In the Case of Mr. Coffey (d. 1921), Jack is John

I learned something new today: Jack is a nickname of John. (I'm not going to try and explain how it came to be as the theory is a bit convoluted, but will instead happily point you to the Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources.)

Regardless of the official name-nickname history, I saw it in practice with Mr. John T. "Jack" Coffey. He was born 21 August 1858 in Americus, Sumter County, Georgia to Irish-born parents, Daniel "Dan" and Mary Coffey (d. 1892). In every census record I've found for John/Jack – 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1910 – the name given is John. Even when he married Mary C. O'Hara (d. 1937) on 26 February 1889 at Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, the name recorded was John T. Coffey. The local Macon Telegraph newspaper, however, put both names in print when describing the happy wedding:

A very quiet but very happy marriage took place yesterday afternoon at 4 o'clock at St. Joseph's Catholic church. It was the marriage of Mr. John T. Coffey and Miss Mary O'Hara, the ceremony being performed by Father Winklereid...

The groom has been for a number of years one of the most popular salesmen at the Empire Store, and no one knows Jack Coffey but to love him…

Yet, when Mr. Coffey died 1 February 1921 at his home in Macon, Jack was the name written on his death certificate. And this is the name carved on his ledger marker gravestone in Rose Hill Cemetery. An obituary:

Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Wednesday, 2 February 1921 - pg. 4 [via GenealogyBank]

JACK T. COFFEY, VETERAN SALESMAN, PASSES AWAY

Employe [sic] of Burden Smith Co. Dies at Residence After Several Weeks' Illness.
Jack T. Coffey, for forty years a salesman with Burden, Smith and Company, died yesterday morning at 6 o'clock at his residence, No. 771 Oak street. He was 62 years of age and had been critically ill for several weeks.

Mr. Coffey and his brother, Dan, who died a few months ago, came to Macon from Americus when they were boys. Both obtained employment with Burden, Smith and Company and in that position obtained a wide acquaintance in Bibb and surrounding counties. Besides his wife, who was Miss Mary O'Hara, Mr. Coffey is survived by a cousin, James Coffey of Albany.

Mr. Coffey was a devoted member of St. Joseph's Catholic church, where the funeral will be held this afternoon at 4 o'clock, Rev. Father W. A. Wilkinson officiating. Interment will be in Rose Hill Cemetery…

Another Mr. Coffey Marries Another Miss O'Hara

Daniel "Dan" Coffey, brother of Jack, married Amelia A. O'Hara (1876-1955) about 1902. Both Amelia and Jack's wife Mary were daughters of another Irish-born couple, Patrick and Ann O'Hara.

Dan died of acute Bright's Disease a few years (not months) before Jack. Both couples were buried in block 2, lot 34 of the Pine Ridge section of Rose Hill. This family burial lot was purchased by James Coffey in 1854, possibly the (or related to the) cousin of Albany mentioned in Jack's obituary.

Confusing Tombstone Placed for Mary Fern (d. 1885)

Standing in the Pine Ridge section (block 2, lot 14) of Rose Hill Cemetery is a cross-topped tombstone placed for Mary Fern, who died 27 February 1885. Here's an image (transcription of inscription on and below):

In Memory of
MARY BALEY
A Native of
ARGYLE, SCOTLAND
DIED FEB. 27, 1885
AGED 59 YEARS

FERN
[on base]

I should also note another side of the tombstone bears the name Michael Fern (with nothing further). Cemetery records show he was the purchaser of the family burial lot, and was interred there July 1856.

So. Her name was Mary Baley Fern (where "Baley" could be a middle name, maiden name, or previous husband's surname). Right? This funeral notice from page 5 of the 28 February 1885 edition of the Macon Telegraph (Georgia) seems to bolster the notion:

The friends and acquaintances of Dugal, John, and Miss Mary Fern are respectfully invited to attend the funeral of their mother this (Saturday) morning at 10 o'clock from the Catholic Church.

