Possibly Seeking Legal Remedy Against Fleeta : A Cause Célèbre; or, at a Minimum - A Cause Du Jour

 Greetings, friends, and I hope this post finds you well. 

So I came across a FB post yesterday in which the poster was complaining about Fleeta Baggett - who uses her personal page on FB in her capacity as Mayor of Covington, GA - deleting posts & blocking multiple people (for no legitimate, legal reason) that she doesn't like. 

I commented on this post w/ the following: 

I've been blocked by Fleeta for years. 

Two different attorneys have confirmed she's in violation since she does often use her personal page in her role as Mayor. 

I've had multiple folks tell me I should pursue it but it just hasn't been high on my priority list. 

But things change. I think I will pursue it. At a minimum it'll piss her off. 

 

Madam Mayor Fleeta

I'm very much ready now to pursue this. The law's the law & Fleeta has been openly flaunting it for years, proudly, in fact, to anyone who will listen to her. 

I'm about to send an email to Sister Mayor, the City Clerk & City Attorney of Covington, as well as CC'ing all six members of the Covington Council (I'll also BCC several including some you maybe reading this) giving notice of my intent to pursue this. 

After all, as some of you know, I am a Cause Guy (whether Célèbre or Du Jour). 

Looking forward to it. I think I need this. I'll keep y'all posted. 

Here's to the road ahead! 

- MBM 

A TPC Report: Talkin' C-Town; Idiocy from the Gold Dome (But Then I Repeat Myself) & Interesting Happenings on Gregory Rd

 Greetings. 

So let's start w/ the home city & let's start w/ traffic. 

As predicted, the bridge replacement & closing of Hwy 81/Emory St just south of 278 has had major ramifications on traffic flow in & around C-town proper. 

As also predicted, West St has just been a total & absolute catastrophe, particularly during peak hours, as all of this north-south traffic has had to go somewhere. And it doesn't help that there are no dedicated left-turn green lights on either side of 278 on West, though that really wouldn't matter anyways as the left turn lanes are very short on both sides. 

All other nearby thoroughfares (Pace St, Turner Lake & Elm) have been severely impacted as well. 

And this past weekend was ridiculous. It was the Vampire convention that was being held at OHCO. I saw video on the Book of Faces. 

Utter madness. 

Oh well, it's always something, right? 

COV says NO to Tattoo Shops on the Square 

This isn't breaking news so you're probably aware of this already, but you might not know some of the dynamics involved. 

Two weeks ago & the Covington Council - in a 4-2 vote - voted against allowing for a tattoo shop to open up on east side of the Square on Church St. 

Honestly, for some, this vote was a surprise. 

There seemed to've been a consensus to approve it (at one point I was hearing a possible 5-1 vote to do so); however, in the days leading up to the council's vote, there was a shift & when it was all said & done, the votes were NOT there to make it happen. 

I'd previously publicly announced my support for making the change to allow it. 

Well, hell, definitely won't be the first time I've been on the losing side of a political/policy issue, but - I beat on, like a boat against the current. 


GA General Assembly Hijinks 

In response to the state senate voting overwhelmingly to switch GA to Atlantic Time as a potential end-around to be able to do permanent DST, I'll just share what I posted on a particular FB post: 

"This is so dumb. If passed, it would replicate in GA what the entire country did back in the 1970s which was a complete disaster & they reversed it w/in a year. It will NOT work.

Still can't believe this many of our state senators are such morons.

And this "workaround" is completely asinine.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the lower chamber - "The People's House" - follows the dumbassery of the state senate. However, I would be surprised if Kemp actually signed off on it & I'm fairly certain the US DOT would never sign off on it so really it's much ado de nada.

But hey, kudos to the GA General Assembly for tackling the big issues like the official chicken wing of the state & wasting time w/ bullsh!t like this.

Sad.

By the way, permanent Standard Time is the way."

As I've been saying for years & years, friends, never doubt the ability of that crowd to go Full-On Mo-Ron! 


What's Going On on Gregory Rd? 

(and maybe I might've buried the lede on this one a bit?) 

Over the last few months I've had multiple folks reach out to me about certain activities occurring pertaining to properties in the vicinity of Gregory Rd off of Flat Rock Rd just off State Hwy 142/John Williams Hwy. 

