Lemuel Hawkins: Dyer Act

Lemuel Hawkins was born 27 oct 1895 in Macon, GA to Maylus (Miles) Hawkins (1855-1938) & Carrie Colbert (1874-1968).

 

Inmate: #39929 Leavenworth Federal Prison

Rec: 1931

Crime: Dyer Act (Stolen Car)

Term: 2 yrs

Lemuel was married Opal Ann Johnson 7 Jun 1923. Lemuel was was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago Giants and Chicago American Giants from 1921 to 1928. He was 5'10" and weighed 185 pounds.

He served in World War I and was also the first baseman for the successful 25th Infantry Regiment baseball team posted at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. He, along with teammates Oscar Johnson, Dobie Moore, Bullet Rogan, and Bob Fagin, joined the Kansas City Monarchs in the early 1920s.

https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Lemuel_Hawkins

https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1923&teamID=KCM

Hawkins played for the Chicago American Giants in 1928. He finished his career in the Negro National League with a .265 batting average, three home runs, and 268 runs scored in 2,126 plate appearances.

Between the 1923 and 1924 baseball seasons, it was reported that Hawkins spent the Winter driving a taxicab.

In July 1931, Hawkins was with three other men in a car when they were searched by police in connection with a holdup. One of the other men pulled a gun and was shot to death by the officers, and Hawkins was held on an automobile theft charge. He was sentenced to serve two years in Fort Leavenworth Federal Prison.

Below are some articles on his crime, click the links to read.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67107652/lemuel-hawkins/

On the night of August 10, 1934, Hawkins and a partner attempted to hold up a beer truck in Chicago. A scuffle took place, and Hawkins was accidentally shot to death by his partner. The bullet that killed him entered his left ear and pierced his brain. Hawkins’ body was taken to the morgue where it went unidentified for approximately one month. How sad is that, wasn't his wife worried or weren't they together anymore. I didn't find any children for them. Below is the fingerprints of his from the morgue.

Below is his WWI Draft Card

He had such a wonderful life and then bam he started making some bad choices and died in such an awful way. What a story. I made him a tree and added everything to it, I only found one other tree and none of this was added or mentioned.