The Defense Team

I had the pleasure of speaking to someone who is in the extended family of Jacob Spears, the person shot in this case. She still lives in the area and knew quite a bit about the members of both the Prosecution and the Defense Team. She made the observation that there must have been quite a bit of sympathy for Thomas' actions as he was well-represented by power houses of the time.

Garrett Davis

Garrett Davis (September 10, 1801 – September 22, 1872) was a U.S. Senator and Representative from Kentucky. Garrett Davis was born in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.After completing preparatory studies, Davis was employed in the office of the county clerk of Montgomery County, Kentucky, and afterward of Bourbon County, Kentucky. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1823, where he commenced practice in Paris, Kentucky.

Davis served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1833 to 1835. Afterward, he was elected as a Whig to the United States House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1847. There he was chairman of the Committee on Territories. Davis declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1846, but instead resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He refused to reenter politics the next fifteen years. Davis declined the nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1848, and declined the American Party nomination for Governor in 1855 and for the presidency in 1856. (Note:  This was the year that he served as part of the Defense Team for T.H. Probert).

Davis was opposed to secession, however, and supported the Constitutional Union Party ticket in 1860. This convinced him to reenter politics, and he was elected by a Unionist Party position in 1861 to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the expulsion of John C. Breckinridge. He was reelected as a Democrat in 1867 and served from December 10, 1861, until his death in Paris, Kentucky, in 1872. He served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims. He was interred in Paris Cemetery. By the end of the Civil War, he like many Kentuckians, was totally disillusioned with the North. (Wikipedia)

William Wilson Alexander

Birth: March 2, 1819
Death: July 21, 1874 Age: 55

William Wilson Alexander Son of William and Jane (Stamps) Alexander. Born March 2, 1819, in Paris, KY. Prepared for college at Paris Academy. On leaving college he entered the law department of Transylvania University, and took his degree of LL.B. and established himself at Paris. His practice extended to the adjoining counties. He was County Attorney of Bourbon county for a number of years, and served two terms in the Legislature. Married in Wilkinson county, MS, February 27, 1845, to Miss Jane D. Stamps, a native of that county. He died July 21, 1874, leaving a widow and six children. Mr. Alexander was a man of marked ability. An acquaintance says: "As an advocate before a jury, or a speaker before a popular audience, he was captivating and effective. Graceful in gesture, exuberant in fancy, strong in argument, and humane and pathetic as occasion demanded, he seldom failed to touch a chord in the breasts of his hearers, which responded favorably to his appeals." (Certainly to Thomas' advantage).
http://www.frontierfolk.net

Col. T.T. Martin

Despite my best efforts, I was unable to find out anything about Col. T.T. Martin, the third member of the defense team. Given his title of Colonel, however, I assume he was a man who possessed leadership qualities and military experience. Still, the prosecution team outnumbered the defense team by almost 2:1. So what was to become of Thomas?