While trying to flesh out the lives of Mary's children, however, I came across something unexpected. On daughter Mary Fern's 1922 death certificate – with noted informant being her brother Dugal – her mother's maiden name was stated to be Mary Thompson (born Scotland).

After conducting more research, I think I found the marriage record that clears things up a bit. Mrs. Mary Fern married James Bailey 10 March 1860 – about 4 years after the death of Michael Fern – at Bibb County, Georgia.

My Latest Working Theory

Mary Thompson/Thomson married Michael Fern before or about 1840, possibly in Scotland, where at least two (and likely a third) of their children were born. The family was in the United States about 1850, where census records suggest at least two of their children – Dugal and Mary – became naturalized citizens about 1860.

Michael Fern died July 1856, was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, and the widow Mary married James Bailey four years later. It's possible James died before 1880 (burial place unknown to me). Mary died February 1885, and was buried near her first husband. A death notice appeared in the same newspaper and issue referenced above (28 February 1885 Macon Telegraph):

The death of Mrs. Mary Bailey occurred yesterday morning at her home, 319 Fourth street. She had been indisposed for several days with pneumonia. Her funeral will take place to-day from the family residence.

The three known children born to Michael and Mary – Mary (d. 1922), Dugal (1842-1928), and John (d. 1901) – appear to all have died without issue. Each was buried in the lot at Rose Hill Cemetery purchased by their father, and if memory serves, not one has a tombstone.

George E. Daniel Lived and Died in Alabama, but was Buried in Georgia

George Edward Daniel spent almost all of his life in the state of Alabama. He was born there, listed there in every census taken during his lifetime, and died there. So I'm happy to be highlighting this Rose Hill Cemetery burial, as it could possibly be an unexpected one to some.

George was born at Perdue Hill, Monroe County, AL on 15 December 1893. He was one of ten children born to John M. Daniel and Mary C. "Katie" Tolbert.

A few months before his twentieth birthday, George – described as short and stout, with blue eyes and dark hair – enlisted at Montgomery for service during World War I. He was part of the 308 Sanitary Train, 83rd Division, and possibly helped deliver relief and medical supplies to allies in Europe during and immediately following the war. George was discharged 17 February 1919, after about seventeen months of service.

In January 1920, George was back home in Perdue Hill for the taking of that year's federal census. Nine months later, however, George took a trip to Macon, Bibb County, Georgia in order to marry Clara Lillian Smith (1896-1981). She was a daughter of Emanuel Smith (d. 1929) and Swedish-born Annie M. Stroberg (1866-1957). George's older brother Joseph acted as best man.

After the ceremony and "a short wedding trip," George and Clara made their home at Perdue Hill. But by Spring of 1930, the couple and two young sons were living on Yancey Street in Montgomery, where George was occupied as a secretary for a furniture company.

George Edward Daniel died 17 July 1939 at his home in Montgomery. He unexpectedly "suffered a fatal heart attack while at the supper table."

George was buried in the Smith family burial lot (Pine Ridge section, block 2, lot 11) at Rose Hill. It was purchased by his father-in-law in 1929. Clara lived forty-two more years after the death of George, and eventually married a Mr. Strawn in the interim. Upon her death in 1981, Clara was retuned to the Smith family lot and buried near her first husband.

Brain of Thomas Edgar Collins Mashed to Jelly

T. E. Collins was born 2 November 1854 in Georgia to Stephen Collins (1809-1885) and Louisa H. Wilson (1827-1872). Unfortunately, Thomas met an accidental death at the age of just 23 years. Following from the 11 April 1878 edition of the Columbus Daily Enquirer (Georgia):

GEORGIA NEWS

Mr. T. E. Collins met with a fatal accident in Macon, Tuesday. He had sold a buggy and was hurrying to his office in the dusk of the evening when he fell through a trap door fourteen feet to the hard clay floor of the ground story and landed on his head. His brain was mashed to jelly. Trepanning was performed without anaesthetics. He is probably dead before this paragraph meets the eyes of readers. He was one of the must [sic] respected young men of Macon. So reports the Telegraph and Messenger.

