Bud Anderson Murder Trial
Written by Justin D. Lamb
The Anderson murder trial was the talk of the town in the summer of 1891 as Marshall County was captivated by the episode which involved possible infidelity, a jealous husband, and the subsequent murder of Peter McCain at the hands of William “Bud” Anderson and Lacey Roberts.
On the night of June 30, 1890, Bud Anderson and Lacey Roberts were attending a community gathering in between Brewers and Hardin. Everyone was drinking and having a good time until Peter McCain showed up. For months, rumors had been circulating wildly throughout the community that McCain was having an affair with Anderson’s wife, Delpha. When Anderson spotted McCain, he and his cousin Lacey Roberts told McCain to leave or there was going to be trouble. McCain refused and a fight quickly ensued in which Anderson and Roberts beat McCain to the ground.
Determined to get answers, Anderson and Roberts placed McCain on their wagon and took him to the Anderson home just a few miles down the road. Once they arrived, the men threw McCain out of the wagon and Anderson called his wife outside and asked her if she had been messing around with McCain. Delpha Anderson denied any involvement with McCain, and as the couple began to argue, McCain ran toward the front gate of property when Anderson and Roberts quickly pulled their pistols and opened fire. McCain was hit multiple times and fell to the ground where he soon died.
The body of McCain was discovered by a passerby the following morning and word was sent to Sheriff Joseph H. Little in Benton who arrived in the area by mid-morning and questioned the Anderson family. Delpha Anderson quickly confessed to the killing claiming that she shot McCain so he would leave her alone. Sheriff Little placed Delpha Anderson in custody and took her to Benton.
Not long after arriving at the courthouse, Sheriff Little received a tip from someone in the Brwers community who had witnessed the shooting and informed that Delpha Anderson was not the person who pulled the trigger that killed McCain. With the new lead, Sheriff Little returned to the Anderson home to begin a new investigation where several members of the community came forward who witnessed the fight between Anderson, Roberts, and McCain. The Grand Jury was called the following week and indictments were issued for Bud Anderson and Lacey Roberts for the murder of Peter McCain.
Throughout the early months of 1891, officials gathered evidence and searched for answers as Marshall County became enthralled by the ongoing saga. Many, especially those who attended the picnic, knew that Delpha Anderson had nothing to do with the murder and they were displeased that Anderson would let his wife take the fall for his crime.
On the rainy Monday morning of June 15, 1891, Circuit Judge C.L. Randall called court into session. As three suspects were brought to the upstairs courtroom of the Marshall County courthouse where they all pleaded “not guilty.” By noon, a jury had been selected and hundreds packed into the courthouse to watch the drama unfold. The trial was already shaping up to be the most talked about event in western Kentucky with several prominent lawyers squaring off in the courtroom. There were nine lawyers engaged in the case, five for the defense and four for the Commonwealth. William M. Reed, Jesse C. Gilbert, James Campbell, W. Mike Oliver, and John G. Lovett were hired for the defense and Commonwealth Attorney Sam Crossland, Josiah Harris, H. M. Heath, and J. M. Bean worked for the prosecution. Five speeches were made to the jury in what the Benton Tribune called “the best displays of oratory in Marshall County history.”
Attorney James Campbell was the first to take the floor and argued that his clients, Anderson and Roberts, were not guilty by reason of insanity. The Benton Tribune commented, “Campbell’s introductory remarks were clothed in elegant language and clearly showed him to be a man conversant with all the traits and characters of the human family. His powerful speech of nearly three hours demonstrated to everybody that he was a true believer in the innocence of his clients and did all he could to acquit them.”
Commonwealth Attorney Sam Crossland was the last attorney to take the floor and gave a three hour speech before the jury. The Benton Tribune reported, “Crossland held up the dark crime of the murder of Peter McCain on that dark night in June 1890 at the gate of Bud Anderson in all of its horrors. He showed and exposed the conspiracy of Anderson and Roberts to murder that boy. He clearly showed how poor Peter McCain was kidnapped and carried a prisoner during that long day all over the neighborhood and finally brought to the gate of Anderson and shot down like a dog. He closed his powerful argument by telling the jury to send Delpha Anderson home to her children and uphold the law by placing the punishment upon Anderson and Roberts where it justly belongs.”
By Monday afternoon, June 22 at 2:30pm, the case was handed over to jury. A verdict was reached the next day at 7:20 am. Judge Randall called the court back into session as several crowed the small courtroom. Judge Randall asked Delpha Anderson to rise to hear her fate. The jury foreman read the verdict which cleared her of any involvement. A round of applause roared throughout the courtroom.
Next, Lacey Roberts was asked to stand as the verdict of guilty was read and his was punishment fixed at life imprisonment. After hearing the first two verdicts, spectators were anxious to hear what the verdict would be for Bud Anderson. “We, the jury find the defendant, Bud Anderson, guilty as charged in the indictment, and fix his punishment at death by hanging.”
Following the outcome, Anderson and Roberts’ attorneys filed a motion for a new trial. However, before the verdict of the appeal was made, Anderson and Roberts escaped from jail. Roberts was recaptured shortly after and sent to Eddyville for his sentence. Roberts remained in the penitentiary until 1902 when he was given a gubernatorial pardon by President of the Kentucky State Senate and acting Kentucky Governor Newton W. Utley of Lyon County. Officials continued to search for Bud Anderson, but never captured him. Many believed he escaped to Nebraska and a search party was sent there to retrieve him. Very few details are known about Bud Anderson’s final days as he was never heard from again.
