Peter Dock Adkins was the epitome of black sheep of the family! His nickname was “Dump,” which is odd but appropriate. For awhile, Peter was a mystery to me waiting to be solved.
He is considered a stain on our family history. Many of his siblings disowned him and basically erased any connection to him. I can completely understand why they did this, and it will become clear as you read along. I know that not everyone will be happy that I am sharing this story.
Just a reminder that Adkins and Atkins were used interchangeably in records during this time since most of them were illiterate. You can read more about that in my blog post, “Adkins v. Atkins: The Great Debate.” If you would like to see where the Adkins family lived in Ferrum, Virginia, check out my blog post, “The Adkins Homestead.”
Peter Dock “Dump” Adkins
Born in 1903 in Ferrum, Franklin County, Virginia
Died on November 15, 1932 in Franklin County, Virginia
Buried in the Adkins Family Cemetery in Ferrum, Franklin County, Virginia
Parents: John “Joe” Peter Adkins and Eliza Jane Adkins
Siblings: Mary Elizabeth, Prince Ann, Percy Hampton, Ida Mae, Idabell, Richard, Arthur Lee, and Kernel Adkins
Ancestral Line
If you are wondering how Dump Adkins is related to me, here is a chart showing the direct lineage. Dump Adkins is the son of John “Joe” Peter Adkins and Eliza Jane Adkins (my 2x great grandparents) and brother of Percy Hampton Adkins (my great grandfather). Sparrell Adkins was the father of Eliza Jane Adkins. I am not using names for any living relatives for privacy reasons.
Sparrell Adkins
John “Joe” Peter Adkins & Eliza Jane Adkins
Percy Hampton Adkins
Curtis Sherman Adkins, Sr.
My Father
Me
The Wild West
Let me paint you a picture of western Virginia, specifically the area of Ferrum, in the 1920s and 1930s. Ferrum is located in Franklin County which is situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a small rural town that was sparsely populated and isolated. Most of its inhabitants were either farmers, coal miners, or moonshiners. Franklin County was known as the “Moonshine Capital of the World.”
“…sparsely settled, wild and mountainous section near Union Church…and is famed for the production of corn whisky…”
The Times Dispatch, November 17, 1932, p. 2, Newport News, Virginia.
At this time, Peter Dock Adkins and many of his family members were farmers. No one knows if they were also moonshiners. Dump’s family lived in log cabins with no electricity or plumbing. You can see pictures of his parents’ log cabin here. All of his family, himself included, were not educated and did not know how to read or write. No one attended school until the next generation when the government made it mandatory.
Murder
On July 24, 1922, Dump Adkins, who was 18 years old, shot and killed 16-year-old Claude Crum near Ferrum, Virginia. Supposedly, they were both at the home of Robert Rakes where they had an argument. Dump went to his home to retrieve his gun and ran into Crum near Rakes’ house. They argued again, and then Dump fatally shot Crum. Dump was arrested and taken to the jail in Rocky Mount, Virginia.
I have not been able to obtain any other records regarding this murder or Dump’s trial and prison time. However, I found Dump Adkins as a prisoner at State Convict Read Camp in Virginia in the 1930 U.S. Census. I believe that he was serving time for killing Claude Crum. What do you think?
Family Feud
Around August 1932, Dump Adkins was released from prison and returned home to live with his family in Ferrum, Virginia. At that time, he took an interest in his step-grandmother, Missouri Turner Adkins. Missouri was married to Sparrell Adkins and was forty years his junior. Crazy all around. I’ll do the math for you…. Dump was 29, Missouri was 57, and Sparrell was between 88-98. This was one of the weirdest love triangles that I have ever heard of.
While Sparrell suspected that his grandson was interested in his wife, there is no evidence that Missouri took an interest in Dump. Supposedly, Sparrell was jealous of his grandson.
On November 15, 1932, Sparrell and Dump got into an argument at Sparrell’s house, and Sparrell shot his grandson in the back while he was shaving in front of a mirror. Allegedly, the cops found him on the ground still clutching his razor. Sparrell did not allow Dump’s body to be taken to the Adkins home, therefore it was taken to a neighbor Ike Prater’s house. Sparrell was arrested and released on $5,000 bail.
That night a gunfight broke out during the wake for Dump Adkins.
Gunfight at the Wake
The body of Dump Adkins was removed to the home of Ike Prater to be prepared for burial. At the wake that night, Ike Prater, Ernest Shelton, Harold Queen, Oral Turner, and others were gathered in the house sitting beside the body. Naturally, they had all been drinking.
“The whole shooting, which involved numerous non-fatal shots fired after the lights were extinguished during the melee at the death watch, occurred at the sparsely settled, wild and mountainous section near Union Church, just across the Franklin County line from Patrick County.
