Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-27
FLORIDA FEATURES
A Handcufed MurdererJumps From
a Moving Train.
CHASED WITH 4 TERRIER DOG
Hard Shell Baptists and the Cere-
mony Of Foot Washing.
HOW AN INQUEST WAS HELD
STAFF Correspondence of The Evening Star.


United States Deputy Marshal Donald Nc
Kay is one of the best known men in
southern Florida. He is tall, wiry, brown
and handsome. His keen eyes are blue as
the sky, and an iron gray mustache and
imperial give him q military appearance.
Business took Mr.. Mckay up to Sanford
Tuesday, and while he was there he was
asked by the sheriff to take a prisoner
named Holland back with him next day as
far as Barlow, where he was to be tried.
Mckay acquiesced, and Wednesday morn
ing, with Holland haEdcuffed, and his
hands before him, took the train south
ward. What happened after that will let
Mr.. Mckay tell
II didn't know what Holland had been
arrested for" he remarke ed, cor I'd have
been more careful with rim. AS it was. 1
thought he was going to be tried for some
misdemcal or, and put him in seat where
could keep an eye on him. AS we got
near Bartow-about two miles away-Hol-
land said he wanted to go to the wash
room, and went with him, standing out
side of the door. He was handcuffed, of
course, but that cut no figure In his de-
termination to get away, so what did he do
but push up the window and dive out head
first. A brakeman on the platform saw
him go and pulled the bell. rope and hal
looed to me. The train was running eigh-
teen miles an hour when Holland left 1t
with header, and mad slowed to about
half that when I jumped. and turned a
somersault. l started back expecting to
find dead or badly dislocated prisoner, but
found nothing. man named Bedford
lived close by and l Summoned him as a
posse. He had two horses, one big lum-
bering beast, and the other pony, and
little terrier dog. Beckford said there would
be no trouble getting the man. because his
dog would track him. l didn't think the
SnCr nayrlI hlf Tod
ford and lis horses, and thought the dog
might as Nell so along for company, any
how.
"Well, we returned to where Holland had
ploughed up the sand when he hit the
ground, and Beckford stuck the dogs nose
down into the place and rubbed it in and
told him to Hank to it. The dog threw
up his head, gave a good sniff or two, yelp-
off through h the woods and scrub
with us after him. Beckford was in front
on his pony and l was close behind on the
big horse. We scrambled over stumps and
spraddled a sapling that came back and
nearly knocked my leg off. Pretty soon the
ground grew swampy. and in several places
the water was waist deep. II thought the
dog would lose the trail here, but he would
just stop q minute and then swim in and
bite and chew at the grass and briers grow
ing out of the water. Then he would
scramble out and scamper on rose down.
Alter three miles OIL InlS SuTl Ul tlliiS, HUI
land, who had evidently heard the
dog, began to double, and in one
place he ran around in a perfect fig
ure eight. When the dog reached this he
nearly broke himself in half following It,
Half mile further on we spied Holland
and he surrendered. We took him into Bar
tow. and singular as 1t may seem, he was
not injured, save for a bruise on his Shout
der, where he had hit the ground when he
jumped read first from the car window.
When I handed him over to the jailer
found that he was a murderer He killed
a man named Waller last November, and
had been removed to the Sanford Jail for
safe keeping, owing to threats OF lynching.
He had been indicted for murder in the
first degree and the case against him was
complete.
when I was leaving he said: Cap'n, I'm
mighty sorry to have made 50 much trou-
mighty bad He must have to jump head
first from a running train, with his hands
locked in front Of him. But they ought to
have told me al Sanford what he had done
and then I'd have locked him, to me, and
be dern if he'd a gone out Of any window.
I'd like to have that dog, though. The way
he swan and bit briers to keep the trail
was a caution I tell you, and he never
faltered once for more than minute.
Beckford said he followed deer the same
way, taking the scent from the growing
things in the swamp when the water was
Deep"
FOOt-WashinE RevivaIs.
There are many genuine Hard-shell Zap
lists in the lower part of Florida among
the Cracker" population, and they are es-
pecially thick in the section from Orlando
to Lakeland. They follow all the most
primitive customs of their creed, and the
ceremony of foot-washing is faithfully OBJ
served. An itinerant preacher who Is con-
sidered great in this particular branch of
6nPtrina n moi 10Th nnd
and has been holding foot-washinS re-
vivals, as they are most commonly called,
in various meeting houses. The ceremony is
solemn and sacred to those who particle
pate, but one need not be a scoffer to find
it difficult to restrain his risibilities when
he is a witness to it. After the meeting Is
begun with prayer and song, a tin tasin is
brought in, and the preacher. tying a towel
around his waist, kneels before the chief
elder of the church. The latter then pro-
ceeds to take off his shoes and stockings
and places his. feet in the basin. where
uron the preacher proceeds to wash them.
The more enthusiastic the preacher is the
more Industrious is the scrubbing that en-
sues. When he concludes this part of the
process, he unties the towel and dries his
brothers feet, which ara at once "socked''
and shod again. Then both men rise and
snake hands and the preacher takes the
seat and his feet are washed in turn by the
other. Then all the otker members of the
congregation follow suit. The men wash
each others feet and the women the feet
of their sisters, the only difference being
that the women conclude their lavatory de-
votions with a kiss instead of a hanlshake,
Maybe there is something in this life in
the wilderness that causes pco,Jie to follow
their religious bent with such intense en-
thusiasm There can he found nowhere
else, probably, such extreme feryor as ex-
lists among the colored Metholfsts in the
same section. Of Florida. The shouting of
the Virginia ard Carolina negroes of the
same persuasion is almost a whisper COM
pared with that Of those down here, end
when it comes to the jumping part, it is
not to be mentioned in the same conrec-
ton. -
The Holy Dance.
Colored Methodists have canpmeeting
early each summer at Ward Grove near
Lakeland, and ut its conclusion they par
ticipate in what is known as the holy
dance. The newly-converted, are the chief
performers In this ceremony, and. they are
Indian-like in the perseverance, with which
they continue 1t. The dance begins by two
or three hundred men and women begin
ming to walk, in single file, In circle,
praying and singing. Gradually the pace
grows faster and the voices rise higher,
At last all restraint is thrown OF and the
oance becomes wild series OF cntortions
and a deafening chorus Of shouts and song.
Men and women fly into tho sir, waving