I was unfamiliar with the term trepanning, so searched for a definition. Wikipedia answered with this:

Trepanning…is a surgical intervention in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the human skull, exposing the dura mater to treat health problems related to intracranial diseases or release pressured blood buildup from an injury.

Detail from The Extraction of the Stone of Madness, a painting by Hieronymus Bosch
depicting trepanation (c.1488–1516). Public domain image via Wikipedia.

What a terrifying image. I hope Thomas didn't suffer needlessly. He was buried in the same family lot at Rose Hill Cemetery as his uncle William.

Light Be the Turf Above William Collins (d. 1854)

One COLLINS family burial lot within the confines of Rose Hill Cemetery is located in the Central Avenue division (block 8, lot 15). This space was purchased by William S. Collins about November 1852. One of the earliest burials in the lot was that of his nephew, Stephen W., son of Stephen and Louisa H. (Wilson) Collins. Little Stephen, interred October 1853, was aged only one year and four months. A year later, exact to the month, the remains of Uncle William joined those of little Stephen.

I do not know for certain if William ever married. For the August 1850 Bibb County, Georgia Federal census, he was listed in brother Stephen's household. Both were occupied as brick makers.

A notice of William's death was published in the Tuesday, 17 October 1854 edition of the Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia):

OBITUARY.
Died in this city, of Bilious Fever, on Monday the 16th inst. WILLIAM COLLINS, in the 46th year of his age.

In his death, the community lose a good citizen, his friends, a generous companion -- the poor, an active and untiring benefactor. Light be the turf above him!

[Note: Rudy of ArchaicMedicalTerms.com shares the definition of Bilious Fever – "When a continual, remitting, or intermitting fever is accompanied with a frequent or copious evacuation of bile, either by vomit or stool, the fever is denominated bilious." I believe the source cited is Dr. William Buchan's Domestic Medicine, published 1785.]

Basil Augustus Wise Sank Peacefully to Rest in April 1873

B. A. Wise was born 1 October 1827 at Statesboro, Bulloch County, Georgia. He was one of several children born to John Wise and Rachel Jones (d. 1871). An elder sister of Basil's was Sophronia (1821-1891), wife of Aaron Cone (1810-1881).

Basil came to Macon, Bibb County, Georgia about 1848. He married Louise Lynde Clisby (1846-1934), daughter of Joseph Clisby (1818-1885) and Margaret Amanda March (d. 1852), on 28 October 1868 at Bibb County. Basil and Louise had at least three children: Basil Augustus (1869-1901), Joseph Clisby (1871-1930), and Emma Celetta (1873-1933).

Basil eventually settled in the wholesale dealership of household and crockery goods, doing quite well for himself. According to the 1870 Bibb County census – after the Civil War – his personal estate was valued at $30,000. His real estate was counted for $25,000. And two domestic servants were noted in the household, serving just three family members.

Basil didn't live long enough to retire at a ripe age and enjoy his successes, however. He died in April 1873, three weeks before the birth of his third child.

Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia)
Tuesday, 8 April 1873 - pg. 6 [via GenealogyBank]

Death of Basil A. Wise, Esq.
This estimable and public spirited citizen sank peacefully to rest about 8 o'clock A.M. yesterday. His death creates a painful void in the community, while to his bereaved wife and tender babes the loss is irreparable.

Mr. Wise died of congestion of the brain after a brief illness, during which he was often delirious and unconscious of the presence even of his nearest friends. Toward the close of his sickness, under the influence of narcotics, he became calm, and even recognized his beloved wife, and caresses his child. He died without a struggle.

