judgingshadows

Murder on South Palafox

July 8th, 2023

Workplace violence in 1905

John White, owner of the John White Store on South Palafox St. in Pensacola, was sitting near the entrance to his store reading the afternoon newspaper. His 17-year-old son, Eddie, was standing about four feet from him. A clerk named William Fletcher Williams, who worked for Mr. White, walked into the store, passed by the seated owner, turned around quickly and shot him twice. Eddie later testified that Williams said, “I don’t give a damn for any of you”. Williams then turned and shot James White, also a son of John who was the manager of the store. He then turned and shot Edwin Dansby, manager of Furnishing department, in the neck. Dansby collapsed immediately. Williams then shot at fellow clerk, James Nix, missing him as he dodged behind a counter.

Williams fired five shots, only missing when he shot at Nix. He ejected the empty cartridges and was attempting to reload when he was tackled by James White, covered in blood from a chest wound. Entering the store at this time was Constable Charles Bobe who heard the shots from the sidewalk, Robert McLellan, and Cuyler McMillan. James White yelled, “Take him, Mr. Cuyler, I don’t know whether he has killed me, or not.” McMillan grasped Williams around the arms, and body and Constable Bobe, and Mr. McLellan wrestled the gun away from him.

At the time Williams began shooting, John White was seated with Eddie standing nearby. James White was standing back, and to the left of his father. Dansby was showing clothing to a customer a little farther back. James Nix was showing a lady customer goods on the other side of the store. Ernest W. Elliott, and Chris Hendricks, also employees were closer to the rear of the store, and took cover.

Williams was taken directly to the county jail by Constable Bobe, and Mr. McLellan. As they crossed the Plaza, they met Deputy Sheriff Sanders. When they informed Sanders that Williams had just shot and killed Mr. White, Williams said, “Me, killed John White? I don’t remember anything about it.”James White was helped to the office of Dr. D’Alemberte where he was examined and sent to the hospital. Edwin Dansby was taken directly to the hospital, where he was not expected to live, and died on July 22 about 4 am. He was later buried at St. John’s cemetery. John White’s body was taken to an undertaker, then to his residence at 423 East Gregory Street.A Coroner’s Jury was assembled by Judge Landrum consisting of, D. Hale Wilson, W.W. Watson, Charles F. Steward, W.C. Walker, Eddie Forchiemer, and William A. Bond. The Jury examined the evidence at the crime scene and interviewed witnesses. Williams was then charged with First Degree Murder.

John White

He was 58 years old, born in Austria, and lived in Pensacola for 36 years. He started selling tobacco, and articles used in the seafaring trades on the street. He was successful, and over the years expanded until he established the John White Store on South Palafox. It was the largest store of its type in the city. He was married and had four children. He had a son, Mario who was in New York; his son James who was managing the store, and two younger sons, Eddie, 17, and Tommy 14. He is buried at St. Michael’s Cemetery.

The Cause of the Shooting

Over a period of time, it was determined that stock was missing from the store. Edwin Dansby received a letter from a friend of his stating that a brother of Williams named Archie was selling goods with John White markings at a store he owned in the town of Century, in the northern part of the county. Mr. White asked Constable Charles Bobe to investigate. Bobe, and Dansby took the train north to Century and found the items being sold in the store. Later, when confronted, William F. Williams denied the items were stolen and with no further evidence, and feeling a bit sorry for Williams, Mr. White dropped the matter.

The other employees, however, were keeping an eye on Williams. Williams felt the not-so-subtle surveillance and began brooding about the situation. He also began drinking, and the day of the shooting had been drinking steadily. Shortly before the shooting he was sorting and rearranging stock with fellow clerk James Nix. He then left the store for about five minutes. When he returned, he began shooting.

Jailhouse Interview

Williams lived at 1101 West Government Street. His mother lived on West Gregory and recently opened a boarding house there. He was about 24 years old. About 30 minutes after the shooting, in his cell, he was interviewed by a Journal reporter named Percy S. Hayes. Hayes later said that Williams was very drunk, and had vomited in his cell. He asked Hayes if John White was dead. When convinced that was the truth, he said, “Well, some people thought me soft, but they found out different. If I die for this, I will die honestly, and will be like a man. John White was the best friend I ever had. He helped me out of trouble. If he had kept other people out of his business, and not listened to them I never would have done it. It is not him I was after; it was other parties. They drove me to it. I won’t say who they are. They have dollars where I haven’t even got cents. They are the ones who are the cause of it all. Just because I tried to build myself up, they tried to pull me down. I started digging roots and built myself up to what I am today. My only fault was that I drank some. Yes, I may hang for this, but John White was surely my friend. He was the best man in Pensacola, but then he brought it upon himself. If he had done right, he would be alive today.”

On August 2, James White was moved to his home on East Gregory Street from St. Anthony’s Hospital. He recuperated quickly, and was able to provide testimony at both murder trials. A month from the day of the shooting, Williams was found guilty of first-degree murder with a recommendation for mercy. This meant he was going to receive a life-sentence. There was general disgust in the city that he did not get the death penalty. When it was announced that he would be tried in Marianna for the murder of Ed Dansby, it was felt that maybe a jury there would give him hanged. It was not to be, however. The trial in Marianna produced the same result. The jury voted 7-5 for a mercy recommendation resulting in a second life-sentence. The total costs for both trials was $6000. Williams was brought back to Pensacola to wait until it was decided where the state was going to put him. His father-in-law brought him meals while he was in the Pensacola jail.

It was generally felt that Williams had come from a good family. He was one of ten children of William Julian Williams, and Lucretia Brown. He was the oldest boy, born in August of 1882. His father worked as a Sawyer at a lumber mill in Muscogee, and in 1900, the family was living on West Government Street. In Mr. Williams 1932 obituary, it states that he was well thought of in the Muscogee area. The article lists some of his children, but doesn’t mention the one who created all the havoc on South Palafox in 1905. Archie Williams later operated a market on East Garden street and died in 1950.

The End of Mr. Williams

In the 1910 census, William Fletcher Williams is listed as an inmate at a State Prison in Tallahassee, but by August of 1911 he was a trustee at the T.W. Shands Company convict camp near Belmore, Florida. This was part of the controversial state convict lease program. There were numerous camps across Florida where the State would lease prisoners to privately owned turpentine camps, logging camps, and even railroad construction. These companies paid the state for the use of prisoners with no compensation going to the men performing the labor. It was basically legally sanctioned slave-labor. It was quite profitable for the state.

As a “trustee”, Williams had more freedom of movement, and on August 11, he rode away from the camp. Green Cove Springs is about 16 miles northeast of Belmore. Williams rode a horse into the yard of Mrs. Jessie Meeks with the intention of robbing the place. Mrs. Meeks’ husband was away visiting a sick brother, and when she heard someone outside, she assumed it was her husband returning home. She opened the door and Williams shot, and killed her. Her 16-year-old son Walter Meeks, ran toward the door and Williams shot him in the leg. Walter secured a shotgun, and returned fire, hitting Williams in the leg. Williams turned to flee, and young Mr. Meeks shot him in the back. Williams collapsed in the roadway, and lay there until he died the next morning. I assume the house was isolated, which is probably why Williams selected it as a target. Meeks did not leave the house and apparently no one happened to pass by until the next day.
The remains of William Fletcher Williams were brought back to Pensacola, and later buried at the Pine Barren Cemetery, north of the city.
James Anicetta White, died March 5, 1943 and is buried at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Pensacola. Ironically, both James White, and William F. Williams were born in August 1882.

All pictures from the Pensacola News Journal July 1905.
The Treachery of Mrs. Vann

June 27th, 2023

Or, How Her Husband Knew the Truth, but Refused to Give Up on Her.

Unlike the majority of my essays about mostly forgotten Panhandle malfeasance, this story does not contain a killing. Admittedly, there was a poor attempt, but due to the tabloid atmosphere this created in the area, I felt it was worth exploring. There was an affair carried out by a younger wife with even a younger fellow. There was a hopelessly bungled attempt to kill the husband, and possibly many innocent people for the insurance money. There was so much publicity that there was a change of venue granted for the trial. I bet for a period of about 2 years this was a dominant topic around kitchen tables.

       On April 1, 1936, All Fool’s Day, Engineer Livvie W. Vann was bringing his three-car passenger train toward Pensacola on his regular run from Selma, Alabama. Just before 2 pm as he approached the Cottage Hill area, he noticed a slight buckling in the rail but thought it was a piece of wood, and passed over it. When he arrived in Cantonment a few minutes later, he reported it to the section foreman for the L & N Railroad, who soon went to investigate. What he found prompted him to immediately notify the Escambia County Sheriff.

       The Pensacola Journal headlines of April 2, 1936, let their readers know that: An attempt was made to derail L&N Southbound train #1, by removing spikes from almost an entire length of rail on a curve one mile north of Cottage Hill. They surmised that the only reason it was unsuccessful was that the rail that was tampered with was on the inside of the curve. Also, the train derailment was intended to result in the death of the engineer, Mr. L. W. Vann.

       Escambia County Sheriff H.E. Gandy, and Deputies Ernest Harper, and Richard Olsen investigated the scene of the rail tampering. They found tracks leading them to a truck abandoned nearby. In the rear of the truck, they found a railroad spike puller, a crowbar, and a large wrench with a long length of pipe in it’s handle for leverage. The opinion was that the suspects drove to the scene, did the job, and preparing to depart, could not start the truck. Bloodhounds trailed the two men to the Flomaton road about a half-mile from the site of the rail damage where they apparently caught a ride.

