Francis H. Cone was born on September 5, 1797, to Joshua Cone and Chloe Chapman in
East Haddam,
Connecticut. He graduated from
Yale University in 1818, and subsequently moved to
Greene County, Georgia to practice law. During this time, Cone came to know
Alexander Stephens, who practiced law in nearby
Taliaferro County. On January 8, 1829, Cone married Jane Williams Cook, a ward of US Senator
William Crosby Dawson. In 1841, Cone was elected judge of the
superior court of the
Ocmulgee district. Four years later, he was elected to the position once again. In September, Cone encountered Stephens on the piazza of the
Thompson's Hotel in
Atlanta. Cone approached Stephens and again demanded that he apologize, to which Stephens responded coldly. Cone proceeded to verbally insult Stephens, and in response, Stephens struck Cone in the face with his walking cane. The enraged Cone drew a knife and started slashing at Stephens. As Stephens was extremely small in stature, Cone immediately gained the advantage in the fight. Cone was eventually pulled away from Stephens' body by a crowd of bystanders, but not before he had stabbed Stephens six times. Stephens was seriously wounded in the fight, and had to be immediately treated in the hotel. He was forced to stay in bed for several weeks, and never regained full use of his right hand. ==Later life==