The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-07-30
Details of Recent Suicide of
Sheriff Bennett of
Bradford.

The Bradford Telegraph, of Starke,
Fla, gives the following details of
the suicide of Sheriff Bennett, a week
ago Sunday:
The Curse of Liquor.
After abstaining from drinking for
a period of ten years the unfortunate
man began shortly after entering
upon his duties as sheriff in jan
uary, 1905, TO drink moderately. The
habit grew on him and for the past
few months he had INDUCED his ap-
petite freely, frequently being inca
pacitated for a proper discharge of
his duties One of his own notes in
dicates that the fearful mastery of
this evil over him was the cause OF
his undoing, and this is generally
conceded to be the case.
His accounts with the county are
not in such condition as to have given
him great disturbance, for, when
sober and attentive to business, his
credit was good for considerably
more than the discrepancy in his &C.
counts will amount to, and he also
had some money due to him. A cas-
ual examination OF his accounts shows
that he was indebted to the county
in sums aggregating about $500. In
addition to this it is learned that he
had used about $500 of the money in
his charge as administrator of the es-
tate of John A. Milmstein, who COM
mitted suicide in Starke few
months ago.
The Suicide.
He had been 20 Mobile, Ala, with
warrant for the arrest of Thomas
Weathersby. who was charged with
enticing Freida Kendrick, a fourteen
srxI l., l.
Hampton. Mr.. Bennett reached
Starke by the midnight train, which
was about an hour late, and went at
once to his home adjoining the county
Jail. Arriving at the house he went
at once to his room, but found that
he had no matches with him and
called to Mrs. Bennett and asked her
to bring a match and light the lamp
for him. She complied with the re-
quest and had just gone into an ad-
joining room when the report of a
pistol rang in her ears. and she hur-
ried back to Mr.. Benefits room,
where she found his body crouched
dowr by the bed upon which he had
been sitting. An ugly wound in the
right temple. from which the blood
was gushing. and a pistol lying on
the floor nearby told the whole story
of the terrible struggle the unfortun-
ate man had had with the demon
of drink and how he had finally gone
down in the battle to self-destruc-
ton as a deliverance from the in
satia;e appetite and its attendant
woes.
"Whiskey Ruined Me-"
Some notes in the dead mans
pocket that showed plainly he had
planned to commit suicide in Pensa-
cola on his way home from Mobile
These notes were written on en-
velopes enclosing letters that had
been received by him prior to leav-
ing home. One of them read:
My wife's name is Evelyn Ben
nett, Starke, Fla. Wire her. She
will have me taken home"
And on the reverse side of the en-
velope he wrote as follows to Mrs
Bennett:
Pensacola. Fla. July 20, or
My Dear Wife:
You have been good to me, but
whiskey has ruined me- Collect up
what there is due'me and pay N 7.
Rich what l ans due him. j. B. B.
And still another note written, per-
haps, just before he left Pensacola
Saturday morning. reads as follows:
L changed my mind and came
home. Goodbye"
Trip to Mobile.
At Mobile he failed to apprehend
Weathersby. but found the Kendrick