Late J.M. Ledford”, Newspapers.com, Asheville Citizen Times, Asheville,
N.C., 8 Oct 1897, accessed 27 May 2021
[4] Ibid,
Obituary, J.M. Ledford
[5] North
America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, entry for Major William Mills,
Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61157/images/46155_b290041-00174?pId=1651304)
: accessed 27 May 2021
[6] “The
Life and Death of John Macon Ledford”, Ancestry.com, user CAROLYNGRIFFEE62, 9
June 2010, accessed 27 May 2021
[7] Tombstone,
FindAGrave.com, entry for Elmira Roxanne Edney Ledford, accessed 27 May 2021
[8] Ibid,
The Rest of Dark Corner’s Twice-told Tales
[9] “Murder
of James S. Ledford”, Newspapers.com, Union Times, Union, S.C., 22 June 1877,
accessed 27 May 2021
[10] Ibid,
“Murder of James S. Ledford”
[11] “Law
and Order in South Carolina”, Newspapers.com, Fall River Daily Evening News,
Fall River, M.A., 26 Dec 1877, accessed 27 May 2021
[12] Ibid,
“The Life and Death of John Macon Ledford”