       Tracing the registration of the truck, the Sheriff was stunned to find out it was registered to Engineer Vann himself. They headed to Ferry Pass to speak to some people.

       The April 3, and 4^th issues of the Pensacola Journal let everyone know that the investigation was proceeding. The truck would not start for the getaway part of the plot due to being out of gas. It was also revealed that this was the second attempt to derail Engineer Vann’s train. The Sheriff was looking for at least two suspects but had made no arrests.

       On April 6^th it was reported that Earl Travis, 28, a carpenter from Castleberry, Alabama was brought in for questioning. He was living in a rented room at 124 S. Reus St. He was taken into custody for vagrancy when deputies found him hanging around a filling station on Ferry Pass road. He denied any connection to the derailment attempt. At the time it was thought that he was one of the truck occupants.

       On April 7^th the Journal reported that four people were being held in connection with the derailment. Earl Travis remained in custody, along with Cleve Carter, his wife, Adelaide, and George Johnson who worked for Vann. Johnson and the Carters were black and Johnson claimed a “strange negro” called for the truck last Tuesday, saying he was sent by Cleve Carter. Carter had denied he sent for the truck.

       The next day on the 8^th of April, Wednesday, it was reported that Allen Findley, 16, and Allen Langston, 70, (later said to be 76 years of age), were in custody, after confessing to the attempt to derail the train. Findley also confessed in the attempt to derail the same train a few weeks before when it passed through the Oak Field area. At some point on the 8^th, or 9^th, Mrs. Mary Vann was taken into custody and jailed by Sheriff Gandy.

       Allen Langston was known by residents of the Bell’s Head section to profess the ability to read into the future, (I guess he failed to foresee his current predicament), and it was learned in his confession that Mrs. Vann had visited the old man’s shack on a number of occasions presumably to have her fortune told. Sheriff Gandy does not believe the voodoo had anything to do with the attempted derailment. Langston charged fees for his services dealing mainly with settlements of family affairs and holding strange rituals including burning a bluish type of wax.

       The following day the Journal reported that Solicitor Richard H. Merritt said he would file charges carrying sentences totaling nearly 50 years against Mrs. Mary Barnett Vann, held at the county jail, in the attempted wrecking of a passenger train on which her husband was the engineer. He said he would add charges of attempted murder and tampering with the railroad tracks to the conspiracy count under which the 40-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday after two negroes confessed that she hired them to loosen a section of track on a curve near Cottage Hill on All Fool’s Day.

       Mr. Vann was 6 feet tall and white-haired. He was the engineer on a three-car passenger train that made a regular run between Selma, Alabama, and Pensacola. He usually left home around 1:40 pm on his run to Selma and returned the next afternoon at about 2:45. Even after his wife’s arrest, and hearing that Earl Travis had confessed to having an affair with Mrs. Vann, he told reporters that, “I still believe in her”, and that he found Findley, and Langston’s confessions, “incredible”. However, sources claimed that Mr. Vann did change the beneficiaries on his three insurance policies to his sons. There were three sons, and Mrs. Vann had a daughter from a previous marriage. All lived in the Ferry Pass home.

       Mrs. Vann, it should be noted, never admitted to any wrongdoing, whatsoever, and her dutiful husband promised to obtain a bond and get her out of jail. As soon as he got back from his Selma run. (Publicly he defended her, privately was probably another matter.) Mr. Vann hired William Fisher to represent his wife and went about finding her a bondsman.

       On April 11^th charges were announced against Mrs. Vann and Earl Travis. Arraignment was scheduled for the next term of the Court of Record, opening May 11. Judge C. Moreno Jones set bail for both of them at $2000.

       Allen Langston’s confession which Findley corroborated, claimed that Mrs. Vann promised that both of them would receive $50 each to do the work. He also said she told him there was $30,000 hidden under the rail that she wanted for herself. She had also asked them to weaken the rail at Oak Field two weeks before but they were frightened away by a farmer plowing a field after they had removed one, or two spikes. At both locations, Langston claimed Mrs. Vann marked with a pencil the section of the rail she wanted them to tamper with. She told them exactly what time of day she wanted the spikes removed. Langston said they got the truck on the afternoon of March 31. After a northbound train passed, they began pulling spikes until they heard the whistle of Vann’s train. They returned to the truck, but could not get it started. He also claimed that on the second attempt, Mrs. Vann told him that if they did a good job, she would build him a house and that, “he would no longer have to live in a hog pen”, and “She was going to let Earl be her old man and that she was getting tired of this one.”

       On April 14, Mrs. Vann was released on $2000 bond. Travis remained in jail. There is no mention of Langston and Findley, but since they were poor, black, and it was 1936, I assume they stayed in the county jail until their trial later in the summer.

       Mrs. Vann’s bond was signed by her brother Frank B. Martin, and A.C. Wilson, a local businessman. Mrs. Vann signed her bond in her cell, then was hurried with her lawyer out a side door to avoid reporters, and into the adjoining Court of Record building. Her husband stood on the corner of Zaragoza, and Tarragona streets, a block from the jail, and got into a car that then picked up Mrs. Vann and her lawyer, and sped away.

       On July 23, 1936, the trial for Langston, and Findley got underway. L.W. Vann testified about seeing the strange hump in the rail and how he notified L & N section Foreman J.V. King. Then King testified how he found the tampered-with rail and missing spikes. Bodie Kemp, and W. G. Davis, two employees of The Wiggins Store, told how Langston and Findley purchased five or six gallons of gasoline and charged it to Mrs. Vann’s account.

       Sheriff Gandy and Deputy Ernest Harper were questioned by the defense lawyers, J. Montrose Edrehi, and D. Webster Berry, and denied that they were told by the defendants that they removed the rail looking for hidden gold and had planned to replace it before the train got there. After a dozen witnesses testified, Langston and Findley changed their plea to guilty. Sentencing was postponed until after Mrs. Vann’s trial. (This is curious to me. I don’t know if that was a common practice at the time, or if it was a way to ensure that Langston and Findley testified the way the state wanted them to in the Vann trial.)

       Mrs. Vann’s lawyers began discussing a change of venue due to the amount of publicity the case had generated. In early August, there was a hearing before Judge Fabisinski in Circuit Court on a Change of Venue motion. Mrs. Vann’s attorney, William Fisher argued that she could not get a fair trial in Escambia County. The change was granted and the trial was moved to Milton, in Santa Rosa County. A potential problem with this was that Escambia was the only county in Florida to use a Court of Record, and used “Informations”, instead of indictments. The state Supreme Court in the past, reversed a case after a change of venue because of this.

       After four and a half hours of testimony, the Change of Venue was granted on August 4^th. The trial in Milton opened the next day with Jury selection. The State’s case was to be presented by Escambia County Solicitor Richard H. Merritt, E. Dixie Beggs, Jr. Circuit Solicitor, and Senator Phillip D. Beall who was aiding the prosecution as a “Friend of the State”.  Though Mr. Vann had been encouraged by some to leave his wife, he maintained his belief in her innocence and was assisting in her defense.

The Case

       The trial began on Wednesday, August 5^th. The testimony was complete and went to the jury at 9:30 pm Thursday night. The State presented its case all day Wednesday and until 2pm Thursday. Defense only took two hours and Judge Fabisinski used 30 minutes charging the jurors.

       “Mrs. Vann was friendly with Earl Travis, 35-year-old, Pensacola night spot operator, and former Castleberry, Ala carpenter. Travis was a frequent visitor at the Vann home in Ferry Pass, in Escambia County during recent months. Mrs. Vann accompanied Travis to a secondhand store where he bought a bed. Later she visited his room in a boarding house. They had gone to beer joints around Pensacola and danced. Mrs. Vann knew a 76-year-old negro who set himself up as a Voodoo Doctor, conjuror, and fortune teller. She had purchased liniment from Langston and “the Doctor”, had worked a charm on the front of a Pensacola laundry to get Travis a job. (Not sure how “Night Spot Operator” ties into all this.)

       Mrs. Vann desired the death of her husband L.W. Vann, 60, a white-haired L & N engineer. With Travis, she conspired to have Langston weaken the rails of the L & N track near Cottage Hill a few minutes before Vann’s fast passenger train would pass over that section of track. For this, she promised Langston $400-500 and because Langston was old and infirm, she agreed to give $50 to Allen Findley, 17, for aiding the “witch doctor”. She provided the Vann family’s makeshift old truck used to haul the household wood, and Langston, and Findley assembled the wrecking tools, went to the spot, which had been marked by Mrs. Vann, and with Vann, and Travis sitting 50 yards away directing, they pulled the spikes from the rails. Fortunately, they pulled the spikes from the inside rail of the curve, instead of the outside rail, and the train was not wrecked. Mrs. Vann planned her husband’s death and was going to use his $6000 insurance policies in which one would pay double indemnity in case of death by accident to bring the total payout to $9000, to marry Travis.

       Defense lawyers, William Fisher, and J.T. Wiggins of Milton charged that Mrs. Vann was not being tried for the attempt to wreck the train, but for her indiscretions with Travis. A general denial of all charges of Mrs. Vann’s participation in any wreck plot was made, and instead the witch doctor’s “gold machine” was introduced as the cause of the attempted wreck. Langston owned a machine that was supposed to find gold. He once tried to dig up the Frisco railroad tracks near Pensacola to get money he said was under the rails but was warned away by a section Foreman. Testimony showed he told Allen Findley they would clear the L & N tracks and find money there. They were using the Vann truck, which they had borrowed ostensibly to haul some wood and to haul the tools they needed to clear off the track without Mrs. Vann’s knowledge.

