Sheriff Poag was killed because a mob wanted to lynch a man named James “Jim” Whitt. In order to fully understand what happened to the sheriff, it is important to know who James Whitt was and how he happened to be in the Tate County jail on the morning of April 12, 1905.
The date was December 24, 1903. The day started off like any other in the Strayhorn community. Excitement was in the air because after all it was Christmas eve. A young man named O. R. “Buster” Thomason along with his friends, Henry Wilson, Alex Nelson, and Charlie Rochelle decided to head over to Bill Scroggins’ house early that morning for a hunt. Once the group arrived, another man named James “Jim” Whitt came up with his gun looking to join them on the hunt. Bill Scroggins asked the group to join him in drinking a dram of whiskey. After the drink, there are differing accounts of what happened next…
The best I can piece together is that Buster Thomason made a comment about Jim Whitt’s family specifically his wife. The comment made Jim Whitt very angry. According to Thomason’s friends, Jim wanted to play a gambling game called crackaloo*, but Buster declined. Buster reportedly said that he had too much respect for Mrs. Scroggins, Whitt, his wife, and family to play such a game in their presence. At that statement, Whitt allegedly got out his knife and said, “what did you say about my wife” and the two commenced to fighting. After the fuss, the two men went their separate ways until running into each other late that afternoon. Whitt tells a different story about what was said, but I’ll save that for another time…Regardless of the reasons and what was said, everyone involved admitted that Jim Whitt and Buster Thomason had a rather heated argument that morning.
Later that afternoon, around 4:00 p.m., Charlie Rochelle, Henry Wilson, and Buster Thomason were riding on the “big” road to a Christmas tree in Strayhorn. The trio were headed south when they met Jim Whitt walking towards them with his gun. Supposedly, Charlie Rochelle encountered Whitt first. Whitt asked for his knife back and Rochelle complied. Rochelle continued south and rode only a short distance before hearing a gun shot. According to who you want to believe, there are several different versions of the exchange between Whitt and Thomason. Despite what was said, Buster Thomason got off his mule to face Whitt. Once he was down, Whitt immediately shot Thomason hitting his left arm. Thomason grabbed his left arm, turned, and proceeded to walk off when Whitt shot again. The second shot hit Thomason in the back and he immediately fell. Whitt unbreeched his gun, put two shells back in the gun, and walked on heading north to his home where he met Representative S.T. Clayton and his daughter Belle.
The particulars of what was said and who said it are unsubstantiated at best. Anytime you have multiple witnesses, you will have multiple stories. One thing that can be proven is that James Whitt shot Buster Thomason two times – one shot…broke his left arm and the second shot hit him in the back. Why or how this happened? Well, that is another story altogether…a different reason or story from everyone involved.
James Whitt turned himself to Sheriff B.B. Brooks on the night of December 24, 1903. Based on advice from the court and rumors of a possible lynching, Whitt was secretly moved to Batesville on Christmas day. He remained in Batesville until April 1904. At that time, he was brought back to Senatobia to stand trial for the murder of O.R. Thomason.
*Crackaloo – A gambling game which players throw coins at the ceiling aiming to have them fall as near as possible to a certain crack in the floor.
Next Post – The 1904 Trial of James “Jim” Whitt