The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-06
BRAUNER AVENGED.
The Man Who Whipped Him Sent
enced TO Thirty Days in Jail.

Orlando. Fla. Feb 5.-John J. Heard.
w. o. Rails, Samuel Pullman and Frank
Lawson were to-day convicted of whip
ping w. A Brauner and sentenced to 50
days in. jail. An appeal was taken. All the
parties are prominent citizens Of Matt
land, this county.
Last fan many ladies' at Maitland re-
ceived some very vile anonymous letters.
1t was alleged that Brauner wrote these
obscene missiVeS and to punish MIN,
Heard, Rails, Pullman and Lawson seized
him on the night of Oct. 5. took him 20 the
woods, tied him TO tree and whipped MIN
till he was nearly dead. Brauner has al
ways denied writing the letters and prose-
cuted his assailants with the above re-
suit. The court to-day excluded al eNl-
dence in regard to the letters. John j.
Heard and w. Q. Rails. two Of the men
convicted, are respectively postmaster ana
assistant postmaster at Maitland.
Maitland, Fla. Feb. yesterday this
town was largely represented at Orlando
at the trial of the Brawner horsewhip-
pers. Maitland had become widely known
before this sad affair as one Of the quiet
est and most desirable residence places
in Florida, and many wealthy and Gull
tured people had built here elegant and
costly winter homes, among them four
bank presidents from the north and west
and a millionaire New York merchant.
And while there was abundant cause for
the leader of the quartette to have shot
Brawner dead, if guilty of writing the
slanderous and infamous letters, our COM
munity did not sanction the horsewhip-
ping when administered by four men upon
one weak, defenseless person.
Out of this sad affair, made worse by
sensational newspaper reports, have come
many neighborhood chickering's and an I'M
| settled state of affairs. Two aldermen
sympathy of the mayor, while three al
dermen were dead against them, and
working up a public sentiment in that di-
| rection. 1t was reported that Alderman
Heard was to be removed as postmaster,
so Alderman Simmons became an appli-
cant for the place. But Heard's friends
rallied to his support and gave him a pc
| tition signed by twO-thirds of the patrons
of the office, and so ne holds on, much to
the surprise and disgust of his opponents.
Alderman Stith, out leading merchant,
sold out by exchange of properties with
/ a Virginian and has gone to Lawyers,
Va, to live. EXMayor Turner, the rival
store keeper, owing to the wrangle, has
| gone to ValdOsta, Ga, and engaged in
business and will probably move his fam
lily there, having closed out his store. lie
was one of our Oldest and most respected
citizens, and although he and Alderman
Stth were rival in business, their de-
parture is a great loss to our little city.
The failure of Commissioner Eagan TO
get bid yesterday for the Florida Mid
land railroad only emphasizes my pre-
vious statement that the road cannot be
sold at any upset price not fixed on the
| lowest scale of valuation. While the
road might be made useful to either the
Plant system or the Florida Central and
| Peninsular railway, they will not pur-
chase it unless it falls into their hands at
a very low figure 1t crosses the latter
roads Orlando branch from Wildwood, on
the main line to Tampa, at Apopka, and
could be used by 1t to reach the Kissemmee
sugar belt country on the one hand, and
be extended from Longwood into Sanford,
some dozen miles on the other. AS 1t
runs from Kissemmee to Longwood, both
terminals being on the Plant system, it
could be used for local business between
those places, or extended to more desira-
BILE points. Railroad men think now that
at the next appointed sales day the road
will be offered to the highest bidder with
out any upset price.