Edward M. Yerger

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Edward M. Yerger
Born1828 (1828)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
AllegianceConfederate States
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Alma materOakland College

Edward M. Yerger (1828 – April 22, 1875) was an American newspaper editor and military officer. After a career in the newspaper industry, Yerger was arrested for the stabbing death of the provisional mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. His claim of habeas corpus after he was arrested by military authorities was appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court in Ex parte Yerger, a case tried before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Early life and education

Yerger was born in 1828 in Nashville, Tennessee, the youngest son of Tennessee Attorney General George Shall Yerger.[1] Edward and his family eventually relocated to Mississippi. Yerger graduated from Oakland College and served as a colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.[2][3]

Career

Yerger edited several newspapers, including the

Vicksburg Times and Major Barksdale of the Jackson Clarion.[8] Yerger was later employed by the Vicksburg Herald. He announced his resignation from the staff of the Herald on January 28, 1868.[9] Yerger was described by a historian as "mentally unsound".[10]

Murder of Joseph G. Crane

In 1869, Major

Mississippi Supreme Court, who sought a writ of habeas corpus from the circuit court.[14] The resulting case, Ex parte Yerger, was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.[15] Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase concluded that the court had jurisdiction to hear the case, which meant Yerger did not have to be tried by the military commission. The attorney general
and William Yerger agreed that Yerger be turned over to civilian authorities for prosecution.

Yerger was never tried for murder, and, after a stint in a Mississippi jail, was released on bail and moved to Baltimore, Maryland.

Death

Yerger died in Baltimore, Maryland on April 22, 1875.[6]

References

  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. ^ . Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b Ward, Francis McRae. "Chapter 7: The Killing Of Colonel Crane, Military Mayor Of Jackson, Mississippi". "Vignettes" of the Civil War. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Death of E.M. Yerger". Public ledger. (Memphis, Tenn.). 23 April 1875. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Duel Between two Mississippi Editors". The Charleston daily news. (Charleston, S.C.). 6 April 1867. p. 4. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  8. ^ "The Duello in the South". The evening telegraph. (Philadelphia [Pa.]). 13 April 1867. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Mississippi Items". Memphis daily appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.). 2 February 1868. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  10. .
  11. ^ "Terrible Tragedy". Public ledger (Memphis, Tenn.). 9 June 1869. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  12. JSTOR 844183
    .
  13. ^ Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi, Vol. II. Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company. 1891. p. 29. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  14. JSTOR 1846658
    .
  15. ^ PAUL FINKELMAN & MELVIN I. UROFSKY, Ex parte Yerger, in LANDMARK DECISIONS OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT (2003), available in CQ ELECTRONIC LIBRARY, CQ Supreme Court Collection, http://library.cqpress.com/scc/lndmrk03-113-6430-338597 (last visited April 4, 2007). Document ID: lndmrk03-113-6430-338597.

Further reading