(need picture) can you help? Charles Jack Medders
Date of birth:	1859
Place of birth:	Appling County, Georgia
Death Date:	July 10th 1920
Death Place:	Alma, Bacon County, Georgia
Burial:
Marriage: (1)	Ethel Lott 1866
Children:	1 Ethel Medders 1883
Marriage: (2)	Emma A (Young) Altman 1874-?
Political party:	Democrat
Sources:	A Ancestry.com GEDCOM 1 Biography by, R.M. Medders 11/1/1999 2 1860 US Census Holmesville, Appling County, Georgia 3 Piney Woods Almanac 4 1920 US Census, Alma, Bacon, County, Georgia 5 Baxley News Banner Vol. 5 6 The Atlanta Constitution 1921 7 Baxley Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Direct Line Paternal Ancestors of Charles Jack Medders starting with Father;	1 Benjamin B Medders 1809 2 William W Medders 1785
Direct Line Maternal Ancestors of Charles Jack Medders starting with Mother;	1 Elizabeth Tucker 1828 2 M Tucker 1806
This page was last updated 01/18/2012
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Charles Jack Medders, 1859-1920

Charles “Jack” Medders was born in 1859 in Appling County, Georgia and died 10^th July 1920 in the hamlet of Alma, Bacon County, Georgia. Charles was the last child of Benjamin Batchelor “Meadows” MEDDERS and Elizabeth TUCKER. Charles was the half brother of John Smith “Meadows” MEDDERS, James Riley “Meadows” MEDDERS and William Washington MEDDERS that fought for the South during the US Civil War.

Birthplace ⁷History-Future

Early Life  

Charles J Medders is living in Holmesville, Appling County, Georgia on 14^th July 1860 with his parents Benjamin B & Elizabeth Medders. In this census Charles father is being recorded as Benjamin Batchelor. Also living with him are several of his siblings; Cinderella age 19 - William age 16 - Nancy age 13 - Margaret age 11 - and his full sister Sarah L. age 10. It is possible that his sister Sarah L. was named after his first wife or 1st daughter. The “L” could be Leggett. Elizabeth Tucker died between 1861 and 1869. Also living in the same household is Joseph Crapps age 19. It is believed that this Joseph is the father of Jake Crapps. Vinny Lou Medders Benjamin’s granddaughter married Berry M Crosby; their daughter Eudell Crosby married Jake Crapps. Benjamin is recorded only as Benjamin Batchelor with out the last name of “Meadows”. Also in the 1860 US Census it was noted that Benjamin could not read or write. He may not have known how to spell his name so this could be the difference as to the census takers spelling his name the way they thought it should be spelled. Benjamin is shown as having a net worth of $115.00 $100 in real estate (tract unknown) and $15.00 personal property. His father Benjamin is recorded on (page #60, line 19, household #368).

Charles grew up around a very large family that was spread over (3) marriages. In about 1885 at the age of 25, Medders and Dedge were partners in the Show Business. They hit upon a plan to put horns on a Negro and tour the country, with him as the "only horned negro in captivity", “The Wild Man of the Okefenokee”. An operation was necessary to insert a pair of horns in the Negro's head and the skin grew into place and made them appear like real horns. Medders and Dedge took their show on the road, they appeared at the 1904 Worlds Fair in Saint Louis, Missouri.

³The following article was taken from the Piney Woods Almanac published in 1964;

“From April 30^th to December 31^st, nearly 20 million people visited the Worlds Fair in St. Louis. This was only a year following the Wright Brother’s famous flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Automobiles, Aspirin, Electric Lighting and Telephones were still novelties and food was yet stored in ice boxes. One Exhibit was the public demonstration of air conditioning. Another was a hoax featuring “The Wild Man of the Okefenokee”, courtesy of a Medders and three other Alma area men.”

The show business thrived it is said, until the Negro at Valdosta several years ago, disclosed the fake. The Piney Woods Almanac article, written by A. F. Byrd, editor, reported that “the colored boy they selected for their enterprise was young Perry Weeks, who shined shoes for a Mr. Steve Davis, up in the town of Nichols”.

The article also revealed that the idea of creating the Wild Man of the Okefenokee was credited to none other than another man who was famous in these parts for his avoirdupois. He weighed about 700 pounds and lived in the Bolen Community, later moving to Waycross, Ware County, Georgia. This gentleman was the famous “Doc” Brinson, who himself had appeared in fairs and shows as the “fattest man in the world”. Dedge and Medders had made a fortune and returned here to Alma, Bacon County, Georgia about 1905 and with Medders becoming an overseer on the Dedge plantation. In 1919, because of personal difficulties Medders left the place, opened a law office and became a Justice of the Peace.

Real Estate Investor and Agent

Charles Jack Medders was a real estate agent in 1920 per the census information, and was married for the 2^nd time to Emma A (YOUNG) Altman, ex-wife of John ALTMAN and daughter of Thomas L YOUNG and Emily PASSMORE. They were living with his half brother William Washington Medders last child, Randall W Medders.

