(Originally transcribed from newspaper files by the late Alton Greene, Sanger, TX)
Collected and recopied from William P. Grohse files by Margaret Long Mabrey.

Rogersville Herald, November 6, 1889
MURDER IN HANCOCK COUNTY

Hamp Greene kills his nephew, James Greene - Another chapter in the Jones-Greene war.

News reaches us of another murder in our neighbor county - Hancock, which occured in Livesay’s store at Luther P.O. Wednesday morning Oct 30.
It appears that Hamp Greene belongs to the Greenes and James Greene to the Jones faction, which is not having war with each other for some time and that Hamp now had two sons in the penitentiary for killing a brother of James Greene in one of their battles, and that he was circulating a petition to the Govenor asking for the pardon of his sons, and upon meeting James Greene on Wed. morning at the above named place, asked him to sign the petition, and upon his refusal to do so some hot words passed between them, and it is said Hamp Greene drew a weight upon James and threatened to strike him with it, when James drew his ever ready Smith and Wesson and began to fire upon him, and after several shots had been fired without effect, Hamp dropped the weight and raised his Winchester rifle and shot James squarely in the forehead, killing him instantly. then walked leisurely to his home without any attempt being made to arrest him, and we undertand is still at large.

This unhappy continuation of the Jones-Greene feud is greatly to be regretted, as it will keep up the bad name of Hancock co. abroad and seriously injure its future prosperity.

ibid, May 21, 1890..... Ace Jones Surrenders
Ace Jones, the leader on the Jones side, in the late Jones-Greene war in Hancock co, after scouting and evading the officers of the law for over 12 months, gave himself up last Thurday, to Deputy Sheriff Henry Davis, of the 13th District of this county, and expressed himself ready for trial upon the charge of killing Thomas J Berry of this county (Hawkins) which was preferred agaiabbed him, and conveyed him a prisoner to the Hancock county jail, to await trial upon charges preferred upon him there.

NOTE: The killing of Berry, referred to above, took place in his meat house when he was shot by someone hidden inside. He had gone out there with his son-in-law to set his milk higher, as flood conditions had caused his milk to be ruined.

ibid, Sept 24, 1890
The noted Asa Jones murder trial, after a continuance of five days, came to an end Tuesday, with the verdict of acquittal by the jury.

Some of the ablest speeches listened to in the court house for several years, were made on both sides. Asa Jones will be taken back to Hancock Co, TN where he stands charged with implicity in the Jones-Greene trouble, but as we understand a compromise has been affected in these cases, he will be permitted to give bond, and thus be a free man once more.

(This was the trial for the Berry murder.)

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