Reports of a certain individual reaching out to elected & appointed officials about trying to get parcels of real estate annexed into the City of Covington. 

I did a little preliminary research at the time. I found that this certain individual had an interest in multiple LLCs that own many of the parcels in this area. 

Fast forward to last week when Newton Co BOC 5 Rep LeAnne Long publicly shared information she had received from a Gregory Rd property owner who had received an offer from a certain entity - RT Newton Holdings LLC - about purchasing their property w/ the contingency that it get annexed by the City of Covington, get the required zoning but also w/ a stipulation that this property owner would publicly support the annexation/zoning amendment as well as write a public letter of support for putting a data center in where this property was located. 

I received a copy of this offer & let me tell you what, folks -- it's a real humdinger! I mean, it's  really something. Basically a 3-yr contingency clause. 

Apparently (and allegedly) this person (whom I'm going to name at the end of this piece) has already been working on an assemblage to put together enough parcels to possibly try to get it annexed & to get the zoning to put in a data center. 

A previous purchase that has been an item of much discussion was the purchase of Flat Rock Baptist Church a couple of years ago. The church actually sold to Tide Investments LLC, and then that entity later sold it to the aforementioned RT Newton Holdings. 

There's also been chatter about a current elected official who was actively involved w/ this church, as well as alleged political support she may have received (we're working on running that down) along w/ purported financial support another member of the Covington Council might've also possibly received. 

As an aside, the other corporate entity that has large land holdings in this area is JBW Investments LLC. 

So, what - or who - seems to be the nexus of all of this? 

Well, based on research, as well as a review of available public records, it seems to be one man: 

John B. "Jay" Williams 

DEVELOPING... 

- MBM 

TPC Real Politick: Qualifying Done; What's the Lay of the Land? Talkin' Senate, GOV, State House & Senate; NC BOC

 Welcome back, folks, and it's time to get serious about the 2026 election cycle as candidate qualifying has now come & gone. 

We're going to start w/ the GOP primary for the US Senate (Ossoff) race, then get into the GA Governor's race, local state house & senate races and then finish up w/ the two Newton Co BOC races. 

Your Source for the REAL Story

US Senate - GOP Primary 

Well, friends, this one looks pretty exciting & close at this point. 

The three main candidates are Mike Collins, Buddy Carter & Son of Vince - Derek Dooley. 

Dooley was kind of a surprise & seems to be the Kemp candidate. Collins, a man I first met 12 years ago when he ran for Congress the first time, has been & still seems to be the odds-on favorite for this one. Say what you will about him - and there's a whole lot that can be said - but he's definitely the MAGA candidate in this race but he also carries legitimate conservative bonafides & is a natural politician. 

Buddy Carter, the current 1st US district congressman from Pooler, GA (just outside of Savannah) has the money & campaign apparatus to have a chance, but right now he's polling a good 10-15 points behind Collins. 

Dooley seems to be the also-ran at this point consistently polling a distant third; however, with over half of the electorate still undecided, this is still very much a fluid situation. 


GA GOV - GOP 

So, this is the one that's gonna get real good, I think. 

The main players:

Rick "Action" Jackson, self-made billionaire, former ticket scalper & shoe-shiner; son of an absentee father & alcoholic mother (if you've been watching TV at all or listening to the radio you no doubt already know this), is running a self-funded campaign in which he says he won't be beholden to anybody, "just like Trump." 

Current GA Lt. Governor Burt "Truck Stop" Jones. The official Trump candidate, but someone that many in the MAGA realm (and a fair number of folks of all political stripes residing in the quad-county area) are somewhat distrustful of. 

Brad "Judas" Raffensperger. So Judas (as described by Action Jackson) is absolutely loathed by the MAGA crew but is somewhat liked by some of the more moderate GOP types. He could possibly find a lane in this contest. 

Chris "Kemp Boi" Carr. While Kemp hasn't officially endorsed anyone in the race,  conventional wisdom seems to think he'd like to see Carr, the current Georgia AG, win this one & Carr is definitely pushing the impression that he is the Kemp Candidate. Regardless, he is polling a very distant 4th so far. 