       They pointed out that this did not seem fantastic to the conjuror since he had spent several years in the Alabama Asylum for Insane Negroes at Mt. Vernon, Alabama, and is still subject to spells.

       Mrs. Vann was presented as a hardworking, kindly housewife who was on the best terms with her husband, three sons, and daughter. She was kept too busy with keeping house and looking after all her charges to run around with Travis or anyone else. All this testimony was heard by a six-man jury of Ed Jernigan, Douglas McComb, M.E. Brown, M.C. Diamond, Albert Enfinger, and Nick Broxson.

       During Langston’s testimony, he told of Mrs. Vann and a “Mr. Earl” coming to his house and offering him four, or five hundred dollars to do “some work on the railroad”. He said she was so persistent about the matter that he “just had to do it”. He said Mrs. Vann accompanied him to the spot on the railroad north of Cottage Hill and showed him how to remove the spikes. It was at that spot that Mr. Vann noticed buckling rails on his April 1 run from Selma. Langston said he was unable to use the crowbar given to him by Mrs. Vann so he asked 17-year-old Findley to help him. He said Mrs. Vann furnished them with the truck and gasoline to get to the spot where they attempted to remove the rails.

“Was anyone along with you?” the prosecutor asked.

A-   “Mrs. Vann”.

Q- “Was anyone with her?”

A-   “Yes, Mr. Earl.”

Q- “Where were they?”

A-   “In the car. About 50 yards from the track.”

Q- “What was she going to give you?’

A-   “Four or five hundred dollars. She told me I could fix up my house fine.”

Q- “Did you ever see Mrs. Vann and Mr. Earl ever show any affection for each other?”

A-   “Yes. They played huggin’ and kissin’.”

Defense counsel, William Fischer, Sr. asked Langston if he had ever gone to an Insane Asylum.

A-   “Yes. Up to Mount Vernon.” (The Alabama Asylum near Mobile.)

       Langston said he was there for two or three years because of, “spells in my head.” When asked he admitted he still had spells, “now and then”.

       Though feeble, Langston was on the stand for more than two hours smiling constantly as he answered questions. Mrs. Vann listened to his testimony intently and spoke quietly to her attorney several times.

       The prosecution called Mr. C. G. Hartsfield, L & N railroad agent. He told of finding the truck containing crowbars near the scene and identifying the truck and tools as belonging to Mr. Vann.

       The case went to jury deliberation at 9:30 pm after two days of testimony.

       The 6-man jury deliberated through the night for more than eleven hours and returned a guilty verdict on two counts. They convicted Mrs. Vann of being an accessory before the fact and conspiracy to commit murder. The defense was granted a hearing to be held on August 31 for a motion for a new trial. The $2500 bond was continued for Mrs. Vann that was posted by her husband back in April.

       On August 31 in Milton, Judge L.L. Fabisinski denied the motion for a new trial and sentenced Mary Vann to ten years. She was stunned by the ruling and burst into tears as she left the courtroom. An appeal bond was set at $7500 and since the Vanns could not raise that amount, she was put in the Escambia County jail. Officials indicated that the trial of Earl Travis would start soon, but actually, he was never put on trial for conspiracy or anything else. In December, Livvie Vann, and Mrs. Vann’s brother Frank Martin posted the $7500 bond and Mary was released until her appeals went through the system.

       Langston, and Findley both received ten-year sentences and with no appeals went directly to prison.

       Mary Vann’s case went to the Florida Supreme Court three times, but on 31 March 1938 her last petition for another hearing was denied without comment, and on 4 April it was reported that she was sent to Raiford to begin her 10-year sentence. She had recently opened a dining car lunchroom in downtown Pensacola. I guess she was overly optimistic about her chances.

       In July of 1939, Livvie Vann was in a Pensacola hospital dying of Tuberculosis. Mary’s brother Frank Martin requested the State Pardon Board to release her for a week to visit her husband. The request was granted and she was escorted to Pensacola for the visit. (Her brother had to cover the costs of the escort.) After her week-long stay, she requested an extension of her visit but was denied. On September 21, Livvie Vann passed away and Mary was granted leave to attend the funeral. Mr. Vann was buried at the Whitmire Cemetery in a Masonic ceremony. He was a life member of the Montgomery Masonic Lodge. The ceremony was conducted by Pensacola Lodge no. 42. Pallbearers were members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.

       Mary Vann was released from prison on 29 June 1943 after serving about 5 years of her sentence. She remained under parole supervision until 12 April 1948. She then married Jim H. Croft who she met in prison. (I don’t know what his role was at the prison.)  Langston and Findley were also released on good behavior after serving five years. I haven’t been able to find out any further information about them.

Mary Martin Vann Croft died on 21 March 1986 and is also buried at the Whitmire Cemetery.

Pensacola Journal 11 Apr 1936.

Livvie and Mary Vann had three sons and a daughter. Two of the sons joined the Army. John K. Vann was a paratrooper, and Livvie, Jr. was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in the European theater of operations. The youngest son William joined the Navy in 1945 and was assigned to the USS Crater.

Pensacola Journal 8 July 1945.
The Acreman Family Murders

June 22nd, 2023

On

May 14, 1906, in the Allentown community, William Glenn Acreman, his wife, and seven children were murdered, and their home burned down over their lifeless bodies. No one was ever punished for the crime.

        On that morning, a neighbor, living about a quarter a mile away, looked toward the Acreman place, but did not see the house. He contacted other neighbors, and a group of them found the Acreman house in smoldering ruins. Upon closer investigation, they found the burned bodies of the family. One member of the group went to a nearby turpentine camp, and called the Sheriff’s office in Milton.

            Judge Rhoda, Sheriff David Mitchell, Dr. H.E. Eldridge, and several others, hurried to the Acreman home.

            Upon arrival, the ruins were still smoking. A stiff northwest wind was blowing, and cinders were found a half of a mile away from the scene. It is believed that the house the Acreman’s were murdered in was located on present day State Highway 87, where it is joined by Sonny Dozier Rd. Nothing remains today, but that site is approximately 10 miles north of downtown Milton, and that was the description in contemporary news accounts.

          W. G. Acreman was the son of Zebulon Rudolph Acreman, and was most likely born in 1869 in Lowndes County, Alabama. He had eight brothers, and one sister. He was described as being a peaceful, pious, and harmless man with no enemies.

          In 1902, the Acreman’s were living in Mobile, Alabama near the corner of Selma, and Marine Streets. Described as being in desperate circumstance, they were helped by their church. Mr. Acreman was remembered there as a peaceful, harmless man who was very religious, and a bit eccentric. He had no known enemies.

Apparently, they left Mobile, and settled in Opp, Alabama for about a year, and sometime in 1903, moved to the area where they eventually died. Acreman had been married at least three times. One marriage record has been found. He married Timathea Nippee, or Nipper, in Escambia Co., Alabama on 5 Feb 1893. He was also married to Mary Simmons of Brewton, Alabama. His last wife was Amanda Sorrells who died that night with her newborn baby. Amanda was most likely the daughter of David W. Sorrells who lived in Pine Level, a community near Jay, Florida, a few miles from the Acreman home. Acreman had a daughter that survived. She was from his marriage with Mary Simmons, and was staying with an Aunt in Selma, Alabama.

The Crime Scene

            Acreman was working as a sharecropper, and the family was desperately poor. The house they resided in was described as a two-room “L” shaped house with two doors in front, one each opening into each room. Directly opposite were two doors going to the back porch. The house had numerous windows, and the front of the house faced north. Acreman, and one son shared a bed in the southeast corner of the east room. His wife, and 3-day-old infant slept in a bed in the same room, directly opposite. Three boys slept together in the southeast corner of the west room, and directly opposite of them was the bed of two daughters, the oldest being around 14.

            In the ruins of the house, Acreman was found near the sill of the door leading from his room to the back porch. A gun was found by his side. His skull was crushed, and upon examination a large blood clot was found at the base of his skull leading authorities to believe he was killed before the fire. His body, as all the others, was burned very badly. His wife and infant baby were found on the front porch, and it was believed they were killed outside. The condition of her skull indicated she was killed before the fire. The boys, and the younger of the two girls were apparently either killed in bed since their remains were found where their beds were located. The oldest girl was found just inside the door leading to the front porch.

