Martin Van Buren South

Born:  October 28, 1836 in Breathitt Co, Kentucky

Died:  April 1, 1876 in Frankfort, Franklin Co, Kentucky

Buried:  Frankfort Cem., Franklin Co, Kentucky

Married: Sophronia Hockensmith December 10, 1867 in Franklin County, Kentucky.  Daughter of  Henry Hockensmith and Mary Cox.  She was born abt 1849 in Franklin Co, KY and died July 1, 1923 Franklin Co, KY

 

Military Service- Company D of the 5th Kentucky Infantry, CSA
Enlisted- September 20, 1862 at Jackson, Breathitt County, Kentucky
Highest Rank- Private
Deserted- November 1, 1863 in Virginia (The 5th was in VA guarding some salt mines). The Adjutant General's Report for the state of Kentucky also lists him as a deserter but points out that those listed as deserters may have left to join other units. This was quite common in the Confederate Army.
Post War- Moved to Frankfort and owned a butcher shop
 

Butcher by trade, was murdered at the market house in Frankfort. Arrested were Walker Stephens, Robert G. Shields, Hick Kersey, and Thomas H. Holder. Apparently the only suspect indicted, Stephens was held without bail. Eventually Stephens was acquitted.

Children
1. John Henry South (1868 - 1944) m. Julia Hopple
2. Samuel Fogg South (1868 - 1927) m. Sue Carter
3. Thomas Leslie South (1871 - 1944), never married
4. Eudora Martin South (1876 - 1942)   m. Albert H Hockensmith

Lexington Daily Press
Wednesday Morning, April 5, 1876
FRANKFORT TRAGEDY
Full Account of the Murder of M. V. B. South

The facts and circumstances, as we have been able to collate them, stripped of all sensational rumors, are as follows: South and Farmer, in addition to a store on St. Clair street, where they regularly transact their business have a stall in the market house, near the depot, where they sell meat on regular market days - Wednesdays and Saturday morning, and the preceding evenings. Here it was the custom of Mr. South to attend, having his place behind his bench, extending some twenty feet or more near the middle of the markethouse, and on the north or street side of the building. On the fatal morning in question, it seems that he repaired to the markethouse from the house of his father, where he had staid (sic) all night, though his home is near the Forks of the Elkhorn, several miles from town, at about half-past four o’clock. He had taken his place at the stall and had made some sales, when in waiting on a customer he turned to sum up the amount of the purchase. While figuring with his pencil, he was shot in the right breast, the ball entering just to the right of and a little above the sternum, passing through the fleshy part of the breast and through the arm just below the shoulder, cutting the axillary (sic) artery. Pursuing its course, it passed through a dressed chicken hanging behind him, struck the brick wall a few inches behind, and rebounding, was buried again in a flattened condition in the chicken, from which it was afterwards taken. There were several bystanders, including two policemen, who, but a moment before had been in conversation with the deceased, and all, even the wounded man, were at a loss to know whence (sic) the shot came - it at first being thought to be accidental. Mr. South, upon being struck, moved in a bewildered way - first, to the other end of his bench, and then returned to the spot where he received the shot, and then sunk gradually against the wall. He uttered no words except to request those who came to him to send for his wife and for Dr. Duvall. The latter, whose residence was nearby, was summoned, and came immediately, but found the wounded man with pulse gone and rapidly sinking. The main artery in the arm had been cut and the bleeding was already fatally profuse. The wounded man continued to sink, being unconscious when the doctor arrived, and in twenty minutes from the firing of the fatal shot was dead.

Upon examination it was discovered that the assassin had fired the shot from an aperture in the opposite side of the markethouse from that on which the deceased was standing when he received the fatal wound. Those who are familiar with the markethouse will recall the fact that while the north side is directly upon the sidewalk leading from Ann street to the Depot, on the south side is an open lot, used for the accommodation of market wagons, intervening between the markethouse and Tobin’s, from which lot there is a gate, opening onto the alley which runs from the east end of the Capitol Hotel to the west end of the depot. The side of the markethouse was formerly slatted up with three inch vertical slats as in a picket fence. Latterly it was planked up with six inch poplar planks placed horizontally and fitting closely, so that it is difficult even to find a crevice on this side large enough to see into the marketplace. But, on inspection, it was found that just opposite the stall of South and Farmer a piece of this outer planking eighteen inches long and three inches wide had been torn off about five feet from the ground, which afforded three or four portholes through the vertical slats, from which the weapon which inflicted the death shot was evidently fired. Into the yard referred to there are several doors which open from the markethouse, but the key opening them was carried to Mart South, and was in his pocket, so that there was no egress to the yard, and those in search of the assassin could only get out through the [illegible] public entrance on Ann street, or near the Depot on Market Street.