As mentioned, Jackson came up w/ Judas; Yours Truly is responsible for Truck Stop & Kemp Boi. 

You're welcome. I do what I can. 

Polling is showing Jackson & Jones as the frontrunners at the moment. 

The way this thing is going already, it might end up as one of the the dirtiest, nastiest & ugliest primaries in GA GOP history & folks - let me tell you this:

I. AM. HERE. FOR. ALL. OF. IT!


STATE HOUSE & SENATE 

The big news regarding the 42nd Senate District of GA is that we have an uncontested GOP primary. In a turn of events that was not surprising to this writer, young lawyer & Marine Bret Dunn is the presumptive favorite to represent our neck of the woods in the General General Assembly. 

Technically he will face a Dem challenger in November but considering the numbers in this district, I think it's just a matter of formality at this point. 

I've known Bret for about 12 years now & I really like him. He's a good fella & I think he'll represent us well under the Gold Dome. 

HD 114 

We do have a contested primary for this one.

Brett Mauldin & Wendell McNeal - both Morganites - will face off to determine who will represent the eastern portion of Newton Co & the entirety of Morgan in the lower chamber - The People's House - of our state legislature. 

I will take this opportunity to make an official endorsement: 

I hereby publicly endorse & support Brett Mauldin for GA HD 114. 

I've had the opportunity to meet Brett & have had a few conversations w/ him over the years. I think a lot of him & believe he'll do a fine job representing our interests. 


NEWTON CO BOC 

It's the even-year, non-presidential cycle this year, so that means it's election time for the 2nd & 4th districts of the Newton Co Board of Commissioners. 

Both of these seats are firmly Democrat. 

In the 2nd we see Demond Mason running for a 3rd term. A lot of folks like him & as far as I can tell he's done at least a decent job for our county. He'll be running against challenger Tamera Strong. 

For BOC 4, JC Henderson is - if memory serves - running for his 8th term this fall. 

Well, right off the bat, nobody should be in an elected office for that long. Plus, we're talking about JC here. 

He'll be facing off w/ Nytravious "Nytro" Smith. I first met Nytro three years ago & was quite impressed. Seems like a super nice young man. Very intelligent. And I know he's got a lot of supporters out there. If anyone can take down King JC, it just might be him. 

You know I'll be keeping an eye on things. 

'Til next time, 

- MBM 

A Letter to The Editor from The Editor Regarding Tattoo Parlors on the Covington Square

 Hello again, good friends, and welcome back to The Chronicles. 

So I had someone recently ask me to pen a letter stating my support for the proposed change to the ordinances of the Covington Square/Downtown Business District to allow for tattoo shops (and it's not the person that perhaps some of you might be thinking).

I told this person that I'd happily oblige. 



As follows: 

10 March 2026

RE: A Changing of the Covington Code of Ordinances to Allow for Tattoo Parlors


To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter today to publicly state that I am in full support of the City of Covington amending their code of ordinances to allow for tattoo parlors/shops/studios in the Covington Square/Downtown Business District.

As a Citizen who has an office on the Covington Square in my role of a real estate educator & compliance director as well as someone who keeps an eye on things in the home city & county as Editor of The Piedmont Chronicles, I feel as if I have at least somewhat of a relevant & unique perspective on this matter.

Further, especially in light of the city allowing for more uses & revisions of permitted actions (cigar lounges, hospitality drinks, etc) over the last few years, I see no legitimate public land-use control reasoning for not allowing this.

Respectfully Yours,

Marshall McCart
Covington, GA

 

-MBM- 

[Past Piedmont Chronicles] -- The Other Card Game Gone Bad on The Covington Square in the 19th Century: Will Smith Kills Two

 *originally published at TPC in February of 2023 

Card Game Gone Bad, Pt II: Will Smith Murders Two on the Covington Square in 1882

 

The Piedmont Chronicles
Your Source for the REAL Story

By: MB McCart, Editor

This publication just a few weeks ago published a piece about the infamous Pitts Hotel murder that took place on the Covington Square in 1888. As mentioned, there was another murder resulting from gambling that had happened six years prior - in 1882. 

This time it was on the southwest corner of The Square, and this time two persons lost their lives, not just one.  