        There was a subscription in Milton, and Bagdad to raise money for a reward for information. An amount of $1500 was quickly raised, but there were no immediate developments in the case. The list of contributors reads like a Who’s Who of Milton in 1906:

H.S. Laird – $50, Prosecuting Attorney

David Mitchell – $100, County Sheriff

Balentine & Whitley – $50, Manufacturer, Naval Stores

Franklin S. Gay – $25, Turpentine Camp Operator

John T. Salter – $10, Railroad Carpenter

Charles E. Elliott – $100, farmer

E. M. Gainer – $50, possibly Ella Gainer, wife of Jim,

W. F. Harrison – $25

C. D. Bass – $5, Day Laborer, in 1900.

D. P. Johnson & Son – $25

Robert C. Fleming – $5, mill worker

R. E. Peterson – $5, fisherman

Howard Jernigan – $10, 1900 he was a census enumerator

Fisher & Hamilton – $50

Fisher & Co. – $50

G. L. Abbott – $5

Thomas W. Jones – $10, mercantile store

J. A. Allison – $5, keeper of Poor House

J. B. Ellis – $10, farmer

Howard S. Bates – $5, dry goods, (1910)

Cohen Bros. – $50, General Merchant

Milton Drug Co. – $25

Dr. C. B. McKinnon – $25

Frank E. Dey – $10, jewelry shop

M. N. Fisher, Sr. – $5, night watchman

I. M. Josephson – $5, dry good merchant

A. Moneyway – $5

D. T. Williams & Co. – $25

Lawrence Brown – $5

Dr. W. A. Mills – $10

The Milton Index – $10, Local Newspaper

H. C. Monroe – $5

W. W. Allen – $25

Lewis P. Golson – $50, Clerk

P. T. Macarthy – $10

D. B. Whitmire – $25, tax collector

Willis W. Harrison – $10, hatter

J. C. Gay – $10

Walter Rivenbark – $10, turpentine laborer

Allen & Allen – $25

E. P. Holley – $25, County Judge

E. L. Daniel – $25

R. M. Jernigan – $5

Lewis M. Rhoda – $5, Judge

Chaffin & Co. – $50

J. C. Day – $10

W. A. Waller – $10

R. C. Helms – $25

Morris Littles – $25

D. F. Johnson – $50

J. A. Bryant – $50

Charley H. Simpson – $25, farmer

Dr. H. E. Eldridge – $25

C. P. Jernigan – $10, butcher

J. E. Spencer – $10

Alexander H. Allen – $20, farmer

From Bagdad:

Stearns-Culver Lumber Co. – $100

B. Greenwood – $10

Asbery P. Hardy – $25, retail merchant

Bagdad Manufacturing Co. – $75

Steward Bros. – $25

Dr. B. H. Alles – $10

A.    Nicholson – $5

Capt. John Rourke – $5, sawmill owner, Confederate vet.

Aycock & Co. – $10

R. E. Barnes – $5

In 1906, crime investigation was extremely primitive. There were no trained investigators in Milton, no idea about forensics, or crime scene preservation, so a reward fund would be raised, and private investigators would arrive with hopes to solve the case, and collect the reward. Eventually the reward fund reached around $2300 including $500 from the State. This was how big, headline making crimes were investigated in those days. Private Investigators, some real, some no more than con men seeking to bilk communities out of their reward money, would seek out these opportunities. The Acreman crime brought a man named Ralph Clifford Beagle, claiming to be an investigator. All that I can find out about him is that he was born, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, and in the 1900 census he is staying in a hotel on Ship Street in St. Joseph, in Berrien County, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan with his occupation listed as a travelling salesman.

            Beagle claimed he was a detective, and apparently did work hard to solve the case. About a year after the murder, Beagle physically took part in getting warrants, and making two arrests with help from local police.

In Gonzales, Florida, William C. Smith, (I believe this was actually a man named Kitchen Willie Smith., or William K. Smith. I found him buried in Monroeville, Alabama with his wife, Eliza Jessalena Smith who died on 14 April 1907.) was arrested and brought to Milton. He was living in Allentown at the time of the murders, and when his wife died in 1907, he took her remains, and his six children to Monroeville, Alabama. Some articles suggested that he confessed, but if so, his confession must not have been believable.

              In Samson, Alabama, located in Geneva County, and not far from Opp, detectives arrested Joe Stanley. Stanley must have had a fearsome reputation, because the detectives employed some subterfuge to get the drop on him. They visited his farm asking if he had any tacks, they could use to put up a sign with. When Stanley turned to get some one of the detectives got the drop on him, and he was arrested at gunpoint. After the warrant was read to him, Stanley asked if he could get some clothes from a trunk. The detectives refused, but opened the trunk themselves, and found no clothes, but did find two pistols there. Stanley also attempted to get his hands on a shotgun, with no success. Stanley had a wife and two children, and refused to waive extradition to Florida. After the right paperwork was obtained, he was removed to Santa Rosa County, Florida.

            There was a hearing scheduled for May 15, 1907 in Judge Rhoda’s courtroom, and it was postponed when state witnesses could not be located, and a stenographer was not available. I found another article that claimed the prosecutor, and judge were under death threats, and did not show up for court. Regardless, two days later there was a brief hearing, and both suspects were released. The case is officially unsolved.

            When Stanley was arrested, the Troy (Ala) Messenger published an article that mostly reported the same information as the other papers, but they added that, “Stanley has been under suspicion as he is said to have had trouble with the murdered man.” No other references to this “trouble” could be found. When the Acreman’s moved from Mobile to Opp, did Mr. Acreman have some kind of run-in with Stanley? I got a message over a year ago, stating that the farm Acreman was working was owned by the Stanley family of the Opp area.

            There are many articles, in southern Alabama newspapers about confrontations with the law by Joe Stanley. It’s not possible to know if there were multiple Joe Stanley’s living in the area during the same time frame. There was an article added to Joe Stanley’s Find A Grave memorial that told the story of Jocephus Stanley’s death on March 8, 1928. I pretty sure this is the same Joe Stanley that had been arrested in the Acreman murders. Stanley was a policeman in Phenix City, Alabama, which is just across the Chattahoochee river from Columbus, Georgia. In the middle of the river on an island that is sometimes claimed by both Alabama, and Georgia, Stanley was shot during a confrontation with a gang of gamblers, and bootleggers that based themselves in the “no man’s land”. Stanley was attempting to arrest a George Chambers who was a customer of James Jennette. Stanley had been informed of some threats directed at him and went to ask Jennette about it. During the confrontation, Jennette pulled a pistol and fired three shots. Two missed, but the third hit Stanley in the stomach. Another officer hit Jennette in the head, and at the same time Stanley backed off a few feet, and fired one time, hitting Jennette in the body. They were loaded in the same car and taken to the hospital, where both died. His body was brought back to Opp where he was buried.

            William K. Smith, or Kitchen Willie Smith died in 1916, and is buried with his wife in Monroeville, Alabama.

          Ralph Clifford, (R.C.) Beagle died in Pensacola of Tuberculosis on 12 July 1907, and his body was escorted by his sister back to Michigan and buried at the Brady Hill Cemetery in Saginaw.

            The Acreman family is interred in one mass grave in the Jay Cemetery. The grave is next to Amanda’s parents, and an older brother. Their headstone has the quote:

“No pain, no grief, not anxious fear can reach our loved ones sleeping here.”

Afterword

            There is a very well written book by Bill James, and his daughter, Rachel, titled: The Man from The Train, The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery.

            It is the story of a long series of Axe murders across the country that occurred from 1898 through 1912.  The Acreman murders near Allentown, fit right into this narrative.  Even setting the fire after the killing was part of the killer’s technique.  He quite possible killed over 100 people in this manner and rarely left any survivor.

            The Villisca Iowa killing of the Moore family is also part of this story.  He makes a rather compelling case, due to the similarities among these many, many murders.  The fires, proximity to rail road tracks, covering the face of some of the victims, and many more examples.

            The suspect was a German immigrant named Paul Mueller who killed his first victim in Brookfield, Mass.  Many of his murders occurred in rural areas close to logging which is probably how he supported himself.  He never robbed his victims, usually leaving valuables in plain sight.

            It is a very compelling case study. Were the Acreman’s killed in a random manner by a psychopath riding the rails? It is hard for me to believe that Stanley, and Smith could have done something like this. I don’t think it would have been the only case of this type in the area, if that was the case. Likely, we will never know for sure.

____________________________________________________________________________
Killer on the Road

June 22nd, 2023

The Crime

Apparently, on a whim, and desiring to get his hands on some quick cash, Harvey McGraw, 20, decided to rob Jaxon’s Filling Station, just south of Georgiana, Alabama. On the evening of March 16, 1939, he killed some time loitering at the station, claiming he was waiting on a bus, as Jaxon’s was also a Greyhound bus station. As the hour neared midnight at the all-night station, two men from the Montgomery area arrived at the station. One report states that the two men, Clifford T. Mann, 28, and Charles Wilkinson, 23, were in the station drinking a glass of milk, and they intended on renting one of the available cabins for the night. McGraw asked the attendant, Dennis Moore for change for a quarter. When Moore opened the register, McGraw produced a weapon and demanded the money. Different descriptions of the robbery say it was either $24, or $37. He then forced the two men into their car at gunpoint. Getting into the back seat, he told Mann to head south.

McGraw had the misfortune of choosing a target for his robbery that was equipped with a Police Transmission Radio Set. The State Patrol had strategically placed these in locations around the state. Dennis Moore immediately transmitted a call alerting Patrolmen Thigpen, and Sawyer in Georgiana of the robbery, and kidnapping. Calls went out to Mobile, and Pensacola, and a net was spread through southern Alabama.

McGraw was smart enough to keep away from the larger towns. He later was heard to say that he made Mann drive at speeds of 70 to 90 miles per hour. From the Greenville Advocate, March 30, 1939, “He had them leave U.S. 31 at McKensie, 6 miles south of the robbery site. At Red Level he left the McKensie-Andalusia highway and took a short cut over to the Andalusia-Brewton highway. At East Brewton he switched to the Brewton-Milton highway.”

By taking this route he was able to avoid officers watching the towns of Evergreen, Andalusia, and Brewton. The car ran out of gas about 8 miles north of Milton, near the Allentown community.

He made Mann, and Wilkinson get out of the car and began to tie them together, when according to McGraw when telling the story later, one of the men made a grab at the pistol. He shot him, and then shot the other one for trying to intervene in the struggle. It should be noted that both men were shot several times in the head, chest, and the back.

About a half of a mile away, farmer Turpen Wiggins, (the news paper articles use Williams, but no Turpen Williams can be found), heard what he thought was a series of automobile backfires around 3:30 am. Later around 8:30 he saw a vehicle parked about 200 yards off the road and walked over to investigate, where he found the two bodies tied together.

