Public order and law
Reports from 1903 to 1910 show violence in and around Barney and the town government operating alongside county law enforcement. The accounts come from white-owned newspapers and preserve their racial assumptions, so they should be read as contemporary reports rather than neutral findings.
Perry Peeples and Ed Cook, 1903
On December 26, 1903, several newspapers reported that Perry Peeples, a white man, had shot and killed Ed Cook, a Black man, at Barney. The Atlanta Journal said Sheriff Connolly was summoned after reports of possible racial violence. The Atlanta Constitution reported that armed men traveled from Quitman on a special train. The Savannah Morning News followed on December 27 with "All Quiet at Barney," saying the posse found the town quiet and returned, although authorities still feared further trouble.
A separate December 22, 1905, report said Peeples had stood trial at Quitman on charges brought by some Barney citizens and the town of Barney. The newspaper said the charges failed, the defense presented no testimony beyond Peeples's statement, and the state did not substantiate its case. The article does not identify every charge or explicitly connect the trial with Cook's death. Without a court file or fuller report, the 1905 case should remain separate from the 1903 killing account.
The killing of Tobe Robinson, 1904
The Moultrie Observer reported on April 15, 1904, that Curtis Webb had shot and killed Tobe Robinson Jr. at Barney after a disagreement over a horse Robinson had sold him. According to the article, Robinson abused Webb and was drawing a pistol when Webb shot him twice through the heart. Webb surrendered, was taken to Quitman, and was jailed. These details are the newspaper's account, not findings from a court record.
The article described Robinson as about 27 and Webb as 18. It also said that both men had relatives in Colquitt County and Moultrie. An editorial on another page of the same issue referred to the killing while criticizing a series of recent shootings in Brooks County. No later report or court record establishing the disposition of the case has been located.
The Womack shooting, 1905
On June 9, 1905, the Moultrie Observer reported violence at H. D. Woolard's turpentine place near Barney. According to Woolard's account, employee Will Womack shot his wife twice with a shotgun and then killed himself. The newspaper said Mrs. Womack was seriously wounded but expected to recover. No later report establishing her condition or identifying a court or inquest record has been located.
The killing of “Big Kid,” 1906
On September 3, 1906, the Valdosta Daily Times reprinted a brief item from the Adel News. It reported that one Black man had killed another at Barney on Saturday night. The man killed was known as “Big Kid,” and Pete Crawley was arrested and accused of the crime. The item said a woman was thought to have been the cause of the dispute.
The report does not identify “Big Kid” or the woman, and no later account has been found giving the disposition of the charge against Crawley.
The Watkins shooting, 1910
The Valdosta Daily Times reported another shooting on August 6, 1910. According to the article, Charley Clark fought aboard a South Georgia train, was removed at Barney, and was arrested and locked up after the conductor obtained local help. Later that night, Marshal Byrd and Mashburn went to arrest two men following a report of threats.
The ensuing gunfire killed J. W. Watkins, a Black man, near his gate and wounded two other Black men. The article said it was unknown which officer fired the fatal shot and that the other wounds were not expected to be fatal. Those statements are newspaper claims, not a court verdict, but the report names a town marshal and documents a municipal policing incident.
Sources
- The Atlanta Journal, December 26, 1903, Quitman dispatch on Perry Peeples, Ed Cook, and threatened racial violence at Barney.
- The Macon Telegraph, December 26, 1903, page 1, "Trouble at Barney in Brooks County."
- The Atlanta Constitution, December 26, 1903, page 2, "Fear Race Riot Above Quitman."
- Savannah Morning News, December 27, 1903, page 1, "All Quiet at Barney."
- Moultrie Observer, April 15, 1904, page 7, report of Curtis Webb killing Tobe Robinson Jr. at Barney after a horse-trade dispute, Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System.
- Moultrie Observer, April 15, 1904, page 4, editorial comment on the Robinson-Webb killing and other recent shootings in Brooks County, Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System.
- Moultrie Observer, June 9, 1905, page 1, report of the Womack shooting at H. D. Woolard's turpentine place near Barney, Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System.
- The Valdosta Daily Times, December 22, 1905, page 4, "Mr. Perry Peeples Vindicated," reprinted from the Adel News.
- The Valdosta Daily Times, September 3, 1906, page 3, brief item credited to the Adel News reporting the killing of “Big Kid” and the arrest of Pete Crawley, Newspapers.com; Barney, Georgia locality confirmed through local-history research.
- The Valdosta Daily Times, August 6, 1910, page 5, "Shooting at Barney."