Here's the true story of Will Smith & the deaths of James Banks & Alex Hendrick. 

* * * * * * *

Again, as written about numerous times in this space over the years, by the 1880s Covington was very much considered to be a Wild, Wild West Boomtown w/ over a dozen places to get hard liquor & to gamble. It is also widely considered that the home city had at least one House of Ill Repute during this time. 

Will Smith was a Jasper Countian & was known for his fondness of gambling & whiskey. On December 23rd, 1882, he had come up to Covington to drink & play cards.  

He found his way to Charlie Jarboe's Bar & Restaurant located on the southwest block of the Square where Southern Heartland Art Gallery (and for years previously Cohen's Clothing Store) now stands. 

According to an article from The Covington Star at the time, Smith had been reportedly "drinking quite freely" even before lunchtime & was presumably quite drunk by the time he arrived at Jarboe's. 

He had run into an acquaintance of his - one James Banks, son of Newton Co. Commissioner P.E. Banks - and had "bantered [him] for a game of cards." 

At some point, a shouting match ensued in which Smith purportedly accused Banks of cheating & then slapped him. Banks, none too impressed most likely, proceeded to throw Smith through the establishment's front window & then a full-on brawl ensued. 

That's when Smith broke out his "Navy 6" & shot Banks through the chest & then fled south. 

James Banks would die shortly thereafter. 

After the shooting, several citizens gave chase to Smith including Alex Hendrick - "a noted colored man of [the] city" - who eventually caught up w/ Smith. 

Then, allegedly, Smith yelled - "Don't crowd me!" 

That's when Hendrick picked up a huge rock to throw at Smith & reportedly yelled to him - "I ain't afraid of [no] goddamn white man!" 

At that moment Smith fired another shot from his pistol striking Hendrick in the stomach; Hendrick would "expire" w/in a half hour. 

Smith ran a further ways to hide on the Conyers family farm; however, he was soon spotted & Newton Co. Sheriff Anderson was able to arrest him w/out incident. 

Will Smith would be tried for the murder of James Banks the following fall but the jury only convicted him of involuntary manslaughter; apparently there were no charges ever brought for the murder of Hendrick. 

|||||||

This incident would have major repercussions, however. As author & historian Peggy Lamberson wrote - this heinous crime would give "the temperance advocates material for a cause célèbre" & sure enough - w/in just a few years, Newton Co. would enact its own prohibition approx 20 years before the State of Georgia & over three decades before the United States. 

Well, folks, there you have it. More 19th century murder & mayhem in the home city. 

As always, thanks for reading. 

- MB McCart 

*Souces: _Main Street, Covington_ - Peggy Lamberson; 1882 Covington Star article
**all quotes from The Covington Star piece except for the one expressly credited to Lamberson

Tuesday Check-in: Social Circle's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week(s); COV Traffic Calamity Imminent?

 Good to be w/ you again, friends. 

So...Social Circle. 

Man. Wow. What can you say? 

On the heels of the news of the ICE detainment facility coming to the city being confirmed about a month ago, this past week the city was informed that they may be decertified as a "Qualified Local Government" by the GA Department of Community Affairs (DCA) meaning that they would no longer be eligible for numerous federal & state grant and loan programs. 

This action was apparently a result of Social Circle's attempted annexation from Newton Co of approx 700 acres near Hwy 11 that was deemed improper by the DCA. 

As an aside, this publication has previously talked about The Circ's reputation for "Annex Abuse" that has been documented for many years now. 

As I also mentioned in a recent post, while some think the city is getting what it deserves due to their pushing for data centers & truck stops and their documented thirst for Newton Co land, I still can't get on board w/ that. 

While I think that several of the politicians & elected officials over the years have made bad decisions, and the city's had a reputation for poor financial moves, I still really like the place & its inhabitants. 

Plus, their school system is great & has provided a lifeline for many Newton families. 

It really is too bad regarding the ICE facility. 


Hwy 81 Closure 

Well it looks like they've pushed it back a week & that stretch of Emory St/Hwy 81 for the replacement of the old bridge just south of Hwy 278 will not close until next Monday March the 9th. 