Who Was Harvey McGraw?

Harvey was the son of Elmer McGraw, a well-known resident of the Appleton community which lies north of Brewton. He was on parole from the Atmore prison after serving 6 months of a 1-to-5-year sentence for attempted burglary. He twice in one night tried to enter the home of W.F. Dantzler on the Appleton road, but was frightened away both times. He was convicted in October 1937. Harvey was known in the Brewton area, and had once worked in the Box Factory of the T.R. Miller Company.

The Victims

Clifford T. Mann was originally from Elmore County, Alabama, but moved to Montgomery to engage in the Real Estate business. About four years before his murder, he became associated with the Praetorian Life Insurance company. He later became the General Agent, and office manager for the district.

Charles Wilkinson was a native of Montgomery, and currently unemployed. Previously he was a traveling salesman. He was accompanying his friend on his business trip at the time of the abduction.

The Capture

A cab driver named Dick Carpenter, had a radio in his taxi. He heard a broadcast of the wanted murderer/kidnapper, and thought of a fare he had earlier driven from Milton to the L&N depot in Pensacola. He remembered the fare because the guy said he was going to catch a train heading east, which would have passed back through Milton. Carpenter alerted the police who contacted Sheriff Harrell in Chipley, Florida.

Sheriff Harrell boarded the train when it reached Chipley with a description of the wanted man. He approached McGraw and took him into custody. McGraw did make an attempt to use his pistol, but the Sheriff disarmed him and removed him from the train.

After the Arrest

McGraw immediately confessed to the kidnapping, and killing of Mann, and Wilkinson. Alabama could have tried him for armed robbery, which at the time, could have resulted in the death penalty. The Federal Government, also, could have tried him for kidnapping under the Lindbergh Law which could have resulted in a death sentence. Both Alabama, and the Feds were content to let Florida handle the trial, and punishment.

He quickly became known as a happy-go-lucky young man who liked to sing and play guitar. He had an abundance of talent and people would visit to listen to him perform. On May 3, a routine cell inspection found a pistol, fashioned from a bar of soap, was discovered. There was one humorous report that he tried to break out of jail and when he brandished his soap gun at a guard, the barrel fell off exposing his ruse. Sheriff Joe Allen denied that that had happened. He said it was found in the search.

At the end of May an arraignment was held with Circuit Judge L.L. Fabisinski and McGraw pled guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, throwing himself on the mercy of the court. The proceeding had to be delayed for a few hours because McGraw was under 21 so his father, Elmer, had to be retrieved from the Castleberry, Alabama area to attend the arraignment. His court-appointed attorney, Woodrow Melvin had a conference with the McGraw’s to give them options, but Harvey insisted on the guilty pleas. He was heard to say, “What’s the use? I’m going to burn anyway”.  The following day Judge Fabisinski sentenced McGraw to death.

Either, just before, or just after his court appearances, Harvey McGraw was baptized in Pond Creek on Highway 90, west of Milton. His grandfather, Sherman McGraw was a Holiness Minister, and had visited Harvey in jail. When the Judge was asked if he could be baptized, he said it was up to Sheriff Allen.  The Sheriff, at least two deputies, and about 30 Holiness preachers led by E.G. Holley, met a Pond Creek. Harvey wearing a white shirt, and dungarees, and handcuffed to Deputy Purvis Baxley, Sr., (whose son Purvis, Jr. years later was the first principal of King Middle School), stepped into the water and was baptized. “I feel saved now”, was all he had to say.

On June 17 it was reported in the Pensacola Journal that Harvey gave a statement through his attorney, Woodrow Melvin, for publication in the area newspapers.

“I wish to express my extreme regrets for the crimes I have committed, trusting that the public will realize that I KNOW what a terrible deed it was. I trust that folks who think that the only reason I am grateful is because I was caught and sentenced, will change their views on the matter. Everyone knows that I entered pleas of guilty at my trial in circuit court here last month, which proved that I wasn’t seeking to evade justice.”

Harvey McGraw

Harvey McGraw The Birmingham News 1 March 1939

On September 4, 1939, approximately 6 months since he committed the crimes, Harvey McGraw was led to the execution chamber at Raiford prison. At 10:06 am, Sheriff Joe T. Allen “turned the rheostat” which sent the current through his body. McGraw made no final statement to the 38 witnesses but he did silently mouth the Lord’s Prayer while it was recited by Prison Chaplain, Rev. Leslie Sheppard.

McGraw’s father and uncle were at the prison but did not go to the death chamber. They were there to take his body back home for burial. The paper claimed he was going to be buried at the Center Grove cemetery, north of Brewton. Actually, his remains, along with other family members are located at the Zion Hill Baptist Church cemetery.

Clifford T. Mann left a widow. He married Eva Louise Glover in Montgomery on April 18, 1936. She also worked for the same Insurance Company, and they had no children.

Charles Wilkinson also left a widow, but no children. He married Mary Lou Hughes on Jun 21, 1938 in Montgomery.

The two friends who were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time are both buried in Section One at the Greenwood Cemetery in Montgomery.

Jaxon’s Service Station was a well-known establishment in southern Alabama. It was located on Highway 31, about one mile south of Georgiana. It was also a Greyhound Bus station, and had tourist cabins to rent by travelers.

Williams-or-Wiggins

I could not find through census records, or marriage and death records, anyone named Turpen Williams. I did find, however, a farmer in the Allentown census record of 1940, named Turpen Wiggins. Since Turpen is an uncommon name, and Wiggins could have been misunderstood as Williams, I believe Wiggins was the actual name.

1940 FL / Santa Rosa / 57-15 (Allentown)

Wiggins, Turpen   48 Alabama   Farmer

                Claudie 35 Alabama, wife

                Vernell 17 Florida, daughter

                Joseph T. 15 Florida, son

                Dewey    12 Florida, son

James Dewey Wiggins b. 7 Dec 1927

Joseph Turpen Wiggins b. 24 Feb 1926

Dora Vernell Wiggins b. 15 Oct 1924, md Rassie Thrash (1911-2006) 19 Sept 1942 in SRC.

From The Milton Gazette, 23 March 1939
The Tragic Death of Big Ed Morris

June 22nd, 2023

Big Ed Morris got into a fight one night on the bank of Little Escambia Creek and died in the hospital in Century, Florida three days later. This is his story.

Walter Edward Morris was born in Foshee, Alabama on 7 December 1899. His mother was Ella Morris, and it is believed that his father was a sawmill operator known as Captain Fuller. The 1900 census for Owen, Escambia Co, Alabama does list a Levander Fuller, born in North Carolina in 1859. Ella, and her two children, Edward, and Stella were living with her mother, Cornelia Morris, who kept a boarding house, and her four brothers. In the 1910, and 1920 censuses, Ella and her children were still living in Owen. There is no more sign of Mr. Fuller.

In the 1920 census, Ed is listed as a laborer but he already had a reputation as a talented up-and-coming pitcher on the local baseball scene. In 1919 and part of 1920 he played for the Bagdad team and was pitching for the Century, Fla. Town club when he was signed by the Class-D Bradenton Growers of the Florida State League.

Morris toiled in the minor leagues until 1928, with only a brief call-up to the Chicago Cubs in 1922, where he got 12 innings of work. In the spring training of 1925, he got a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds but was returned to the Nashville team with a sore arm. Ed had developed a reputation for being a hard drinker, who really made no effort at conditioning or taking care of himself.

In 1928, Morris got his big break with the hapless Boston Red Sox. He took full advantage of his opportunity and won his first start on May 3 with a 4-hit victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. Through the 25^th of August, his record was 17-11 with an era of 3.13. Steller numbers for sure, but possibly the length of the season wore him down. He finished 19-15 with a 3.53 era. He also had pitched 257 innings. His record was still the best among rookie pitchers, and his 19 victories accounted for a third of the Red Sox wins that year.

In 1929, Morris suffered arm problems and other nagging injuries that resulted in a season record of 14 wins and 14 losses. He pitched 208 innings and had a 4.45 era. During the winter before the season, Morris had traveled to the Panama Canal region and found a team that wanted to hire him to pitch. Morris wired Baseball Commissioner, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis for permission to pitch. Landis wired back that permission could not be granted due to rules prohibiting major league ballplayers from playing for money during the offseason. Morris pitched a couple of games anyway, defeating the Navy fleet team 4-3, and becoming a hero in the Canal Zone. In March during spring training Landis fined him $250. It was considered lucky that Morris was not also handed a suspension. There is one notable game from 1929. On 26 May, Morris pitched against the Yankees. The game ended in a 15-4 blowout for the victorious Yanks, and Morris was largely ineffective. He gave up a three-run homer to Yankee catcher Bill Dickey, and a double to Lou Gehrig, but in the fifth inning, Big Ed Morris hit a home run off of Waite Hoyt to tie the game 3-3. At the conclusion of the inning Hoyt was walking toward the Yankee dugout and said something to the umpire, and got ejected from the game. It was Morris’ only major league home run.

The 1930 season started with spring training at Pensacola’s Legion Field, with the players staying at the San Carlos Hotel. Morris was a holdout for a short time demanding a raise. He settled for a $500 raise to a season salary of $8000. The Red Sox considered Morris to be the Ace of their pitching staff for the upcoming season. The New York Yankees had made a strong effort to obtain Morris during the offseason. Once again, he developed arm problems and missed the second half of the season. His record was 4-9 with a 4.13 era.

