The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-06-17
MATTHEWS IS
SPIRITED TO
WALTON JAIL
EXCITING TIMES WITNESSED
WHEN JAILER AT MILTON sue
CESSFULLY ELUDED AN EN-
RACED CROWD OF STRANGERS.

Robert Matthews, the negro who at
tempted a criminal assault upon the
young Snowden girls last week at
their home at Klondyke, was yester-
day safely locked up at DeFuniak, in
the Walton county jail. He was taken
from the sheriff at Milton by Sheriff
Van Pelt of Escambia county, and
Sheriff Bell Of Walton county, and 1t
was only after the very widest excite
ment had attended the successful hid
ing of the negro that he was placed
aboard the train, which was then
moving Off from Milton. Once aboard
the train, il was a sure thing that he
was safe from what was thought to
have been a mob determined to metz.
out punishment after their own fash
ion to the black man.
Sheriff Collins, of Santa Rosa coun-
ty, was in Pensacola Wednesday night
attending the case against him In the
United States commissioners court.
With him was his chief deputy, Frank
Penton. Bud" Collins, a brother of
the sheriff, is jailer at Milton, and it
was mainly through display OF nerve
and some well-calculated shrewdness
that the black man was safely taken
from Santa Rosa county. Just how
the word came, and what was re-
sponsible for it was not learned, but
in some manner the jailer was noti-
fed that 1t would not be surprising
if a mob called on him that night.
Then he began to do some figuring,
and he reached the conclusion that
the best thing to do was to get the
negro to some hiding place. After
reaching such a decision, he secured
a team and left the Jail at top speed,
passing within thirty feet, 1t was
stated, of group of men who were
said to have gathered to do the ne
gro violence. 1t was reported that
these men were not citizens Of Mil
ton, nor of Santa Rosa county. AT
any rate, the buggy was chased, teams
and automobiles taking up the chase.
Collins saw that he was being hard
pressed, and he decided to adopt a
desperate ruse. Leaving his team, he
and the negro crawled into the woods
and hid out. AS luck would have it,
a second team had been started from
the jail, and some of the crowd fol
lowed that one, dividing in numbers,
as 1t were. Collins and the negro were
not found, but after chase the mob
realized that they had been duped.
They thought the black man would
again be brought back to the Jail and
they returned there, some of them,
however, watching points where the
iailer and negro would likely show
up. BY some means, however, the ne
gro was hurried to the railorad sta
ton and there placed in an ice box,
a trustworthy man watching him. In
that place the black remained all of
Wednesday night, or at least from the
unknown time that he was placed
there until the train started to leave
Milton, continuing its journey toward
River Junction.
Sheriff Van Pelt, with four boys,
bound for the reformatory at Mari
anna, were on the eastbound train. 1t
had been arranged that the train
should start off, thus throwing people
off their guard. The train did start
off slowly, and then the black was
rushed aboard before the people re-
allied what was occurring Inside OF
FIVE minutes the drawhridge near Mil.
ton had been passed, and the 1t was
easy sailing. The negro was left with
Sheriff Bell at DeFunialx, and the Es-
Gambia county sheriff continued on to
Mariana, returning on the 9:45 train
last night.
Earlier In the day the case of the
negro was laid before Governor Gil
christ by Sheriff Van Pelt The gov.
ernor telegraphed Circuit Judge Wolfe
to issue an order authorizing the Es-
Gambia county sheriff to have the ne
gro placed In jail where it was con-
sideTed safe. The Jail at DeFuniak
was selected, as there Is a military
organization there and could be called
upon should any attempt at violence
be started.