As I've mentioned on the socials, it's going to cause major, major traffic issues for the home city: 

All of the usual north-south traffic on Hwy 81 will have to go somewhere else.

Both West St & Pace St. will have way more volume to add to already high existing volume. And after the Pace St redesign, it's already a hot mess. It's gonna be awful.

Also, you're going to have major increased volume on 278 both east & west of 81 as folks are having to get to those alternate thoroughfares.

What I'm saying is pretty much the entirety of 278 from Elm/Alcovy to Turner Lake & all surface streets in between are going to be off the chain during the usual high volume times, even more than usual.

Stone Mountain St, the road that will take you to West St from Emory, will be a disaster. And don't forget about north of 278 as well. Herring St & Old Atlanta Hwy will be clogged up running east & west and West St north of 278 is gonna be super busy. There will also be multiple bottlenecks up & down 81 on the north side as folks try to get back on the highway. 

GDOT is saying it's going to be about 5 & 1/2 months.

Yeah, we'll see about that. 

And oh, check out this top-notch graphic compliments of the City of Covington: 

Wow.Looks like they spared no expense on this one!

Regardless, it's gonna be rough  for those of us who often travel in this particular part of the city for a good while. Oh well, it's always something. 

Okay for now, Scamps. 

- MBM 

TPC Thursday Report: Tattoo Parlors on The Square? Talkin' GOV Race in GA ; ICE in the Circ & a Slice of the Epstein Files

 Greetings, Friends & hope everything is going everyone's way out there, though, chances are - for at least some of you - that might not be the case. And, if so, I'm sorry, because I care. I care a lot. So if you need some mutual admiration society time, or a bit of self-esteem counseling, please reach out.

I'm here. For you. 

So the big topic of discussion here in the home city is the hubbub pertaining to the fact that our beloved Square may soon count amongst its merchants & purveyors a tattoo parlor (GASP!). 

Well, that does it! C-town's goose is cooked for sure this time. 

At least according to some. 

In a surprise last second addition to the agenda of Monday's Covington Council meeting, a 4-2 preliminary vote was made to approve this new use to the ordinances for the downtown business district. It'll still have to go before the Planning Commission & a review of Staff & then another final vote by the Council. 

My take?

Basically, whatever. 

However, a little something to think about: 

With last year's approval of being able to have a cigar lounge selling distilled spirits w/out a food requirement (and apparently that's not happening, at least for the time being) & then if this new use is approved, I believe it becomes harder for the City of Covington to continue to prohibit straight-up bars w/ no food requirements -  just a joint slinging drinks & maybe offering bags of peanuts & corn nuts, maybe some pork skins. 

Now talk about pearl clutching... 


REAL Politick, Great State of GA Gubernatorial Race Edition 

Action Jackson, FTW! 

Can't lie. I kind of like this guy (not that I'm necessarily going to vote for him). 

Considering his main competition at this point consists of Truck Stop Burt, Judas Brad & Kemp Boi Carr, with his money, he might have a legit shot of at least making a runoff. 


ICE Facility Coming to Social Circle? 

The word on the street for the last few weeks seems to have been fully confirmed - an ICE detainment facility is coming to Social Circle, GA. 

Holding approx 5-10K detainees at any given time, it would effectively double to triple the current population of the city. Also, it's going to be pretty close to the new elementary school. 

This is something that nobody wants; however, it's the Feds, so there's really nothing that can be done to stop it in terms of zoning, permit approval, etc. 

I've seen a comment or two about how maybe this is just desserts for "The Circle" & their track record of Annex Abuse, but I don't feel that way. Yeah, sure, they were starting to piss me off a bit, but I hate this for them. I really do. 

A Slice of the Epstein Files

Bringing back memories of the Podesta email dump w/ all of the references to pizza. A previous write-up here at TPC by former contributor Perrin Lovett hit on both Epstein as well as the at-the-time-supposedly-discredited PizzaGate situation. 

Of course, that was all just conspiracy theory. Snopes & the mainstream media assured all of us of that at the time. 

I've been sifting through some of the emails in the DOJ files. Some of those emails are rather interesting, and some quite concerning. Correspondence w/ folks like Deepak Chopra, Peter Attia MD,  Elon Musk as well as NFL team owners, various diplomats & politicos, and many, many more.