The subject of this brief sketch was born in Statesboro, Bulloch county, Georgia, and came to Macon about 1848, at a very early age. Possessed of excellent natural abilities, indomitable perseverance, and a reputation for integrity which has never been called in question, from very humble beginnings, he steadily advanced, step by step, first from an employee's position, to that of retail dealer in a small way, then to a more extended business, and finally to the front rank of Macon's wholesale merchants. He was engaged in the crockery, tin, and house furnishing business, and was widely known and respected both North and South, and even across the ocean, for his purity of character and the promptness with which he met all of his commercial obligation. Identified with the city which was the scene of his early struggles and proudest triumphs, no one was more keenly alive to all that pertained to its material and moral progress. Hence he was ever in the van when the calls of charity, religion or public necessity appealed to the generosity of the people.

When the tocsin of war sounded, Mr. Wise, then in the full tide of successful business, at once turned his back upon the store, and joining the Macon Volunteers under their gallant leader, Robert A. Smith, left for Virginia on the 19th of April, 1861. There amid the ensanguined plains and historic scenes of the old Dominion, he passed a year in conflict with the foes of his country, and was afterwards appointed Adjutant of Ross' Battalion, which was stationed on the sea coast of Georgia. From this position he retired, to take command of a company of cavalry, and in that capacity served his country faithfully in Georgia and Florida to the close of hostilities.

To his other qualities of head and heart, Mr. Wise added the crowning grace of earnest piety. Rev. J. O. Branch, the pastor of Mulberry Street Methodist Church, of which the deceased had been a consistent member for eighteen years, told the writer that for several years past he has observed a remarkable development in the Christian character of our departed friend. The good he did in a quiet and unostentatious way, will never be revealed until the final day, and many will miss his noble charities and kindly sympathy. Even amid the delirium of his last illness, his thoughts seemed ever to dwell upon holy things, and the glories of the redeemed. From the first hour of his sickness, a strong presenitment [sic] of approaching dissolution seemed to possess his mind. And more than once, he expressed the hope that his dear wife would be reconciled to give him up. Not once dis his own faith falter, or a single cloud obscure the horizon of the future.

Thus passed away this excellent man in his 46th year, and the very meridian of his vigor and usefulness. Possessed of a graceful person and noble mien; blessed with an abundance of this world's goods, robust health, and great popularity, surely of him it might be said, "his mountain was strong." But alas! the battle is not to the strong nor the race to the swift; and again are we admonished that life is but a fleeting shadow which endureth but a little while and then vanishes forever.

Basil was buried in the Central Avenue Division of Rose Hill Cemetery (block 1, lot 83), a lot he purchased in 1854.

Children of Joseph W. Cabaniss and Emily "Emie" Winship

As reported in this space previously, Joseph Warren Cabaniss (d. 1916) married Emily L. "Emie" Winship (d. 1908) 12 November 1868 at Griffin, Spalding County, Georgia. They soon after relocated to Macon in Bibb County.

According to the 1900 Federal census, Emie had eight children. Six of them were living. Rose Hill Cemetery records show an "infant of J. H. and Mrs. E. Cabiness" was interred there February 1874. Incorrect lettering aside, I believe this to be a child of Joseph and Emie. If there was an additional child that didn't survive long, he or she was also likely buried at Rose Hill. The six children to make it to adulthood follow:

- Isaac Winship Cabaniss, most often known by his middle name, was born 31 August 1871 at Macon. By his late twenties, Winship was in the fire insurance business. In 1908, he was occupied as the vice-president of Equitable Banking & Loan Company and residing at the family home on Georgia Avenue. When the census was again taken two years later, after the financial fall of his father, Winship was noted as a farmer of a general farm in Monroe County. By 1920, he was in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan with an occupation of sales executive and office worker. In September of that same year, in Lucas County, Ohio, a 49-year-old Winship was married to an Ontario-born widow named Gladys Elizabeth McMinn (nee James). As best I can tell, this was his first and only marriage. Gladys was dead before the 1930 census was taken. That record showed Winston was "resident & owner" of a $25,000 home at 973 Merrick Avenue in Detroit. A family of four was also residing there as his tenants. By 1935, Winston had moved south to Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. He died there 30 July 1944, and his body was brought back to Macon for interment in Rose Hill Cemetery.

