Lumley/Hooks Incident
Adrian, GA 1920 

Here are some articles from newspaper and posed on websites 
about the Lumley and Hooks incident in Adrian August 14, 1920.
Note: They are placed here just as they were found.

A newspaper article Lumley/Hooks incident. I am not exactly 
sure what paper it came from, but here's the story:
 
BOY KILLER AND FATHER INJURED / T.K. Lumleys of Adrian Are 
Victims As Old Fued Renewed. / ATTACKERS TAKEN TO JAIL. / 
ADRIAN, Aug. 14 (1920) - T. K. Lumley, Jr. is dead and 
T. K. Lumley, Sr. is not expected to live as the result 
of a fight today between them and Dennis Hooks and Boss 
Hooks, also father and son. The fighte was the outcome 
of ill feeling that has existed for some time between 
the men, having been renewed today at a dipping vat five 
miles from Adrian. According to witnesses, Lumley, Jr., 
was called away from the crowd by Hooks as if to engage 
in conversation, but shortly were seen to have started a 
fight. T. K. Lumley, Sr., went to the assistance of his 
son, but arrived too late as his son had been cut and 
beaten down. His assailants turned on him, cutting and 
beating him down. The Lumleys are very prominent farmers 
and feeling is running high. The Hooks are now under 
arrest. It is said that they have been carried to Mt. 
Vernon to be jailed.


This is a newspaper article from Soperton Newspaper 
August 20, 1920:
 
  Two men die of knife wounds following dispute Saturday. 
I found a website that had follow-ups to that, with a 
headline that the Hooks were convicted in 1921 of the 
deaths, but the actual story was no longer on the site. 
But from everything that I have found, the tombstone 
death date of August 14, 1920 for Thomas K Sr., is 
wrong. He did not die until the next day from his wounds.

  A soperton newspaper article about the Lumley 
homicide. THe Hooks killed both son and father by 
stabbing. The Hooks accused the Lumleys of spreading 
rumors about them stealing sheep. The article states 
that the Lumley funeral was attended by 2,000 people. 
There are two Atlanta Constitution blurbs concerning 
the trial of one or more Hooks. He or they were given 
life sentences.

  My mother and I have been working on family history as 
well for our future children an ourselves. This is how 
I ran across your postings! What A great site to have 
all this info. This is what my mother and I have learned.
Thomas and Johnnie Mae Green Lumley was my mothers 
great grandparents. The story that my mother was told 
is; The Lumleys was were looking to buy a farm. The 
HOOKS family wanted to buy this very same farm. The Lumley 
family wound up buying the farm. The HOOKS family was 
"known to have been a "bad" family. The same day the 
Lumley family bought the farm they met up at a dipping 
vat. The "HOOKS" people killed the LUMLEYS by stabbing 
and or shooting. Then their dead bodies were put back 
on their horses and sent home. My mother and I are pretty 
sure of this story of their death. Your date of death has 
helped us as well.
 


Hoke at the location where the Hooks murdered his 
Great Granduncle Thomas Lumley, Sr. and his son Thomas Jr.
  
When inquiring about the location of the Lumley/Hooks 
incident Hoke was told that the location of the well was 
lost. All the information and research we had found there 
was no mention of a well. There was of a dipping vat and 
this case was a wide section in the creek that was use to 
water live stock. It was said to be just off the road at 
the old camp ground. Although it looked much different eighty 
years ago, this is the location of the watering hole where 
the Lumley murders’ took place. 

 
"High Sheriff Lee Jackson Lumley"
  The saga continues with Hoke’s Grandfather Lee Jackson 
Lumley a local sheriff around the time of the incident. 
Although details are not readily available Hoke has this 
first hand  info from his Grandfather; 
One of the Hook men from prison sent word to Sheriff Lee 
Lumley that, “he was going to kill him when he got out of 
prison.”  When Hooks was released he headed for Adrian 
where a fearless Sheriff Lumley met him at the county line. 
When Sheriff Lumley inquired about the threat, Hooks 
Replied, “That’s right” and went for his gun but was no match 
for the veteran Sheriff Lee Lumley. Sheriff Lumley took Hooks 
body back to town where a large crowed waited. 
  We don't know if this ended the feud between the Lumley and 
Hooks we have found no more incidents. This was probable one 
of, if not the last gun fights of the era and the news spread 
fast across South Georgia and Sheriff Lee Jackson Lumley’s 
reputation would soon rival those of the Old West hero sheriffs 
like Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. He would live a long and 
contented life knowing that he had server his community and 
country well. Sheriff Lumley died June 15, 1969 at the age of 
95 Bibb County, Georgia.


 



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