After the 1930 season, Morris had a house built in Flomaton, Alabama, and moved his family there from Mobile. He had a wife, Beryl, and two sons, Edward, and Mortimer by this time, and they lived there until his death.

1931 was, once again, a season of a sore arm. Morris also missed three weeks in May after being hit on his big toe during batting practice by a line drive hit by outfielder Tom Oliver. He was sent home from Philadelphia to Boston to get treatment. He started to improve late in the season but finished with 5 wins and 7 losses with a 4.75 era. His dismal record was the result of “injuries, and failure to condition”. His last appearance was a complete game 4-hit victory, 9-2 over the St. Louis Browns. He and the Red Sox were looking forward to 1932 as a comeback season.

A Going Away Fish Fry

The 1932 spring training for the Red Sox was to be in Savanah, Georgia. To celebrate the new season and a new contract for Morris there was to be a fish fry/peanut boil to be held in his honor. This was held on Little Escambia Creek between Flomaton, and Brewton, Alabama on 29 Feb 1932. At some point during the evening, there was an altercation between Morris and a Brewton filling station operator named Joe White. Morris knocked White down, and then he tripped and fell on top of him. White stabbed him twice in the chest with his pocket knife. An L&N railroad employee named Dixon was cut when he was attempting to break up the fight. Morris staggered across the creek and collapsed on the opposite bank. Until then, it was unclear how badly he was hurt. He was taken to the hospital in Century, FL. The knife wounds were very close to his heart, but the doctor felt he would survive. He was concerned however, that infection would set in due to Morris going in the water after he was stabbed. Sure enough, infection set in, and then pneumonia resulted in his death on 3 March.

Ed Morris was buried at the Halls Creek Church cemetery. The Red Sox sent outfielder, and friend Tommy Oliver to the funeral to represent the team. Big Ed’s mother Ella died in 1940, and she was buried next to him.

Thirty-Six-year-old, Joe White was arrested, tried, and found guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to three years, but the conviction was reversed by the Alabama Court of Appeals. There was a retrial in August 1934, in Brewton, Alabama and White was found not guilty.

Ed’s Family

Ed married Beryl Tompkins of Bullock Co., Alabama in 1924. She was born on 10 March 1905 and died on 5 June 1985. She is buried at the Pine Crest Cemetery, in Mobile, Alabama.

He had two sons:

Edward Morris, b. 29 Jun 1925, d. 2 Feb 1991, also buried at the Pine Crest Cemetery in Mobile.

Mortimer T. Morris, b. 10 July 1927, d. 30 Mar 2000. He is buried at Serenity Memorial Gardens in Theodore, Mobile Co., Alabama.

Interesting postscript about Ed’s wife Beryl. She got remarried a few months after Ed’s death to Dr. Joseph E. Rose, who was 25 years older than her and had recently divorced his wife, Ida, whom he had been married to since 1909. There is a marriage record of a wedding in Desha County, Arkansas on 30 Nov 1932, and a second record in Walton Co., Florida on 15 Dec 1932. Beryl divorced her second husband in Bradford Co., Florida in 1950. He then remarried his first wife Ida. He died in 1958 and is buried at Bayview Cemetery in Pensacola.

The Ed Morris Baseball Progression

1920- Bradenton- Florida State League

1921- Chattanooga- Class A- Southern Association. Record of 9-21 with 4.48 era.

1922- Chattanooga- 5-19, 4.85 era

            1922- briefly called up to the Chicago Cubs. Pitched 12 innings in relief with an era of 8.25.

1923- Chattanooga, and the Nashville Volunteers. 9-11 with 5.58 era

1925- Spring- Tryout with Cincinnati Reds. Sore arm and was sent back to Nashville.

At Nashville, he was 17-11 with a 4.52 era.

1926- Nashville- 16-13 4.53 era

1927-Mobile Bay Bears- Southern Association- 298 innings pitched. 15-17 3.96 era.

1928- Boston Red Sox- May 3, first victory against the Phil. Athletics. 4-hitter. Through 8/25 his record was 17-11, with a 3.13 era. Downhill from there; finished season 19-15 3.53 era, 257 IP. Still good enough to be the best rookie pitcher in the league. Boston was the worst team in the American League.

1929- Arm Problems. 14-14 with 4.45 era. 208 IP, 73K, 95BB.

1930- Salary holdout. Red Sox spring training in Pensacola. Finally signed for $500 raise to $8,000. More arm problems he finished 4-9, 4.13 era.

1931- Pensacola spring training again. Season record 5-7 4.75 era. Though he improved toward the end of the season and was anticipating a better performance in 1932, his dismal record was the result of “injuries, and failure to condition.” His last pitching performance was a complete game 4-hit 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Browns. It was his last appearance.

Four Years of Ed’s Salary

            1928 $3500.              In 2023 dollars- $62,248

            1929 $7500                   “    “     “     “ – $133,389

            1930 $8000                                          – $145.689

            1931 $4000                                            -$80,033

Big Ed Morris
Marianna’s Terrible Day of Tragedy

June 21st, 2023

On the rainy night of April 24, 1963, Melvin Allen Weaver either hitchhiked or drove a stolen car into Marianna, Florida in the Panhandle’s Jackson County. It was reported later that he had eaten in a downtown diner and then made his way to a Mo-Jo service station east of Marianna on Highway 90 where he asked the attendant, Lee Edgar Tidwell, Jr., about buying a fanbelt. When Tidwell turned his back to reach for one, Weaver hit him in the head with a car generator that was lying on the floor. He struck him a second time then dragged the unconscious Tidwell into an adjoining room. The attendant later said he regained consciousness as Weaver ripped a telephone from the wall and used the cord to bind his feet. Unfortunately, Weaver picked a station owned by the county Sheriff, W. Barkley Gause, for his robbery. The crime was reported quickly and roadblocks were set up within a 50-mile radius. The Sheriff and Deputy J.J. McCrary sent out a description of the robber and a youth from Malone named Charles Russ told the Sheriff he saw the suspect heading toward Campbellton. The two officers captured Weaver about 20 minutes later on a dirt road near Campbellton, about 15 miles northwest of Marianna. He was identified by three people who saw him enter and leave the Mo-Jo station.

            Melvin Weaver was originally from Franklin, Ohio, and had been Absent Without Leave, or AWOL from the U.S. Air Force for a little over a year. He was assigned to the 966^th AEW&C, (Airborne Early Warning & Control) Squadron at McCoy AFB near Orlando, Florida until February 1962 when he went on the run.

            Weaver didn’t have money for his $2500 bond so he sat in jail until his arraignment on May 13th. He entered a plea of guilty and his sentencing was set for July 2^nd. On that day, the Honorable Judge R. L. McCrary, Jr. sentenced Weaver to life in prison. Nowhere in the court documents does it state that Weaver was charged with assault on Mr. Tidwell. The only crime he was charged with was the robbery of $19.

            Nothing that Weaver did over the next two days can be excused. His sentence was indeed harsh, but realistically, he probably would have been paroled in a few years. Spending time in the Florida State Prison at Raiford must have seemed like the end of the world for him so on the evening of July 3^rd, he set the mattress of his cell on fire. Before the fire was extinguished, Weaver and three other inmates were overcome by smoke. Some reports state that Weaver was unconscious and had to be revived. Some say he was unofficially thought to be dead before he was resuscitated. Early on the morning of Thursday, July 4, 1963, Deputy R.V. (Brooks) Gainer departed the hospital leaving Deputy Allen Finch, 43, and Deputy Aaron Creel, 40, guarding the prisoners.

            The four inmates and two deputies were waiting in one room for further treatment when Weaver asked if he could go to the bathroom and Deputy Finch agreed to take him down the hall. When they turned a corner, Weaver overpowered the deputy, took his pistol, and shot him in the abdomen. As Deputy Finch lay dying, Weaver rushed back to the room where the other inmates were and shot Deputy Creel twice in the head killing him instantly. The other inmates declined his invitation to escape with him. A man named Hubert Mayo, who was visiting his sick father, heard the commotion and left his father’s room to see what was going on. Weaver shot him in the head. Mayo lived until about 9:30 that morning. The killer ran from the hospital in view of many eyewitnesses, who described him as a “big, husky-looking man” who was shirtless and carrying a gun when he disappeared behind some houses. It is fortunate there were not more lives lost that morning. Deputy Ball was only a few minutes away from reporting to relieve Deputy Finch, and Deputy McCrary was supposed to be there but he received a call that delayed him about ten minutes. Deputy Hughes was also on his way to the hospital but still about five blocks short when the shootings happened. On the other hand, more deputies may have prevented the escape attempt.

            The word of the killings spread quickly and Sheriff Gause had bloodhounds brought to the scene to try to pick up a scent. The dogs were able to follow the trail through the yards of nearby homes but lost the scent about a block west of the hospital on Sixth Avenue.

            The Sheriff remembered that Judge McCrary lived nearby and since he was the one who just put a life sentence on Weaver, Sheriff Gause figured he should go check on the Judge’s well-being. Finding the Judge in his bathrobe and not in danger, he left a deputy there and resumed his search for Weaver.

            The Sheriff received a report that Weaver may have been spotted by a night watchman near the train yard. The dogs were dispatched to see if they could pick up a scent. Highway Patrolman Lt. E. B. Jordan joined the Sheriff and asked about roadblocks in case Weaver had been able to obtain a vehicle. Sheriff Gause showed him on a map of where roadblocks were and ran down the cooperation he was receiving from surrounding counties. The Sheriff had also spread the word of possible hostages. Another report from the rail yard said that the man being sought there was not Weaver.

