The Daytona gazette=news. (Daytona, Fla.) 1901-1922, 1903-05-30
the s1oaY Of 1 CRIME

The assassination last week oi n white
man named Barney Brown and the sub
seQueut lynchinR Of another white man
and two negroes at Mulberry, in Polk
county, In directly traceable to the rum
question. Polk county WAS in the throes
OF wet or dry" election, and Barney
Brown was q very active worker on the
anti W Risky side. The night before the
election Mr.. Brown was waylaid and shot
to death on the highway.
This foul deed aroused strong and bit
ter feeling against the whisky element to
whom was attributed the crime. Those
who were undecided on the "wet or dry
question: on the fence. NO to speak, got
down on the dry" side and carried the
county against whisky.
The election over, thu people of Mul-
berry began to hunt for the assassins OF
Mr.. Brown. They soon struck n trail,
and In few hours they had n suspected
negro under arrest He broke down and
! confessed that he and another negro had
committed the crime He said they were
bribcd to commit the deed by one Amos
Randall n white man who Ostrnsibly
sept grocery store, but whose real bust
,ess was the Illicit whisky traffic. He
Kept what is termed "A blind tiger"
mob was soon formed. They lynched
the negroes and then went after Randall
He lived bachelor life in his rum den,
and on the night OF the occurrence, he
had guest in the person of Joe Jacobs
a whisky salesman for a Jacksonville
hOuse. Jacobs il well known nll over
the State, and is said to have practically
q monopoly OF the blind tiger" trade in
central and southern Florida
He was here last Tuesday and told the
writer his experiences that night at Null
berry when Randall was lvnched.
First, want to say, remarked MIR
Jacobs, 1.-The account Of the affair given
in the Tampa Tribune is all wrong in so
far IN il relates to me-
Il went to Mulberry on the day Of the
election because ! had been assured by
Randall that everything was going to be
wet by large majority, aud Randall
was going to open IA saloon right away,
aud promised me the order for the stock
That's how | came to bc there
Well, the night before the election
Brown was killed, and that caused an
unusui amount of hard feeling, h,s.aus,.
people thought the tiger men had a
lot To do with 1t; and then men wi u vrr.
wet dead easy turned round and voted
the dry - ticket. That's why the couu
ty went dry"
When 1t was all over. ol course tie.
vets " We're pretty blue, and got ready
to leave for Barlow Randall begged me
to stay all night with him refused at
first but he begged 40 hard, and had al
ways been good customer of mine. aud
| was tired. 81 decided To stay. had no
idea that he was capable al such u crime
and had always found him straight
now believe that he was expecting some
sort OF trouble that night and thought
would IN some sort of protection Ia hiu.
Ii was the first time he ever asked mr to
stay all night with him
The mob came just about dn, break
| was awakened by vollcy of shotguus.
Before could realize the situation. they
fired another volIey through the side OF
the house. The headboard of the bed We
lay upon was literally shattered, and the
splinters fell oil over my face Ny coat
and vest were hanging on the wall, aud
were pierced 10y dozen buckshot. For
n time We did not move. Finally the
firing ceased. and We heard the crowd
moving OF up the street
Then we got ny and dressed asked
Randall whit it all meant He said he
did not know, but supposed they were
after him Randall WIS cool and gritty.
|
door. saying:
"'lll di- game II they come Tor me
again
That VAS the hast suw of him. | left
the place by II SID, door. went down an
uninQncnted street into the main part Of
the town. BY this time it was daylight
and found IL man uIeulng his stnr"
went IN and told him " hat had ncrurrrd
Ills wife came III aud gave me u cup OF
hot coffee. Ii revived me wonderfully
Shortly after escaping from Kandulrs
honS' the shooting broke out again he
yohd the house from where was. That
was when they killed Randall did moi
sre the killing, nor did | .ee the mob. |
heard them, aud smclled the powder and
shot That was more than enough Tor
me. Alter the excitement had died ont =
little. got two men to 20 with mn, back
10 the Randall house. where | had lett my
sample case. rs soon as got that |
made all possible sI.'ed for Barlow
When | got Their. went t. a hutrl
and tried To collect my senses had NOT
exactly lost them, but | comics, that |
WAS badly ratified. donot hrIiry, ilaI
the mob knew | was in that house and
do not think any Of them would harm
me knowingly, but | had miracuIonsIy
escaped death, and the thought Of il ~
cited me. At the tine | was toIeroLl,
cool and dressed myself carefully before
leaving Randalrs house-eyen t;,J ms. |
n.s.l ~, ON ,-Dt,,u