Tom Woolfolk was thus the only person investigated for the murders. But there were other suspects who the authorities might (and probably should) have looked at. One was a black drifter named Jackson Dubose, who had been arrested on suspicion of being an escaped convict. Once in prison, Dubose started talking about the Woolfolk murders, providing some startlingly accurate details. He claimed that he had been present at the murder scene but had not done any of the actual killing. However, he declined to name his accomplice and his confession was discounted after it was learned that he made a habit of admitting to crimes that he didn’t commit. He was subsequently cleared of being a prison escapee but ruled by the judge to be insane and sent to an asylum.
Thomas Woolfolk was brought to trial at the Superior Court of Bibb County on December 5, 1887. In the run-up to the proceedings, the local and national media had all but condemned him with lurid headlines and supposition. Woolfolk was depicted in one tabloid as, “the greatest monster of the age, the cruelest and most bloodthirsty brute on record.” The crimes were described as “the bloodiest, blackest, chapter in Georgia criminal history,” and “the most ferocious and harrowing crime ever recorded in the annals of civilization.” The nom de guerre “Bloody Woolfolk” was used as a descriptor for the accused more often than his given name.
But at least Woolfolk had one thing going for him, the eminent attorney Colonel John C. Rutherford, a former Solicitor-General of the Southwestern court circuit. Rutherford was so convinced of Woolfolk’s innocence that he agreed to represent him for free. Despite being in poor health, he worked so tirelessly on the case that he died of exhaustion shortly after its conclusion.
That conclusion however, was some way off. The Woolfolk trial would be a marathon. During the initial hearing, prosecutor John L. Hardeman was interrupted during his summing up by a chant of “Hang him!” from the spectators. This was rightly seen as just cause to overturn the guilty verdict. Woolfolk’s second trial took place on March 4, 1889. This time, however, one of the jurors was heard to quip that he would rather cause a mistrial than allow the prisoner to walk free. He got his wish.
The third trial, scheduled for March 11, had to be abandoned when the pool of jurors was exhausted before the parties could agree on twelve eligible appointees. The fourth was declared a mistrial due to another injudicious comment by a jury member, this time in favor of the accused.
Eventually, on June 8, 1889, the proceedings went ahead in Houston County, where they had been moved at the defense’s request. Closing arguments at this trial ran to an incredible 26 hours, split equally between prosecution and defense. The jury took somewhat less time to reach its decision, declaring Woolfolk guilty after just 15 minutes of deliberation. A year later, in July 1890, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the ruling. Tom Woolfolk was going to the gallows.
Thomas Woolfolk was publically hanged in front of a crowd of 10,000 people on Wednesday afternoon, October 29, 1890, in Perry, Georgia. The atmosphere was festive, resembling a carnival, with vendors hawking souvenirs and many in the crowd enjoying a picnic lunch before the main event. It had been hoped that Woolfolk would confess on the gallows since many still harbored doubt regarding his guilt. However, he maintained his innocence to the end, reading the following statement to the hushed crowd:
“I, Thomas G. Woolfolk, realizing the existence of an infinite, wise and holy God, and so as to meet Him, knowing all that I have ever done, and fully understanding that I must stand before the judgment bar of God, and that today, in a few hours, I shall be called into his presence, do solemnly declare my innocence, and I leave as my last declaration that I did not take the life of my father or any member of his family, or have any knowledge of the person or persons who did the murderous deed.”
One or two jeers could be heard while Woolfolk read out his statement but, in the main, there was a hushed silence as the executioner and his assistant got to work fitting the noose. The festive atmosphere appeared suddenly to have been drained from the day. At 1:31 p.m. the trap was sprung sending Woolfolk to his death. But the executioner had botched the drop and Woolfolk did not die instantly as should be the case with a judicial hanging. Instead, he dangled at the end of the rope and slowly asphyxiated. He was pronounced dead at 11 minutes past two. The multitude drifted away soon after.
FOOTNOTE: Shortly after the Woolfolk murders, a black farm laborer named Simon Cooper left Bibb County for good. Over the next decade, Cooper lived an itinerant lifestyle and his exact movements are unknown. However, in 1898, he showed up in Sommerville, South Carolina, where he was implicated in a murder and subsequently lynched. A notebook was found on his body. In it he’d written the following lines:
“Tom Woolfolk was mighty slick but I fixed him. I would have killed him with the rest of the damn family, but he was not at home.”
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Murder Most Vile Volume 12: 18 Shocking True Crime Murder Cases (True Crime Murder Books) Page 11