            A deputy soon approached Sheriff Gause with the suspicion that C.V. “Dick” Sangaree, a local oil distributor, his wife Jane, and 8-year-old daughter Georganne may have been kidnapped. Someone had discovered the door to the Sangaree house open, no one home, and their car missing. A neighbor told the police that she had seen them drive off shortly after 6 am. There was a stranger with them who sat in the back seat. The Sangaree car was described as a light blue 1963 Chevrolet. It had been last seen traveling north. The description of the car and the family was then dispatched throughout the search area, which now included Alabama and Georgia. A few false leads were reported to the Sheriff from surrounding communities the Gause had to filter through, but the Sangaree situation seemed legitimate.

            Two Georgia Bureau of Investigation, (GBI), Lt. W.T. Beauchamp and Sgt. W.D. Cochran were cruising in a patrol car on Highway 19, a few miles north of Albany, Georgia when they spotted a car fitting the description of the Sangaree vehicle. They were able to verify that it had a Florida license plate starting with a prefix of 25 which at the time indicated that it was registered in Jackson County. Through binoculars, they could see that there was a lone occupant of the car. They began pursuit and soon both cars were exceeding 100 mph with Weaver’s car close to wrecking more than once. As they approached the small town of Smithville, Weaver began shooting at them through his back window. Just inside city limits, he turned down a dead-end street that ended at a schoolyard.

            Weaver came to a stop near three teen-aged boys and leaving the car he threatened them with his gun using them as a shield between him and the pursuing cops. The three young men were cousins, Ronnie Knott, David Moore, and the smallest Ricky Hale. They had decided to begin their July fourth by walking over to the baseball field for a little while. Ricky, whose full name was Charles Richard Hale, had experienced a tough couple of years. His family was living in Dade County, Florida when a brother died in September 1961. His mother had passed away from cancer in July 1962. After she died, what remained of the family moved to Smithville, where his family was originally from. His father then had a heart attack and died in April 1963. Ricky and his remaining siblings now lived with his grandmother, Mrs. C.C. Ansley. Ricky was fourteen years old.

The two GBI agents approached Weaver and the boys but stopped when Weaver put his gun against the head of one of the teenagers and demanded they drop their weapons and car keys. Seeing the desperation in Weaver and feeling they had no choice, the two officers did as they were told. Taking the guns, keys, and Ricky as hostage, Weaver said, “I’ll kill this kid if anyone tries to stop me.” and quickly left the scene in the GBI car. Lt. Beauchamp learned Ricky’s name from the other two boys and dispatched Cochran to a nearby store to call in the incident. Cochran soon returned from the store with the news that the highway patrol was setting up roadblocks near Americus and sending a car to pick them up.

            Farther north near the intersection of Highways 27, and 19, Highway Patrolmen Cpl. C.H. Bentley and Trooper Robert Benson received the alert to look out for a four-door chocolate-colored 1962 Ford, along with a description of Weaver and his 14-year-old hostage. They had just entered Highway 19 when they saw the car.

            They pursued Weaver into Americus but lost him when he suddenly turned onto a dirt road. They were looking for the car when they heard a gunshot and located the car near a pecan grove and a small shack. Weaver had tried to enter the small house but the door was locked. Hearing a baby crying inside he demanded someone open the door and when no one answered he shot through the door. (No one inside was hit.) Grabbing Ricky by the arm they started running to the pecan trees. Weaver saw the two cops who had gotten out of their car and fired his pistol at them. Cpl. Bentley was about 25 yards from the house when his head was grazed by the bullet fired by Weaver. Bentley decided to return to their car for the first aid kit, but Benson was determined to continue the chase with no backup.

            Benson was a U.S. Army-trained marksman who had fought in the Korean War. He carefully used trees and brush for cover and when he saw that Weaver had stopped and was digging a hole for cover, he was about 200 yards away when he quickly sighted his 30-30 lever action rifle and dropped Weaver with a shot to the chest. Fourteen-year-old Ricky Hale saw Weaver drop and picking up one of the weapons on the ground shot Weaver at least four times. He then started running in a zig-zag pattern away from Weaver until Benson was able to get his attention and let him know that it was ok. He later said Weaver was still moving when he started running so he was trying to make himself a difficult target. Melvin Weaver died where he fell. The shot Benson hit him with probably was fatal, but young Ricky did what he thought was necessary to survive. Who can blame him?

            Meanwhile, the Sangaree family was all right. Weaver had let Mrs. Sangaree and her daughter out of the car near the Georgia state line. He then let Mr. Sangaree out about three miles south of Colquitt, Ga. They were unharmed. Mr. Sangaree later told authorities that Weaver stated that everything happening was the Judge’s fault for sentencing him to a life term.

            Melvin Weaver’s dad, Homer didn’t know about the events of July 3^rd and 4^th until he heard a report of it on the radio. Melvin’s family and neighbors were stunned when they heard the news. They described him as quiet, good-natured, and hard-working. He lived on Farm Avenue in Franklin, Ohio, and would cut lawns in his neighborhood. He had left home about four years before to join the Air Force.

            Weaver was also identified as being the man who robbed another Mo-Jo station in Dothan, Alabama at 2:00 am on April 21, assaulting B.F. Trawick and taking $105.

            One more sad event that is connected to the escape. Hubert Mayo’s wife Irene had a stillborn daughter in the same hospital where Hubert was killed a week after his death. In May 1965, Irene was granted $12,000 by the state legislature.

Ricky Hale was interviewed by reporters and was hailed a hero for his actions during his ordeal. He stated, “There was a pistol on the ground and when this convict slumped down on his knees, I picked it up and started shooting. He seemed to be still alive when I started running away. I had never shot a pistol except for one time before. I sure was scared.”

            Ricky joined the Marine Corps and served in Viet Nam from July 1969 to March 1971. I haven’t been able to find out about the rest of his short life other than he died in Dougherty County, Georgia in 1981 at 32 years old.

            Something to consider: Weaver was sentenced to a life term at Raiford for robbery according to court documents. There is no charge for car theft or assault. A life term for a robbery of $19 seems excessive. Was Weaver offered a deal where all charges would be dropped except for the robbery if he would plead guilty? If so, the sentence passed down by Judge McCrary must have stunned him to the core. Weaver was obviously on a path of destruction considering he was later identified as the perpetrator of the Dothan robbery on April 21. At 23 years of age, a life sentence must have seemed like the end of the world. Was the cell fire an attempt at suicide or a carefully laid plan to move to a less secure facility? I found a couple of articles that claimed Weaver was unofficially considered dead and it took 90 minutes of resuscitating effort to get him fully conscious.

            The shift change activity at the hospital was reported by The Dothan Eagle in a very detailed account of the events of July 4.

            Mostly, this account was taken from contemporary newspaper accounts. I met Randy Creel, the son of Deputy Creel, working in the museum on Church Street in Bagdad, Florida. He is the one who first told me of this case, and let me borrow some case material including the October 1963 issue of Official Detective magazine which covered the story.

Copyright 2023 Richard Wood
A Very Tragic Chain of Events

June 21st, 2023

This is one of the most tragic tales I have stumbled across so far. So many different families affected by the actions of two lawless young men. There was a fight in a cafe/bar with a young man dying. Then a female companion of the two killers was murdered because of what she witnessed, stripped of identification, and covered with tree limbs in an unsuccessful attempt to conceal her body. There was an attempt to kill two young boys who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, with one of the boys later killing his own father, and a policeman. Then later one of the original killers in this story stabbed, and killed a fellow inmate in the state prison.

John Andrew Riley, and Jerry Wayne Blow

On April 9, 1969, John Andrew Riley, 25, his girlfriend, Barbara Pike, 20, who was married with a 3-year-old child at home, and Jerry Wayne Blow, 19, went to the Starlight Café in Birmingham, Alabama. While there they had an altercation with 22-year-old, Terry Norman Tranthan, who was an acquaintance of theirs. Witnesses said that the foursome had sat and drank together for a while, and about 11:15, a fight broke out and Tranthan was shot, and killed. The other three quickly fled the scene.
On Wednesday, May 21^st, Riley went to Mrs. Pike’s home to pick her up and they left, apparently going to Pensacola and staying with Jerry Blow, who’s mother was living in the area.

Pensacola News Journal 26 Jan 1970

Pensacola News Journal
26 Jan 1969

The Todd’s go fishing

On May 24, 1969, Bartoe J. Todd took one of his children, Pete Todd, 6, and a friend, Albert Lee, 9, fishing at Bayou Marcus, in West Pensacola. About 5:40 pm Mr. Todd sent the two boys to where their car was parked to get some water. While walking through the woods toward their car they heard a series of gunshots. Curious, they continued to their parked station wagon where Pete climbed in to retrieve a canteen of water. Young Pete heard Albert moan and was stunned to see him stumble in front of the car and scream, “They cut me, run!” Pete ran toward the swampland, but before he got too far heard a shot, and felt a sharp pain in his elbow. He continued running as bullets whizzed past him. He kept running until he reached his father. “Daddy, I’ve been shot! They’ve hurt Albert bad!” Mr. Todd picked up Pete and started quickly walking back to the car. About halfway there, he found Albert moaning in pain. He picked him up and carrying both of the young boys, he reached his car and sped down the dirt road until he reached Ezell’s Grocery store in Bellview where he phoned for an ambulance, and the police. Sheriff Sgt. Don Powell, and Deputy Steve Dunn arrived at the store at the intersection of Bellview Cutoff, and Lillian Highway. The officers searched the scene of the attack looking for spent cartridges or any other evidence and loosely covered with branches found the body of a young woman with multiple gunshot wounds. Apparently the two little boys were attacked because they stumbled upon the aftermath of a murder when the victim’s body was being concealed. The two boys survived their wounds. Pete was treated and released, but Albert had to be admitted to Escambia General Hospital in Satisfactory condition. Pete had a gunshot, and stab wound to his arm. Albert had gunshot wounds and stab wounds.

