Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-04-03
A Warning to the Erriug and the Weak

From Intelligencer Extra, April 2, 1861
Jefferson Franklin Wilson was born
December "a, 1850, in Georgia, his
father being Joshua Wilson and his
mother Tama Wilson, who were then
the property of Mr.. George James.
The family was afterward sold to Mr..
Geo. Kennedy, now of this county, but
at that time living in Bourbon county,
Ky. The father, Joshua, was sold to
James Cess, OF the same county.
When Cess died he set his slaves free
by his will, and Joshua Wilson went to
Liberia, where he became a man of
some Importance. His son, Jeff, last
heard from him in 1882, when he re-
ceived a letter from his father who had
just returned from a war with some of
the wild tribes of Africa. Jeff. had
one full brother whose name was Sebe
After Tama was separated from her
first husband she married man named
Miller and then man named Walker,
with whom and her children she was
brought to Lafayette county, about
1861, by Mr.. Kennedy. A number of
children were born to them, the oldest,
Bruce, born in Kentucky, being well
known to our people, and resembling
his brother jeff. The mother,
Tama, lives now within a few miles of
Lexington, on the Warrensburg road.
In 1869, when Jeff. was 10 years of
age, he married Jennie Clark, now
Jennie Hockaday. AS it has been re-
ported that Jennie lived with him as
his mistress it is only proper to say
that they were regularly married by
Rev. John Lee, then pastor of the Zion
church in this city. In 1871 Jeff. took
a notion to go west, and as Jennie de-
clined, under the influence of her
mother, to go with him he procured
divorce in the circuit court. Jeff. re-
NAMED in Colorado, Montana and
Nebraska for about two years, doing
hotel work first at one place and then
at another. In 1873 he came back here
and stayed until 1875, working most of
the time on the Whittlesey farm, south
of town. 1t was during that time that
Benjamin Evans, or Ben Higgins as he
was generally known, was murdered by
a mob. Ben was negro aged about
As years, who lived, with his family of
a wife and four children, about two
miles from where Jeff. lived. Ben
was suspected of pilfering. On the
occasion in question lot of meat and
number of turkeys were stolen from
a gentleman in the neighborhood. A
search disclosed the turkeys at Ben's
house. The next night mob of about
twenty men surrounded Ben's house,
probably to whip him or punish him
severely in some way, but he attempted
to escape by flight, when several of the
men fired upon and killed him. jeff.
was brought before the grand jury. 1t
was pretty we'll known that he knew
who some of the persons were; but he
positively declined to answer questions,
and threw himself on the mercy of the
grand jury upon the plea that to testify
would endanger his life. He was after
ward upbraided by the negroes for
having had something to do with
the killing of Evans, which was not
true. The mob after killing Evans
gave his wife notice to leave, which she
did, going to Kansas City. During the
two years that Jeff. was farming he
lived with his wife, who had been
Belle Jones. Toward the end of the
time she left him and went to Kansas
City, where she still lives. She got a
divorce, jeff, in all accommodating
spirit, paying the costs. In 1875 jeff
went to st. Louis, where he worked
for about two years at the Laclede
hotel. In 1877 he returned to Lexing-
ton, getting work Immediately at the
City hotel as porter. On the 2Sth day
of March, 1873, he took charge of the
kitchen as chief cook, which position
he occupied during the succeeding
managements as the Laclede hotel and
until the time of the killing of Jennie
Sanford. He made good wages, was
liberal to the tenderer sex, and had
several liaisons, which were more or
less known to the white people; in
deed he was quite a Lothano among
the dusky bellies of the city. Whilst he
drank, more or less, he was not a
drunkard, and by his politeness and
he made himself gener-
ally popular with whites as well as
blacks. To the writer, who has known
him ever since the beginning of his
residence in Lexington, he made what
may be regarded as dying declaration
and confession covering every incident
of his life worthy to be remembered
Over these, charity, prudence and
decency must largely draw a veil; but
they go far to prove that whilst his
Ideas OF morality may have been some-
what lax, his affection and faithfulness
to many persons has been great.
HIS FATE.
In 1888, ina slender young girl aged
about % JET met his fate. His story is as
follows: Jennie Sanford was brought
up here by her aunt. She was at
Atchison a while in 1888. On her re-
tnrn left met her hacamo intatna4al