Murder of Henry Cody
Cannelton Enquirer, Saturday, November 26, 1904: Edgar and Oscar Jarboe shot Henry Cody [b August 15, 1878], son of Thomas Cody [and Olivia Meunier Cody] last Sunday between Leopold and Mt. Pleasant.”
In the trial in September 1905 a motive was developed: An argument about the livestock of each man breaking through fences into the other’s crops escalated over a period of two or three months. The culmination came about between 4 and 5 o’clock on Sunday afternoon a mile or so from Mt. Pleasant near the farm of John James: Edgar Jarboe shot Henry Cole with Oscar Jarboe witnessing the deed. Testimony of several witnesses brought out that Edgar Jarboe had made many violent threats against Cody for the six weeks preceding the shooting which took place at a distance of more than 25 yards.
Jarboe immediately traveled to a brother’s home in Paducah, Ky., where Sheriff J.M. Cunningham with Deputy Elias Bryant [ cf. Infant of Lizzie Elder] apprehended him within a few days. On February 2, 1905 bond for Edgar was set at $4,000, that for Oscar at $500. Trial was set for April 18. On that day it was continued to June 14 when bail was continued for both, and both cases were venued to Spencer County.
The trial at Rockport began on Tuesday, September 19, and continued through Friday the 22nd. Apparently, the charge agains Oscar had been dropped somewhere along the way. The verdict for Edgar was Guilty of Manslaughter, sentence of 2 – 21 years at Jeffersonville Prison. The verdict was not well received by the residents of Leopold Township who declared it to be too lenient.