- Lila Peeples Cabaniss was born 15 January 1875 in Georgia (most likely at Macon). She never married, and  usually resided with family. After her father died in 1916, Lila remained in the family home at 313 Orange Street. Macon city directories for 1954 and 1956 provide an address of 273 Orange Street, but I'm not sure Lila really moved. According to the Georgia Death Index at Ancestry, she died 14 March 1969 at Twiggs County. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery at Macon.

- Joseph W. Cabaniss, Jr. was born 14 January 1878 in Georgia (most likely at Macon), and died 19 April 1903 at El Paso, Texas. A funeral notice from the 29 April 1903 Macon Telegraph [via "Georgia Historic Newspapers"]:

THE FUNERAL OF J. W. CABANISS, JR.

Will Be Held Today at the Family Residence -- A Promising Career Cut Short by Death's Call.

The remains of Joseph W. Cabaniss, Jr., arrived in this city yesterday at 2:30 o'clock, from El Paso, Texas. The funeral services will be held at the residence of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Cabaniss, 313 Orange street, at 3 o'clock today. Rev. J. L. White will officiate, assisted by Rev. W. N. Ainsworth. The interment will be at Rose Hill cemetery.

Jos. W. Cabaniss, Jr., after a course in the public schools of Macon, in Mercer University, the Virginia Military Institute, Columbia College, Jefferson Medical College and Bellevue, was assigned as house surgeon at St. Vincent.

He contracted, during his medical experience, tuberculosis, and was forced to abandon his career and seek health in the higher latitudes of Colorado. After a year in Colorado, he went to Mexico with his mother and spent four months in travel. On his return to El Paso, Texas, after a severe attack of illness, he suddenly passed away.

He was a young man of exceptional talent, in disposition warm-hearted and affectionate, and had he escaped the fatal disease which suspended his career, would have made an enviable reputation. He died at the age of twenty-six, in the spring of his youth, and promise of a useful life.

During the last illness of Mr. Cabaniss, he had the consolation of his mother's presence. Frail herself, she attended him with the devotion that belongs to motherhood only, and is today prostrated by the trials which she has undergone.

- Emily Winship Cabaniss was born 9 January 1880 in Georgia (most likely at Macon). She married Dr. Frank M. Cunningham 25 April 1906 at Bibb County, and the couple had a daughter named Emily (1907-2003). Frank died 21 June 1914 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cause was "hemorage [sic] into the spleen secondary to myelogenous lukemia" (which he'd been diagnosed with five years prior). Portion of funeral recap from 25 June 1914 Macon Telegraph [via GenealogyBank]:

DEATHS AND FUNERALS

DR. FRANK M. C UNNINGHAM.
Attended by a host of sorrowing friends and relatives, the funeral of Dr. Frank M. Cunningham, whose death occurred in Philadelphia Sunday, was held yesterday afternoon at 5:30 o'clock from Christ Episcopal church...The church was filled to overflowing and hundreds of people were turned away, not being able to get room inside.

All classes of people were represented at the funeral -- the rich and the poor, those who had been befriended by Dr. Cunningham in time of trouble, those who had received treatment when Dr. Cunningham expected no financial return, and those for whom he had made sacrifices, when his body was racked by pain...The body was interred with Masonic honors at Rose Hill cemetery…

After the death of her husband, Emily had to become a career woman. In 1920, she was occupied as a manager in the "welfare work" industry, and she was hostess at a tea room in 1930 – all the while residing at the Cabaniss family home on Orange Street. Emily died on Christmas Day, 1962. Burial was at Rose Hill Cemetery.

- Elbridge Gerry Cabaniss was born on Christmas Day, 1883 in Georgia (most likely at Macon). He spent his late twenties to late thirties as a fruit farmer, but by his late forties had moved on to being a salesman for a filling station. He seemed to stay in that occupation until at least the mid-1950s. Elbridge married Martha Jewett Williams (1885-1933) 22 March 1911 at Bibb County. The couple had at least one child, Kittie J. According to the aforementioned Georgia Death Index, Elbridge died 24 August 1963 at Jones County. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery at Macon.

