Tom Shankle Guilty of Incest Gets 5 Years in State Penitentiary, April 24, 1926

Tom Shankle Is Found Guilty in Court House. . . Jury Asks Court to Have Mercy on Aged Defendant-Criminal Docket Completed

Tom Shankle, aged and well known negro of Concord, was found guilty of incest in Cabarrus court Thursday. The jury in returning a verdict of guilty asked the court for mercy on the defendant.

The Shankle case was started Wednesday, taking up all of Wednesday and most of Thursday morning. Judge T.D. Bryson completed his charge to the jury at 11 o’clock Thursday morning and the jury returned its verdict several hours later.

Sentence was not passed on Shankle Thursday.

Other Cases

Walter Aycock, charged with disposing of mortgaged property, was found guilty and sentenced to serve 12 months on the chain gang.

Judgement suspended upon payment of the costs was the court’s sentence in the case of Jesse Banner, charged with larceny.

Three cases against Lee Brooks were continued at the request of the defense which stated that a material witness was ill and could not be in court. Nol pres with leave was taken by solicitor Zeb Long in the case against J.F. Brooks.

When court recessed Thursday afternoon arguments were being made by lawyers in the Garfield Messimer case. The defendant is charged with attempted felony. Solicitor Long expected this to be the last case called, and when the jury returned its verdict the criminal docket was cleared of all cases that could be tried new.

From page 5 of The Concord Daily Tribune, Friday, April 24, 1926

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Judge Bryson Recesses Court for Week-End

. . . .

Before recessing court Friday Judge Bryson sentenced Tom Shankle, found guilty by a jury of incest. He was sentenced to serve five years in the State penitentiary. Notice of appeal was filed after a motion for a new trial was dismissed by the court. Garfield Mesimer, charged with attempted felony, was found guilty by a jury Friday morning and was sentenced to serve nine months on the chain gang.

John Smith was fined $25 and the costs on a gambling charge.

Judge Bryson made a change in the sentence of Howard Bost, negro, before the court closed for the day. He ordered that Bost serve his sentence on the Cabarrus county chain gang instead of at the State prison. Bost plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to serve not less than six years nor more than eight years.

From page 2 of the Concord Daily Tribune, April 24, 1926

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