The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-03-21
Negro Arrested at WeSnilIe Yes
teTday Proved to Be the
Wrong Man.
Brought as Far as Messy Head
and Then Given Freedom.
OFFICERS GREATLY DFsAPPoINT.
ED THAT RIGHT MAN WAS NOT
cARTURED-SoME TALK o.
IYNcHINe ON STREETS LAST
EVENINo-No CLUE TO WHERE.
ABoUTs OF ARDTS

Hopes ran high in the breasts Of
the county and city officers for a short /
time yesterday afternoon. A tels-
gram was received from westyiIls I
that James Ards. the murderer OF
Police Officer BuTnham had been ar,
rested there by a deputy sheriff The
telegram also requested that the Pen
sacola officers meet the west bound
train at Messy Head and take charge
of the prisoner.
When the east bound train left the
union depot yesterday afternoon there
were on board Sheriff Van Pelt, Dep
uty Sanders and Marshal Schad. There
were smiles upon their faces, as they
thought Of the negro under arrest .
They as well as others, were doomed
to disappointment, for when the two
trains met and the officers got a
glimpse at the negro under arrest,
Deputy Sanders saw at a glance that
the wrong man had been arrested.
The disappointment was great, and
the officers boarded the west bound
train and returned to the city. The
deputy at Westvills, who had made
the arrest was also a disappointed
man, as he had visions OF that 5000
reward offered by the sheriff and mar
shall for the arrest of Ards.
Was Beating His Way.
The negro who was arrested for
Ards gave his name as Reuben VIII
liams. His home is in Mississippi.
but he had been working for some
time at FIorala He decided to 60
elsewhere, so started out TO beat his
way on a freight train. In passing
WestyiHe he was seen by the deputy,
who thought that he was Ards, 50
proceeded TO place him under arrest.
The negro wore a dark pair Of pants
and had pair Of overalls with him He
was not tall or heavy enough for Ar
dis. and his color was much too light.
Talk Of Lynohing.
During the early portion Of last
night. and before it became known
that the wrong negro had been arrest
ed. there was considerable talk upon
the streets of Iynching the negro when
he arrived in Pensacola. Most Of this
talk. however, was from young men,
and amounted to but little. About 10
o'clock quite a large crowd gathered
at the union depot. and it seemed for
a short time that possibly something
of this nature might be attempted
when the train arrived. The crowds
continued 10 gather and grow larger
ND to about 1890 O'Clock, when II Wa
announced that the train was twenty.
minutes late. A few left upon re.
ceiving this information. but the ma
jority Of them remained until 1t was
announced that the train was an hour
and thirty minutes late.
This message had the effect or
sending most Of the crowd home, and
those who fingered eft rs sOOn as a
message arrived stating that the
wrong man had been arrested. aud
that the officers were returning home.
They reached here shortly before 1
O'Clock having had their trip for moth
ing
No Clue as 70 Whereabouts.
There is now no clue as 10 the
whereabouts Of the murderer Of ON
Ger Burnham Il was thought that
the county and surrounding towns
had been 50 well blocked and every
one so on the alert that it would be
impossible for the negro 10 get
through without arrest, but il is pos
sible that he got out Of this section
before this was accomplished.