Violence remained a part of the scene in Madison County for many years.
In the 1800's men wore pistols as a matter of habit, much as they might
wear watches today. Many still felt that it was better to settle
disputes in one's own way, rather than waiting for legal means. One
well-known example of this was what happened between the West and
Langford families.
There were probably as many versions of this incident as there were
eye-or-hearsay witnesses. The only thing known for a fact is that it
came to a head on May 17, 1885. This version combines items from
several stories.
There had been bad blood between these two families for some time,
possibly through jealousy, because although the Langfords were good
business men, they did not seem to prosper like the West family did.
Bill Langford had some mean and ugly things to say about the mother of
the West men; in fact they were even published in the local paper as a
"Letter to the Editor". The West men demanded a retraction, and when
none was forthcoming, they decided to take matters into their own
hands.
On Sunday, May 17, 1885, the Langford family attended church at
Hickory Grove Methodist Church (it was then located adjacent to the
cemetery). Bill Langford apparently had reason to suspect that there
was going to be trouble, as he was armed with a pistol and he did not
go into the church building, but chose to remain outside. The West
brothers, three or four of them in two buggies, drove up from their
home near West Farm. Knowing that there would probably be a need for
him, they had stopped by Madison and brought a doctor with them, the
doctor following the two buggies. They tied the horses down the road,
out of danger, and approached the church.
The West's meant to kill Bill Langford only, as he was the one who
had written the letter. They saw him outside the church and Eugene West
shot him from the side, the bullet going through his shoulder and arms.
Bill Langford had the gun in his back pocket and attempted to draw it,
but was able only to shoot it into the dirt before he fell. At the
sound of gunfire, the rest of the Langfords came pouring from the
church. None of them were armed, except for their long pocket knives
which they drew at once. Mrs. Langford (the mother) ran to Bill and
cradled his head in her lap. Eugene West came over, pushed her back out
of the way and shot Bill in the chest, killing him. The youngest of the
Langford men, Joe Langford, jumped on Eugene West's back and stabbed
him between the shoulder blades, but the knife went into the O-ring
holding West's suspenders together and the blade was stopped before it
penetrated deeply enough to kill West. In the melee, Babe Langford was
shot and killed and at least one of the other Langford brothers was
shot. The Wests got cut up pretty well, but none were killed. The
Langford men were buried in the Hickory Grove Cemetery, not far from
the West family plot.
The West brothers were tried for murder, but were found "Not Guilty"
because the letter published in the paper was considered sufficient
cause. Some felt the editor of the paper was also to blame for
publishing the letter, because he should have known that no son would
allow such remarks made about his mother to go unrevenged. Both Eugene
West and one of the Langfords were sufficiently injured that they had
to be carried into the courtroom on stretchers.
Both families eventually moved out of the county, the Langford's
first, down to the Fort Myers area. The West's later had sawmills and
turpentine camps in this county, in Hamilton County and in Lowndes
County, Georgia. One sawmill was located at Weston, near where Road 360
crosses I-10, and a tram road on which to haul logs ran from out near
the Hickory Grove community to Weston. It was said that as long as the
West family lived in the county, they never allowed a light in the
house at night, for fear someone would shoot them through the window
under the cover of darkness.
Comments from George R. Langford concerning the article.
The Bill Langford who was killed by Eugene West was my grandfather.
His full name was William Madison Langford, one of eleven children of
Capt. Thomas and Lucinda Overstreet Langford (my great grandfather and
grandmother). My grandfather (William M. Langford) married Molly Luke,
the sister of Judge Roscoe Luke of Thomasville, Georgia. My father,
Daniel Luke Langford, was born in Thomasville, Georgia on 6 June 1884.
My grandfather rode horseback to Hickory Grove Methodist Church on
that fateful day in May 1885 to visit his family. The Langford
homestead was only a few hundred feet from Hickory Grove Church. My
father was less than one year old at the time. My father (Daniel Luke
Langford) and his mother were not present on that day. My grandmother,
Mollie Luke Langford, subsequently married George Roscoe Beverly from
Thomasville, Georgia, and one son, George Roscoe Beverly, Jr. was born.
Capt. Thomas and Lucinda moved to Ft. Myers, Florida, after the West
boys were aquitted of murder in Madison County. My father, Daniel Luke
Langford, married Virginia Robertson, from Lumokin, Georgia, and they
produced four children: Daniel Luke Langford, Jr., Anniewill
(daughter), William Madison Langford, and me, George Robertson
Langford.
My father, Daniel Luke Langford, died in 1931 from double pneumonia
and my mother, Virginia, who never remarried, died in 1949. My brother,
Daniel, died unmarried in San Francisco in 1979. Sister Anniewill died,
unmarried, in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1982. My brother, William
Madison, died in action in World War II as a Csptain in the 24th
Regiment of the 24th Division in the Philippines, just ten days before
the Japanese surrendered.
I have visited Hickory Grove Methodist Church and the cemetery many times and I'm still mad.
My daddy always said that every Langford in the State of Florida is kin to us -- I believe it.
I enjoyed the article on Frances Langford. My wife Marion and I had
lunch with Frances and her husband, Harold Stuart in Stuart, Florida
last spring. She is still beautiful and charming.
If you ever visit Live Oak, Florida at the Episcopal Camp Weed, the
baseball field there was named for my brother, William Madison
Langford, who was killed in World War II.