Jack bought lots 1, 2 & 3 of block 78 (Dew Wholesale Grocery) from Mamie S. Dickinson on Jan 5 1920 and on Mar 23 1920 sold lots 10, 11 & 14 of block 15 to Wiley Carter.

Death Place – The Murder of C. J Medders

Charles “Jack” Medders was murdered in the hamlet of Alma, Bacon County, Georgia on 10^th July 1920. He was shot down in front of his office one night and Dedge was among the men arrested in the connection with the shooting, the automobile from which the shots were fired being traced to his home. According to the accounting of what happened, by Oliver Jennings Medders, son of James Madison Medders, provided by Rod Medders Grandson of James Madison Medders;

“Jennings said at the end of a day of business, he was outside "latching up" his store and as he was closing the door D Stanford drove by and shot him in the back with buckshot. He also said Dedge and Jack had agreed to smuggle diamonds into the country from South America, sewn into the hides of dogs but that Dedge also wanted to go into counterfeiting. Jack was afraid of or not willing to risk going against the government so he dissolved the partnership and bought the store from Dickinson. Dedge was supposedly someone who considered you either with him or against him, so he hired Jack's murderers. Jennings was a very sincere, cautious and religious man and I know he believed this.”

This is probably the personal problem’s that caused him to leave the Dedge Plantation in 1919.

⁵The Juries Verdict Baxley Banner News Vol. 5 & ⁶The Atlanta Constitution (view article)
Justice C. J. Medders - Thursday, 21st April 1921
Dr. Dedge found guilty and given life term in Alma, Bacon County, Georgia April 20th. Dr. J. E. Dedge of horned Negro fame, was convicted of murder here tonight in connection with the killing of Justice C. J. Medders on July 10th of last year. The jury recommended mercy and Dedge was immediately sentenced to life imprisonment. Dr. Dedge, who was a dentist, practiced his profession in this county. He was considered one of the best dentist of this section.

Note: All other documents state J. R. Dedge, believe this is a typo, looking at the keyboard the letter “E” is next to the letter “R” and probably was not caught before being printed.

⁵Baxley News Banner Vol. 5 - Trial of D. Stanford
C. J. Medders – Thursday 23^rd June 1923
Stanford on Trial for Killing Medders. His Co-defendants Have Already Been Tried. Alma Ga. June 25^th. D. Stanford was placed on trial here this morning, charged jointly with J. R. and Floyd Dedge of killing C. J. Medders in 1920. The jury was exhausted at 3 o’clock and court adjourned until Tuesday morning in order to give bailiffs time to summon eighty-six more jurors.

Stanford stated “they are hanging the man who didn’t do the killing. I did it myself and they have saved me.”

J. R. Dedge has been tried twice before, the first resulting in a miss trial and the second a conviction carrying a life sentence. Stanford was also convicted and received a life sentence, but both get new trials. Floyd has not yet been tried. Judge Eve of Tifton is presiding at this special occasion.

What does a Life Sentence mean?
Baxley News Banner Vol. 5
Dr. J. R. Dedge Freed at Trial. After Spending Threes Years in Jail and Tried Three Times Dentist Given Freedom. From Alma Times late Thursday.

⁵Several years later the following article appeared in the Baxley News Banner
1920 Murder
In 1920 Jack Medders ran a small store on Main Street in Alma, now 11^th. On July 10^th, 1920 at closing time on a very dark night as Jack was locking his store nine buckshot plowed into his head and shoulders, killing him instantly.

Witnesses said that the suspects were driving a Liberty 6 Coupe. In no time Sheriff Googe arrested three men on murder charges, one, Dr. John R Dedge, his brother Floyd Dedge, D. Stanford.

Their commitment trial was held in August with local attorneys participating. They were I. J. Bussell, A. B. Spence, H. L. Causey, A. J. Tuten and L. D. Luke. Dr. Dedge was later tried in November. All were found guilty, Dr. Dedge appealed as the jury had recommended “Mercy”. All stayed in jail a long time. Many protested that Dr. Dedge, the dentist, was being giving special privileges by Sheriff Googe, which he promptly denied in a letter to the local newspaper. There are those still around who claim that Dr. Dedge did install his equipment in the county jail and continued extracting and filling teeth.

In the Clerk’s Office in Bacon County are voluminous files on this murder trial one which really shook Bacon County. The files deal with the trial, the appeals, and other pertinent legal briefs. (end).

They all stayed in jail a long time?
Well I don’t know what they call a long time, but Dr. Dedge was released after 3 years, I don’t know about the others

Many thanks are owed to Rod Medders great grandson of James Madison Medders for supplying me with images of the Baxley News Banner. Rod is the son of Estelle Fleming Medders.