Pensacola News Journal 27 March 1969

Identification and Capture

The female victim had been shot three times with a .22 caliber firearm and also shot with number 9 bird shot in the chest. She was dressed in a black and red pin-striped blouse, black slacks, and brown loafers. She had no identification on her. Identification was made when the Sheriff’s Department Identification Officer Robert Grant lifted a fingerprint off the body, and later described in to the FBI. The victim was identified as Barbara Pike, 20 years old from Birmingham, Alabama. She had been arrested earlier in the year for prostitution. On Sunday, May 25, the victim’s father Ted Pennington traveled to Pensacola to provide information about his daughter. I believe this is when the authorities issued the “be-on-the-lookout”, for Riley, and Blow.
On May 26, Mrs. Pike’s body was flown from Pensacola back to Birmingham for her funeral on May 29.
The car that was used in the disposal of her body was identified as a green and white 1957 Chrysler 4-door sedan with Georgia license plate 4-A-1959.
About 31 hours later in Lansing, Michigan, 25-year-old Estelle Beardsley, a former exotic dancer who was now working as a waitress, saw two men drive her car away from the restaurant where she was working. The restaurant was across the street from City Hall/ Police station, and as her employer ran across the street to report the theft, Estelle removed her high-heel shoes, and started running barefoot down the street after her car. The car had stopped at a traffic light. When the light changed, she jumped into a cab and told the driver to, “Follow that car!” They followed the car for a couple of blocks until the stolen car stopped next to a car with Georgia plates where one man started transferring belongings to her car. Jumping out of the cab she ran up to the driver of the car and yelled, “What are you doing in my car?” The driver, later identified as Jerry Wayne Blow, pointed a gun at her. About this time the police arrived. The two men fled, and after a brief chase and a warning shot fired, the two men surrendered. Riley, and Blow were arrested for auto theft, but soon it was found that they were sought for murder in Florida.
On May 27, Riley, and Blow were transferred from the jail in Lansing, to the Ingham County jail in Mason. The Lansing police department contacted Florida authorities that the two wanted men were in custody. States Attorney Curtis Golden, Escambia County Sheriff W.E. Davis, Investigator John Greathouse, and Identification Officer Robert Grant departed by car for Michigan. The Florida contingent drove the 900 miles to Mason due to the amount of equipment and material they wanted to bring with them. The only charges on Riley, and Blow at the time were Grand Larceny for the auto theft. After questioning the two men waived extradition and returned to Florida on May 31. The 1957 Chrysler sedan was driven back to Pensacola by Officer Robert Grant.
Jerry Wayne Blow was no stranger to the Montgomery, Alabama police department. In November 1966 he was arrested for assault with intent to murder in connection with the stabbing of two other youths in September at Norman Bridge Road, and Augusta St. He had escaped from custody of Youth Aid Division detectives on August 3 where he was held for burglary. He was eventually paroled in March of 1969.
In January 1970, Jerry Wayne Blow was convicted of murder after a jury of 9 men, and 3 women deliberated 4 hours and 22 minutes. The jury recommended mercy and Blow was sentenced to life in prison. In August 1980, at the State Prison in Starke, FL, Blow killed fellow inmate Bennie Boykin by stabbing him 7 times. Boykin was pulling a 30-year sentence out of Palm Beach County for second degree murder. The motive for the slaying was not reported. He received another life sentence for Boykin’s murder. As of July 2020, he was still incarcerated at Cross City Correctional Inst., Cross City, FL.
In May of 1970, John Andrew Riley was also found guilty, but in his case, there was no recommendation for mercy, and he was sentenced to death. At the time of his sentencing no one had been put to death in Florida since 1964. In the June 1972, ruling in Furman v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled by a vote of 5-4 that capital punishment, as it was employed at the time on the state and federal level, was unconstitutional. It was reinstated in 1976, but the previous death sentences had been commuted to life terms. John Andrew Riley died in prison in 2013.

The Sad and Violent Life of Peter Todd

Little Pete Todd was about 8 years old when he and a friend of his, were shot, and stabbed by Riley, and Blow, because the two men thought that the boys had seen them kill Barbara Pike. Imagine what it must have been for him to process seeing his friend get assaulted and seriously injured, and himself shot and stabbed. Pete was plagued by nightmares following the May 1969 assault. He became paranoid, and aggressive in the Special Education classes he attended before he quit school after the sixth grade.
His father, Bartoe James Todd, Sr., was born in 1911 and was reported to have around 18 children. In 1974 he was convicted of manslaughter in a car crash on Fairfield Ave, in which 22-year-old Stephanie Forehand was killed. He was traveling westbound on Fairfield and Forehand was eastbound. Todd attempted to turn left onto Hollywood Ave, and hit Forehand’s car on the driver’s side. She died about 2 hours later. Her two-year-old son had minor injuries. His blood alcohol level was measured at .14 two hours after the accident. The three children he had in his car were treated and released at Baptist Hospital. I don’t know how long he was in prison but by the summer of 1980, the Todds were living at 610 North D. Street.
On August 30, 1980, Peter Todd was riding a bicycle when he was shot in the hand. He was taken to the emergency room at Baptist Hospital to get his hand treated. He became violent and had to be restrained by ten people while he growled and barked like a dog. He was transferred to the University Hospital Psychiatric ward, and one of the Pensacola Police Department officers transporting him was Amos Cross. A retired Air Force security policeman who had been in the PPD for about a year, and a half.
While under treatment at Lakeview Center, Peter received anti-psychotic drugs, but even so, he crawled on the floor, hallucinated, continued to bark, growl and exhibit explosive behavior. On September 5, the psychiatrist treating him, believing Todd had improved, released him from the hospital. Within an hour, Todd was thrown out of a bar, tossed a brick through a window, and shot a gun at the man who he believed shot him in the hand.
The next day he was arrested, along with the man he accused of shooting him in the hand. On September 8, County Judge William Henderson, unfamiliar with Todd’s past, or that he was on probation for a previous offense, released him on his own recognizance.
On the night of September 12, 1980, Peter got into an argument with his father. Someone called the police, and Officer Amos Cross was the first to respond. As he stepped up on the porch, Peter Todd shot him twice in the face with a shotgun, killing him instantly. Officer Gary Cutler exchanged gunfire with Todd, and suffered wounds to his hand, and leg but shot Todd in the head. The scene was secured and Todd was taken to the hospital and survived his wound. During the investigation at the house, Peter Todd’s father was found dead in the backyard with a shotgun wound. Relatives later stated that the night before the shooting, Peter had spent the night in a closet barking like a dog. After the killings that night, Peter Todd went under court-ordered treatment at the Forensic Unit and the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee. The psychiatric reports about Todd in 1980-82 described Todd as flagrantly psychotic, and incapable of standing trial. In December 1983, Dr. Robert Berland reported that Todd’s condition improved enough for him to stand trial. He faced two murder counts, and one attempted murder for wounding Officer Cutler.
In August 1984, Todd pleaded no contest and received a mandatory two life sentences, plus 30 years for attempted murder in the shooting of Cutler. He is still in prison, (as of July 2020), at the Lake Correctional Inst. In Clermont, Florida.

Officer Amos Cross

There were three Pensacola Police Officers killed in the line of duty in the first 9 months of 1980.Officer Cross was a native of the small town of Adel, in Cook County, Georgia. He was retired Air Force where he had been a Security Supervisor. He moved to Pensacola in October 1978. He was well-liked by the other officers that knew him and had a good relationship with the civilians he had contact with. He was married and had three sons. He, and his wife Margaret, attended classes at Pensacola Junior College.
Margaret Cross filed a lawsuit against the Lakeview Center and the Psychiatrist who released Todd from custody the week before the killings. In April 1987 a jury consisting of 6 women ruled the defendants were not responsible. The attorneys for Lakeview had offered a $450,000 settlement during the trial, because they felt there was a real risk of losing the case. Mrs. Cross turned down the offer because she rightfully wanted them to be held accountable.
Officer Amos Cross was buried with full military honors at Ft. Barrancas National Cemetery at Pensacola Naval Air Station.

Pensacola News Journal 24 Nov 1991

More Todd Tragedy

At about 7 pm on March 4, 1995, Bartoe J. Todd, Jr. was in a phone booth at the Citgo Station at 4404 N. Palafox, when a 16-year-old boy, who was acquainted with him shot him in the chest. Todd ran to his car, pulled out onto Palafox, then looped back around and parked at the station. When EMS arrived, he was almost dead. He died soon after. His wife was 9 months pregnant, and he went to pick her up at a hairdresser. She wasn’t ready yet so he went to the Citgo to buy a soda. It is believed he was calling to see if his wife wanted him to get her something to drink. The police believe robbery was the motive.

So, there it is. A tragic chain of events that is mind-boggling. So many families and individuals were affected by these events. The bravery of Estelle Beardsley causing the two killers to be captured. (although, realistically I’m sure they would have been caught soon. They weren’t the smartest crooks) Barbara Pike’s little boy growing up without his mother. The family of the original victim, Terry Tranthan losing their son. Margaret Cross, losing her husband, and her three sons losing their father, and even the Todd family and the pain they suffered through Peter’s life, and dealing with the death of their father. It is so sad.