Of particular note is the fact that conservative firebrand & former Trump confidant Steve Bannon was apparently in fairly close communication w/ Epstein.

With some of the more suspicious emails, the identity of the other party was still redacted. Does that mean there's an ongoing investigation? Or is it due to "national security," or is it just a coverup? 

Also, as mentioned, lots of references to pizza. 

I'm working on a dedicated future piece. 

Of course, if your FB feed looked anything like mine for a few days then no doubt you saw some of your friends telling you it was proven, verified & incontrovertible fact - based solely on anonymous tips from crazies & anti-DJT partisans - that Trump had not only abused kids, but was also eating them & auctioning them off when he wasn't burying dead bodies at one of his country clubs that didn't yet exist. 

Look people, there's a whole lot of bad things you can say about the man, but when you make this stuff political & are pushing total falsehoods, it does no favors for your cause, but most importantly it does no favors for getting to the truth. 

And that's a memorandum & moment from MB.

Still millions of documents  left to be released.  

So long for now, 

- MBM 

 

[Past Piedmont Chronicles] - Card Game Gone Bad: Murder on The Covington Square in 1888

 *originally posted @ TPC January 16, 2023 

By MB McCart, Ed. 

As has been documented in this space as well as the TPC print editions in both About Covington to Madison magazine & The Covington News, by the 1880s, Covington - now at around 60 yrs old - had developed into a "Boomtown" of sorts. 

Lots of activity, lots going on, and much to the chagrin of the Temperance Movement, lots of drinking & gambling.  

As previously written by your humble, semi-esteemed Editor: 

An interesting and little-known aspect of Covington's history was mentioned in my very first column. By the 1880s, Covington had become somewhat of a “wild west town” and had upwards of a dozen saloons and drinking establishments. Some of these included hotels and general stores, but several were just straight-up whiskey joints where cards could be played and various types of “entertainment” could be found. Liquor could also be bought by the bottle at general stores and druggist shops. The increasing influence of alcohol did start to cause some problems and by 1882, when a man named Will Smith killed two men after drinking and playing cards, the prohibition movement started to pick up some serious steam in Covington and Newton County. 

So after that you're probably assuming that I'll be writing about the Will Smith affair (Wild, Wild West, indeed!) but you'd be incorrect in that assumption. I'll be saving that for a later piece. 

No, for this one we're going six years into the future - to 1888 - and the story of CH "Charles" Echols and the attempted murder of Samps Cohen & the murder of Tom Thomas. 

The Home City in the early 20th Century

On Sunday November 18th of 1888 two "sporting men" (professional gamblers) came to Covington in order to make some money playing cards as the city had a strong reputation as a major gambling hub. These gentlemen were Samps Cohen of Madison, GA & Tom Thomas of Gainesville. 

The two were planning on staying for a few days so they took a room at The Pitts House Hotel on the southeastern corner of the Square (the current site of The Lula Building & American Real Estate University). 

Two days later, on the evening of November 20th, a high-stakes, big-money poker game was commenced at Brown's Livery a block north of The Square on Usher St. This game was attended by the aforementioned Messrs. Cohen & Thomas, as well as locals Ike Brown, Evan Lunsford, Hamp McDonald - and most notably,  - CH "Charles" Echols. 

This poker game would last well into the overnight hours ending approx around 3:30am. Previously, Echols had left due most likely to being out of money & went to McDonald's Clothing Store, where he & Hamp McDonald (his family owned it) were employed, purportedly to go to sleep. 

However, McDonald later testified that he ran into Echols right around 3:30am as he was heading to the store to sleep & assumed that Echols was going to walk home to go to sleep. 

According to eyewitness accounts, Echols walked east across the Square & met Cohen & Thomas, and asked if they could play another poker game or two, and to possibly spend the night in their room (apparently Echols had gotten some additional funds to be able to play). 

The out-of-town Sporting Men agreed & the three were seen by witnesses  going to the upstairs room. 

Cohen had instructed the hotel staff to wake them at 6:30am. 

