Maurice Throckmorton
Maurice B. Throckmorton (born October 22, 1855, died December 8, 1888 in Birmingham) was the Postmaster of Birmingham in the 1880s. He was married to the former Florence Earle Martin, daughter of Alburto Martin about 1884 and named his son, Alburto Throckmorton, born in 1885, for his father-in-law.
Throckmorton was killed by Jefferson County Sheriff Deputies at the order of Sheriff Joseph S. Smith during a riot connected to the Hawes murders. A mob had gathered to lynch Richard Hawes, and Throckmorton was reportedly pleading with the crowd to disperse when Sheriff Smith gave the order to his deputies to fire their shotguns to protect the county jail [1].
Smith was arrested for Throckmorton's death but was ultimately found not guilty of murder. Throckmorton is interred at Oak Hill Cemetery.
External links
- Maurice Throckmorton's gravesite at Oak Hill Cemetery, accessed October 3, 2007.
- Jefferson County Sheriff's Office History accessed October 3, 2007.
- The Anderson Sheriffs of Jefferson County Alabama accessed October 3, 2007.