- Emory Winship Cabaniss was born 3 February 1890 at Macon. For his World War I draft registration, Emory was described as tall and slender, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was most often occupied in an office of an electric company: in 1910, he was a stenographer for a power company in Bibb County; in 1917, he was a secretary for the Macon Railway & Light Company; in 1920, he was a stenographer for a gas and electric light company at Kenton County, Kentucky; in 1924, he was again secretary for the Macon Railway & Light Company; and (finally) in 1930, he was a paymaster for a power company in Charleston, South Carolina. Emory married Sarah Zeta Adams (d. 1974) 5 May 1917 at Bibb County, Georgia, and the couple had at least one son. Emory died of lung cancer 11 December 1949 at Charleston, South Carolina. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery at Macon.

J. W. Cabaniss: Convicted of Bank Fraud, then Pardoned

Joseph Warren Cabaniss was born about 1841 in Forsyth, Monroe County, Georgia. He was one of at least ten children born to Judge Elbridge G. Cabaniss and wife Sarah Ann (Chipman), daughter of a Baptist clergyman from Massachusetts. I note Joseph as the 5th child, and 3rd son, born to this couple.

J. W. was attending Mercer University at Penfield when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted in the Confederate Army immediately, and served until the bitter end. After the war, J. W. settled in Griffin, Spalding County, Georgia. This is where, on 12 November 1868, he married Emily L. "Emie" Winship. She was a daughter of Isaac Winship (1802-1885) and wife Martha Pearson (Cook), daughter of a distinguished soldier of the War of 1812 -- Major Philip Cook (1775-1841).

J. W. and Emmie moved to Macon soon after their marriage, and went on to have six children reach adulthood. They were Isaac Winship (1871-1944), Lila Peeples (1875-1969), Joseph W. Jr. (1878-1903), Emily Winship (1880-1962), Elbridge Gerry (1883-1963), and Emory Winship (1890-1949).

George G. Smith of Macon wrote, in 1904, about Joseph's rise in the banking business:

He was made teller of the Exchange Bank in 1871. In 1878 he was elected cashier, and was Cashier for 18 years. The President of the bank, now grown to be one of the largest and most important in the State, died, and Captain Cabaniss who had managed all of its affairs was elected President, a position he holds at the present time (1903). No man in Macon is more trusted and esteemed than Captain Cabaniss.

Less than five years later, the "largest and most important" Exchange Bank was defunct. And President Cabaniss was charged with embezzlement and fraud. In order to appease some of the bank receivers trying to bring other lawsuits against J. W., he "liquidated his indebtedness to the bank by turning over to the receivers $53,000 worth of securities and real estate property, including his home and some 40 smaller pieces of property" in early May 1908. This was just a few months after the death of his wife Emmie. About this same time, J. W. left Bibb County, and removed to Bolingbroke in Monroe County.

After some delay, a trial focusing on the charge of fraud was finally held. The verdict came on a Saturday night in late May of 1909. Following from the Columbus Daily Enquirer (Georgia):

ONE YEAR SENTENCE FOR J. W. CABANISS

And a Fine of $500 in Addition -- Verdict Last Night.

Macon, May 29. -- J. W. Cabaniss, president of the defunct Exchange bank, of Macon, who has been on trial here all this week for declaring dividends not earned while president of the bank, was tonight found guilty of a felony, and sentenced to the state farm for one year and to pay a fine of $500.

One of the most dramatic scenes ever witnessed in the Bibb county superior court room occurred this morning when Mr. Cabiniss [sic] made this statement to the jury.

Tears streamed down the eyes of jurors, attorneys and spectators as the aged man, broke in health as a result of the worries and troubles that he has undergone for the past year, faced the jury and began his recital for the first time of his side of the causes which led to the failure of the bank over which he presided for so many years, and with which he had been connected since 1871. [End of article; no further detail given.]