When an employee went to their room at that time, a gruesome scene was seen. Thomas was leaned up against a wall completely covered in blood from his head to his waist "breathing in guttural, sobbing gasps." Samps Cohen, the Madisonian, was on the bed also covered in blood w/ his "eyes rolled backward until only the whites were visible, and he was tossing & moaning in delirious agony." 

Medical help & assistance from the authorities was quickly sent for. Eventually two local doctors were on the scene to try to save the lives of both men, which seemed likely would be a tough task. Also, a basic investigation was begun. 

Tom Thomas, the North Georgia man, was too far gone. He expired very shortly after the doctors had arrived. But, beyond expectations, Samps Cohen would fight & pull through. 

Almost immediately the murder (and attempted murder) weapon was found in the room - a 3 ft long Wagon Standard made of dogwood (commonly known at the time as a Buggy Stick). 

What, or who, wasn't found was one CH "Charles" Echols... 

After interviews & eyewitness accounts, the authorities put out a warrant for Echols before noontime. And according to one of the hotel porters, he had seen Echols holding a Wagon Standard when he first got to the hotel. 

Echols was quickly arrested & put in jail. 

Naturally, this was already scandalous, but what made it especially scurrilous was that Charles Echols was part of The Echols Family. At the time considered to be one of the most prestigious & wealthy families in the home city (some of you reading may be familiar w/ The Echols House in North Covington, a block north of the RR tracks on Hwy 81). 

One would think based on the previous reading that this would be a slam dunk and Echols would be tried & found guilty of murder. 

Well, you'd be wrong on that...

From the beginning, Echols swore that he ended up changing his mind & decided to leave shortly after getting to the room in order to walk home and that both Cohen & Thomas were perfectly fine when he left. While there were multiple accounts of him having arrived there, no one could swear to whether or not they heard anything or saw Echols leave. At the time, Cohen was in no state to make a declarative statement (and that would continue indefinitely as his injuries would be life-lasting). 

What it came down to really was this - while there was a ton of circumstantial evidence, there seemingly was no direct, "beyond a shadow of a doubt" evidence. 

Later in the trial, an apparently ineffective & incompetent prosecution, along w/ conflicting statements by local Hamp McDonald as well as attempted murder victim Samps Cohen ultimately led to a "Not Guilty" verdict. 

Eventually another charge for assault was filed & Echols was found guilty on that one, but by then he had moved to New York City & for years would actually be considered to be on the lam. 

It wasn't until 1900 - 12 years later - that the legal issues facing Echols were resolved. When it was all said & done his sentence was suspended & he owed a $1000 fine. 

Commentary: 

Just my thoughts, and kind of reading between the lines here, but it seems to me that CH "Charles" Echols most likely got away w/ murder through a combination of incompetency of the authorities as well as perhaps just a general sense of unimportance. After all, the murder victim was from Gainesville. And again, this was a wealthy & well connected family. Perhaps that played a role? Again, just the ole $.02 & all. 

Well, alright, hope you enjoyed that. A little slice of murder is always good for a good read. And look for a dedicated write-up on that other 1880s card game that resulted in murder on The Covington Square down the road here at TPC. 

As always, thanks for reading. 

- MBM

*Ed. note: most of the research for this piece came from the book, "Main Street Covington," w/ additional support from "History of Newton County" & old newspaper articles. 

An Update from Covington East Ward Councilman Travis Moore Regarding Annexations & Data Centers

 From the Councilman's FB page: 

Quick recap from last night’s City Council meeting

Several important items were addressed last night, including two annexation requests and a homestead tax exemption resolution. 

Annexation Requests

Council considered requests to annex two properties out of the county and into the City of Covington. At the request of Jared, both items were added to the agenda, and council ultimately voted not to move forward with either annexation.

Each proposal came with concerns shared by nearby residents as well as members of council. 

Highway 278 (FalconWood property near Riverbend Subdivision)

Proposed use: Distribution Center 

Main concerns included:

• The property sits directly adjacent to the Riverbend subdivision

• Increased 18-wheeler traffic

• Potential noise and light pollution impacting nearby homes 

Elks Club Road Property

Proposed use: Data Center

Main concerns included:

• Rezoning the property from Agricultural to Industrial or Commercial

• Surrounding properties are zoned Agricultural (AR – Agricultural Residential)

• The site is essentially in the middle of several established subdivisions

Because of these concerns, council chose not to move forward with annexing either property.

