James F. Hardin - Assassinated

Located at Mount Vernon City Cemetery in Mount Vernon, MO.

Sacred To The

Memory Of

James F. Hardin

Born

Sept 8, 1836

Assassinated

Feby 3, 1876

 1845-1890. Catalogue of Phi Alpha Society ... Illinois College, Volume 23  By Illinois College. Phi Alpha Society, Illinois College

This is from Find A Grave. (http://www.findagrave.com/; by I remember when. . ., May 29, 2011.)

"M. L. VanGilder in 1995 notes: 9 December 1875, attorney James F Hardin shot attorney William H. Phelps twice in a court room, who recovered (Phelps had been elected to state legislature in 1872). Then James F. Hardin was gunned down by blasts from shotguns on 3 February 1876 when going home. His widow signed a complaint against William H. and brother Charles H. Phelps with an arrest made. Both acquitted on 28 September, 1876."

 I found this excerpt in an article, Historic Home Auction, that was written in 2006.

"The second occupant, lawyer James F. Hardin, shot another attorney during a court proceeding in December 1875. Hardin died after he was shot in an ambush in February 1876 a short distance from his home."

This is from View From the Courthouse: Abstracts of Lawrence County, Mo., Circuit Court Documents, 1858-1869

"In 1866, James F. Hardin, son-in-law of the Honorable John C. Price, served as Circuit Attorney. Hardin undoubtedly brought some excitement into the proceedings. Following Hardin's murder in Carthage in 1876, his obituary in a Springfield paper defended his character by stating "he was a better man than his sneaking cowardly assassins because whenever he had an enemy who needed to be injured, he met them face to face in public." It was Hardin who shot William H. Phelps in the courthouse at Carthage in 1875."

Sadly I wasn't able to find out much more than this. As always if you discover anymore information please feel free to email me and let me know and I will update the post.