An appeal was made, and another year passed before a higher court "sustained" the ruling. More weeping was the result:

Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Thursday, 16 June 1910 - pg. 9 [via GenealogyBank]

SYMPATHY EXPRESSED FOR J. W. CABANISS

Men, Women and Children Wept When They Learned Fate Venerable Banker.

BOLINGBROKE, Ga., June 15. -- When it was known through this morning's Telegraph that the court of appeals had sustained the previous sentence of J. W. Cabaniss sorrow fell like a pall upon this entire hamlet.

Men, women and children wept in sympathy for the venerable man, who has already suffered enough even if he were guilty of the charge.

The financial losers in the Exchange Bank failure are most deeply incensed that the affair should end in the tragic robbery of honor from this beloved Christian gentleman.

Yet another year would pass before the saga reached its conclusion. Interestingly, I found no specific mention of J. W. ever serving any part of his prison sentence.

Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Sunday, 11 September 1911 - pg. 1 [via GenealogyBank]

CABANISS FREED BY THE GOVERNOR YESTERDAY NOON

The Executive Order Goes Fully Into a Lucid Explanation of the Case, and Gives the Reasons -- Roland Ellis Brings Pardon.

APPEAL COURT OPINION AND AGE OF DEFENDANT

Are Among the Principal Reasons Given By the Governor for His Action in Rescuing Aged Banker from Sentence On Prison Farm at Milledgeville.

ATLANTA, Ga., Sept. 10. -- Governor Brown today at noon issued a full pardon for J. W. Cabaniss, of Macon, the president of the late defunct Exchange bank of that city, charged with the offense of paying an unearned dividend, contrary to law...

..."Whereas, it appears that the said J. W. Cabaniss is more than 70 years old, and has for more than forty years, in the same community, borne an upright and blameless life, a life that was an example to all who lived and came within the sphere of his influence, and the only offense with which he is charged being only a technical one from which he individually derived practically no benefit; and

"Whereas, numerously signed petitions from the best citizens of this state and the counties of Bibb, Monroe, Jones, Richmond, Laurens, Twiggs, Decatur, Taliaferro, Houston, Sumter, Macon, Jasper, Crisp, Lowndes and other counties, have been presented praying that said sentence should not be executed, and that said J. W. Cabaniss receive at the hands of the executive a full pardon, the said petition including not only men who are stockholders, but depositors of the said Exchange Bank of Macon, and men of every class and walk in the communities from which said petitions came, and also petitions signed by every member of the senate of Georgia and by nearly all of the members of the house of representatives, praying executive clemency...

Some time after 1910 (and likely after the pardon), J. W. returned to Macon. He died there in 1916.

Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Saturday, 11 May 1916 - pg. 1 [via GenealogyBank]

J. W. CABANISS CLAIMED BY DEATH YESTERDAY

Was Once of Macon's Most Prominent Citizens.

Joseph Warren Cabaniss died yesterday afternoon at 4:30 o'clock, at his home on Orange street. He was in his seventy-fourth year and has been in ill health for several months. At his bedside were all of his children, Winship, Elbridge G., Emory Winship and Lila P. Cabaniss and Mrs. Emmie Cabaniss Cunningham.

He was the son of Judge E. G. Cabaniss, of Forsyth, and the brother to E. G. Cabaniss, of Savannah, and H. H. Cabaniss, of Atlanta. He was a student of Mercer university at Penfield at the outbreak of the war between the states. He immediately enlisted and served with honor under Lee in Virginia until the surrender. He went to Griffin immediately after the war to live and on November 12, 1868, was married to Emily L. Winship, daughter of Isaac and Martha Cook Winship. They came to Macon in 1869 and since that date had lived in this city.

He was one of Macon's most prominent citizens and a Christian gentleman and had thousands of friends all over the state who will mourn his loss.

Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery (Central Avenue Division, block 10, lot 4).