It was some time before any clue could be obtained which seemed to throw any light upon the dark deed perpetrated, as it was when the shadows of the night were still in a measure obscuring the view. In time it was reported that someone had just before the shot seen a horse standing the alley near the gate referred to, which opened opposite the west end of the Depot, into the markethouse yard; then, another had seen, shortly after, a horseman riding rapidly down Clinton Street in rear of the State House, and others came forward who had heard or seen him passing swiftly toward and across the railroad bridge, crossing the river at the foot of Market Street. With this information Mr. Tom South, brother of the murdered man, with others, [illegible] the track of the horse in the alley, and following the route indicated pursued it across the bridge, thence up the river and up the secluded ravine known as Devil’s Hollow, until he was led by the freshly made tracks of the horse, which were peculiar as to their conformation and the position of the nails in the fore shoes to a rear stable on the premises of Walker Stephens, who lives about two miles from the city on the Shelbyville Turnpike. Search was then made for the horse whose feet would correspond to the tracks made on the route leading to the stable; but finding none on the place and learning that Mr. Stephens had ridden to town, and, finding at Williams’ stable, in South Frankfort, the horse ridden by Stephens, with shoes corresponding, warrants were procured, and the following were arrested about 11 o’clock and placed in jail: Walker Stephens, J. G. Shields, his brother-in-law, and Thos. H. Holder, his son-in-law who resided on the premises with him. The parties were taken before Esquires Gwin an McDonald, and submitted without bail for further examination - the prosecution being conducted by T. B. Ford, Esq., county attorney, and the defense by P. U. Major, Esq., and D. W. Lindsey, Esq.

Subsequently, in the afternoon, further examination of the route described was made to better identify the tracks of the horse, which was taken along and, upon examination of the stable to which the tracks led, officer Jerry Lee discovered under the hay a carbine, with empty metallic cartridge, bearing evidence, from the smell of powder, of having recently been fired off.

Another arrest was made of Hick Kersey, a young man also living on the premises of Mr. Stephens, and who drove his butcher wagon. He was brought to town and placed in jail with the others.

It had been expected that the examination of the accused would have taken place yesterday, but by mutual consent, in order to enable both prosecution and defense to secure the witnesses desired, the case was postponed until 11 o’clock today. It is understood that, in addition to those mentioned, the following counsel will appear: for the prosecution, Duvall and Chinn, Ira Julian Esq., and John L. Scott; for the defense, J. and J. W. Rodman.

* * *

The Kentucky Gazette
Lexington, Ky
Saturday, April 8, 1876

The South Murder

The trail of the parties charged with the murder of Martin V. South is still in progress at Frankfort. From the number of witnesses who are to be examined, the testimony is not yet all in. Some forty of fifty witnesses have been examined - including all of those for the State, and some eight or ten for the defense - and the general impression seems to be that a most perilous case of circumstantial evidence has been made out against the leading party accused. It is said, however, that the defense will endeavor to prove an alibi. In fact, that seems to be the drift. The Yeoman says large crowds of persons from all parts of Franklin County have thronged the courthouse throughout the entire proceedings and the interest in the case seems to increase with the introduction of each new witness.

* * *

According to Capital on the Kentucky, by Carl E. Kramer, c. 1986, Stephen’s trial was moved to Henry County because of the publicity; he was acquitted. Less than a month before Martin’s murder, butcher Ben Farmer was shot to death while asleep on a sofa in his home. This crime was also never officially solved.

One rumor has it that two of the South brothers took matters into their own hands and tracked down the man who was accused of killing Martin to Kansas City, MO and killed him. William Barry Tyler South may have been one of the brothers.

OBIT:  
Mrs. Sophronia (Hockersmith) South, a native of Franklin County, Ky., is a daughter of Henry and Polly Cox, also natives of Franklin County. Miss Sophronia Hockersmith was married to Martin South, of Breathitt County, Ky., December 10, 1869, and was blessed with four children: John and Samuel (twins), Thomas L. and Eudora M. (A sketch of Col. Jerry W. South, father-in-law of Mrs. Sophronia South, will be found in the notice of L. C. South, and that of Mrs. Mary E. (South) Trimble.) Martin South served during the late war under Gen. Morgan, and died April 1, 1876, a member of the Christian Church. Mrs. South is a Baptist, and she and her children reside upon her farm of 205 acres near Switzer, in Franklin County.
From Brenda Hager:
Sophronia Hockensmith South wife of Martin Van Buren South remarried after his death, years later to a James A Haynes. Her second husband Mr. Haynes is buried in the Switzer cemetery.

At death of husband, lived on farm near Switzer in Franklin Co. Kentucky: A History of the State, Battle, Perrin, & Kniffin, 5th ed., 1887, Franklin Co.