How the quarrel at the wake originated was not made clear, but witnesses said all participants had been drinking and apparently grew quarrelsome.”
The Times Dispatch, November 17, 1932, p. 2, Richmond, Virginia.
Supposedly, Henry Holly and his son, Robert Holly, entered the house and one of them shot and killed Ernest Shelton. Then, he shot Ike Prater in the head. In response, Harold Queen shot and killed Henry Holly.
Ernest Shelton and Henry Holly were pronounced dead on the scene. Ike Prater was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Many of the newspapers printed that he was predicted to die. Miraculously, he survived. Robert Holly and Harold Queen were arrested for murder. Witnesses were also taken into custody for questioning.
Not surprisingly, this was not the first gunfight of this manner to occur in this area.
Trial for Sparrell Adkins
For a very small town that hardly made the local news, this incident was plastered all over newspapers from New York to Tennesee to Florida and beyond.
Sparrell Adkins was the oldest person in Franklin County, Virginia to stand trial for murder. Because of his physical condition and age, Sparrell was allowed to remain seated while the indictment was read. He was charged with the murder of his grandson, Peter “Dump” Adkins.
“Counsel for Adkins entered a plea of not guilty, and the state indicated a waiver of the death penalty in its examination of the talismen.”
The News Leader, February 24, 1933, p. 1, Staunton, Virginia.
During the trial Sparrell needed assistance to and from the witness stand. Sparrell claimed self-defense. After a short deliberation, the jury came back in agreement with him. Sparrell was found not guilty and acquitted of the charges.
“I shot him,” the defendant said when called to the stand. “I knew it was life for life then and I had to do something.”
The Times Dispatch, February 25, 1933, p. 1, Richmond, Virginia.
Sparrell’s wife, Missouri Turner Adkins, and his daughter, Eliza Jane Adkins, attended the trial and “smiled wanly” as the verdict was read. Sparrell Adkins died of old age about a month after the trial ended.
Burial
Peter Dock Adkins (also known as Dump) is buried in the Adkins family cemetery, which is located on his parents’ property in Ferrum, Virginia. Eliza Jane Adkins, Dump’s mother, was the informant listed on his death certificate.
Up until recently, his headstone was fallen apart. About a year or so ago, the cemetery received a facelift and broken headstones were replaced with new ones.
I would love to find out more about these events. I am still trying to find any arrest records, prison records and court records regarding Sparrell and Dump Adkins. I would especially love to get a copy of the trial transcript, if it even exists. If you have any information about this line of the family, please reach out to me.
SOURCES:
1930 United States Federal Census; State Convict Read Camp, Lee District, Shenandoah County, Virginia, Supervisor’s District No. 1, Enumeration District No. 86-16, Sheet No. 6B, digital image downloaded from “1930 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry.com.
Daily Press; “98-Year-Old Man is Acquitted on Murder Charge,” February 25, 1933, Newport News, Virginia, p. 4.
Daily Press; “Aged Veteran Dies; Recently Acquitted,” March 21, 1933, Newport News, Virginia, p. 9.
Daily Press; “Three Dead, 4 Held in Shooting Affray,” November 17, 1932, Newport News, Virginia, p. 1 and 9.
Death Certificate of Claude Crum; July 23, 1922; Franklin County, Virginia; digital image downloaded from “Virginia Death Records, 1912-2014,” Ancestry.com.
Death Certificate of Peter Dock Adkins; November 15, 1932; Franklin County, Virginia; digital image downloaded from “Virginia Death Records, 1912-2014,” Ancestry.com.
The High Point Enterprise; “Claude Crum Fatally Shot,” July 26, 1922, High Point, North Carolina, p. 6.
The News Leader; “Aged Man is Being Tried for Murder,” February 24, 1933, Staunton, Virginia, p. 1.
Photograph of Peter Dock Adkins’ Headstone, 2019, Ferrum, Virginia. Taken by Sheila Turner. Copy in my possession in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Times Dispatch; “97-Year-Old Confederate is Under Charge – Is Accused of Murder or Grandson, Allegedly Due to Jealousy of His Wife,” February 7, 1933, Richmond, Virginia, p. 3.
The Times Dispatch; “Grandson Slain in Jealous Rage of 97-Year-Old,” November 17, 1932, Richmond, Virginia, p. 2.
The Times Dispatch; “Veteran, 98, Acquitted in Grandson’s Killing. Plea of Self-Defense Wins in Rocky Mount Murder Trial,” February 25, 1933, Richmond, Virginia, p. 1.
The World News; “Dump Adkins Shot by Claud Crum,” July 24, 1922, Roanoke, Virginia, p. 1.
A Peek Into My Past 