The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-02
INQUIRY IS DESIRED
ovER REPoRTnD cRUELTrEs.
r.,a.er ans sheriff Besin Riaid Tnves-
 tirntion to Ascertain Causes of I1eath Of Fondy and Payne, COnviefs.

pansaeola, Fla. Oct. 2.-(speciaL)-
 p,h,.a and black people of this city
 s,,ls are greatly incensed att the stories 1 anpearins in the local press and out | of-town newspapers concerning the death of the two. convicts, Fondy and Payne, the account of which appeared lin The Advertiser thiS morning. The
 and if would appear that the rigid inou,ry wifi put some persons in a great deal of trouble.
 The Pensacola. people have never heen stirred by the death of a black | man before, as they have been in this l ease. and there appears to be no less- ening of the agitation for rigid inves- tiration. This Is in progress now. 1 The public was not apprized of the l nature of the deaths of the two ne- groes until so informed by the local ! and out-of-town papers. As the story in detail is recounted, the feeling that extreme and wanton cruelty had been practiced to the extent of causing the deaths of the negroes will not down, and the case has been re-opened. Coroner James R. Landrum and Sheriff Van Pe1t left the city Thursday nisht atA10is0, o'clock immediately up-
 on being informed of the occurrence.
 They reached the camp, fourteen miles
 west of the city, in the early hours l of the morning, and there made an
 investigation, With. the evidence in
 hand, there was nothing to do but de- clare that the negroes had come to their death from sun stroke. This verdict was so framed, but upon re- l turning to the city the officials found | that other and more discriminating evi- l dence was possible, and 1t was deter
 mined for the sake of fairness to the families of the dead negroes, and out of a sense of justice, to reopen the | case.
 Following out that determination. the bodies, which had been inferred in | one grave, were ordered exhumed, and
 at o'clock last night. reached the undertaking establishments in the city. There the bodies were met by l the weeping members of their respec- | tive families, and tho scene was one | of a touching nature Relatives were
 loud in their lamentations. but under the orders of the coroner no one was
 allowed to view the bodies. nor to handle them in the least possible way. | The remains were kept in the rooms
 of the undertaken and this morning at 9 o'oclock the seceond investigation
 was instituted.
 Judge Landrum had a jury summon ed, and behind closed doors the inquiry was carried on. During the entire
 time consumed in such, motley crowd | hung around the doors of the coroner's
 ofice, waiting for the verdict which 1t
 was expected would certainly settle
 the crime of manslaughter at least up.
 on Guard Doggett. who took charge of
 the blacks when they left the county
 jail
 Fondy was sent up for seven years, | VaI yhok aran kAa an bo brutal apparently was the fact that | Fondy, when he shot a woman some
 time back. injured himself by putting | bullet accidently in his chest. He l had hardly recovered from the effects of this self-inflicted wound when he signified a willingness to enter a plea of guilty. He was charged with as-
 sault with intent to murder. but said
 he would plead guilty to aggravated
 assault. This carried with 1t a lesser punishment. but 1t was a felony and
 that offered plea was accepted. At the time he was suffering percep. | tibly from the wound in his chest, and 1t was almost tortuous for him to
 walk only a short distance. much less fourteen miles.
 UnusuaI Weather Conditions. Weather Observer Reed, stationed at llAo Cllyg evening TO- sume of weather conditions which tends
 to show that the most unusual condi-
 tions have prevailed in this section. An
 extract from this statement is as fol- lows:
 The temperature record for Pensa- ! cola for September was broken yester- day when, at 1:3O D. m. and 2:30 p. m. | the maximum thermometer stood at 96
 degrees. The record extends over period of twenty-five years. The high | est on record was 95 on the 11th, in 1889, and on the 10th in 1900. The | lowest temperature on the September | record was 54, which was recorded sev- l eral times. The lowest 1t reached this year was on the morning of September IS. when 69. 20 was recorded, and the days when 90 or above were, 14th, 93; 18th, 90; 29th. 93, and 30th, 96. In 1900
 the maximum thermometer passed the
 90 mark six times; during the past | twenty-five years 1t has passed the 90 mark 49 times in September, making an average of for the month. In 1885,
 1886, 1888, 1890, 1898 and 1901 the max | imum temperature did not pass the 90
 degree mark.
 Vacancy is Filled.
 The vacancy on the Board of Public
 Works, caused by the resignation of Chairman John Wood, has been filled | by the Mayor, who recommended the ap- pointment of J. E. Taylor, a we'll
 known citizen, and one who owns con