On August 5, 1948 Hiram Rucker Cornett was shot to death on Main Street in Madisonville, Tennessee leaving a young wife and three small children.

You won't find much of a record of the shooting or the trial that followed in the local newspaper archives. Although the death would change the lives of many forever and the trial was a big event in the small community it was mostly neglected by the local media. Only a few lines in the local newspaper recorded the events.

The following pages contain a transcript of the trial that followed. It is presented just as it was typed back in 1949 page by page. It is rather a large manuscript but if you have a high speed connection you may wish to view the single page version.

If you have a high speed internet connection and wish to view the single page version please click here.