Homestead Exemption Resolution

Council also voted to send a resolution requesting approval from the General Assembly for a homestead property tax exemption within the city. 

As discussed last week:

• Revenue from the Amazon development would be used to eliminate city property taxes for homeowners with a homestead exemption (primary residence)

• This now moves to the Georgia General Assembly for approval

• If approved, the final step will be a vote by city residents

 ### 

The Two Parcels: Falcon Wood Farms on Hwy 278 & the large Elks Club Rd tract

Commentary

This is good news. 

- MBM 

Unpacking the Amazon Deal - A Commentary by Larry McSwain

A very good write-up by Mr. Larry McSwain w/ Citizens for a Better Newton 

(Covington, GA - Newton Co, GA)

 UNPACKING THE AMAZON DEAL- The "amazing" details that reveal why the City of Covington may consider cutting property tax ! But, don't expect one by the county or school board!

Recently, local newspapers have described the agreements with Amazon negotiated by the Newton Industrial Development Authority (IDA) on behalf of local governments. Amazon plans to construct a reported 1.4‑million-square-foot data center on a 430‑acre site on Alcovy Road within Covington’s city limits. Most reporting has emphasized the positive economic impacts of the project. The mayor of Covington has even suggested that city property taxes could be reduced because of the anticipated new revenue. In addition, Amazon has committed $100 million up front for new water‑reuse infrastructure to mitigate the project’s impact on our local water supply.

At first glance, the project appears to offer substantial benefits. However, it is difficult for citizens to fully evaluate the deal because the agreements are complex and not easily understood. To its credit, the IDA provided detailed documentation, including charts and verbal explanations, that allow a closer look at the numbers. What follows is one citizen’s assessment of that information.

Over a 16‑year period, the IDA will collect $301 million in lieu of taxes (PILOT fees) in addition to the $100 million water infrastructure investment. The water funding supports local conservation goals through water reuse while also enabling Amazon to obtain the 1.9 million gallons per day it will need for cooling. Thus, Amazon’s water investment is mutually beneficial.

The $301 million in PILOT payments, while significant, replaces traditional property taxes that would otherwise go directly to the city, county and school system. Under Georgia law, the IDA must legally own the facility and lease it back to Amazon for this arrangement to apply. If Amazon were paying full property taxes, the IDA estimates that $530 million would be collected over the 16-year period. That means Amazon will save about $229 million in taxes, or roughly $129 million if the $100 million water investment is considered.

The IDA will distribute the $301 million according to its own formula. The city of Covington and Newton County will each receive $99.5 million (45% each), the Board of Education (BOE) $13.3 million (6%), the IDA $6.6 million (3%), and the Newton Water and Sewerage Authority $2.2 million (1%).

Although these amounts are sizable, they are well short of full payment of property taxes over the 16 years. Covington benefits the most, as its projected property tax revenue would be only slightly higher at about $111 million. In addition, the city will receive $215 million more in franchise fees from the electric utility serving Amazon. No wonder the mayor is so optimistic about a possible tax reduction for city residents!

Newton County and especially the BOE fare much worse under the PILOT distribution formula so don’t expect any tax reductions from them. Based on normal property tax distributions, the county is estimated to forfeit approximately $49 million, while the BOE stands to forego an estimated $257 million (my estimates). Obviously, the IDA did not think Amazon’s creation of only 285 new jobs would have much impact our school system. However, from a broader perspective, any time new industries do not pay appropriate property taxes, the deficit falls on private property owners. With such decisions by development authorities, senior citizens have little hope of seeing a reduction in school taxes.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect is the decision‑making process itself. The five‑member IDA board apparently determined the distribution of PILOT funds without formal representation from the BOE and without a public vote by it or our county commission. While the IDA likely had good intentions, decisions that so directly affect taxpayers should, in my view, be made or at least formally approved by duly elected officials. Even if negotiations must be confidential, final approval should take place through public votes by elected representatives of all affected government entities.

Citizens who share these concerns should communicate them to local officials if they want greater transparency and accountability in future development decisions.

Larry McSwain

Covington