The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-01-10

All Is Now Quiet.
| 1t has not been many weeks since
| this whole county was shocked By
the dastardly tragedy that occurrec
at Mcintosh, and the lynching of the
fend who perpettated the awful
crime.
The citizens of the county had
hardly recovered from the shock that
it produced before another dastard'y
crime is committed, and the feelings
of the most thoughtful and conjerva-
tive citizens are outraged, and they
are more and more perplexcd ever
the serious problem with which tLey
are confronted and which they have
to solve.
Between one and two o'clock Sat
urday afternoon a very respectable
white woman living near Citra. was
returning to her home on the road
between Citra and Eureka. She had
/ been to the latter place to visit her
/ brother and family. On her return
home her brother accompanied her
part of the way, but as he could
not afford to leave his family alone
| he, after going some distance, re-
turned home. She had not proceeded
very far on her way after her broth
er left her before she overlook a ne
gro preacher, who was walking aa&
going in the direction of Citra.
She tried to out-travel him, but as
her horse was slow, she was not sue
cessful. The negro walked alongside
of the vehicle for perhaps a hair
mile, when he began talking TO her
in sucl a way that aroused her worst
suspicious and made her quite uneas..'
and apprehensive. She finally came
to a cross-road and told the negro
that her husband had promised to
meet her there, so she stopped her
horse. and waited there for a consid-
cradle length of time, hoping that
someone would pass along. Her
hopes were not realized, and as the
afternoon was rapidly waning she de-
cided that she must hasten on and
trust in Providence that her appre-
tensions were only fancied ones.
She had not proceeded very far be
fore she espied the negro sitting or
a log, apparently waiting for her to
overtake him. She spurred her horse
on as best she could, but when she
got near him he said to her: Lady,
want to see you a minute at the
same time seizing the bride of the
horse and turning him out on the
roadside. He then seized her, ana
despite her persistence, pleadings
and screams, accomplished his base
purpose.
After the crime the negro escaped
through the bushes and pond, and the
victim drove to Marsh's still at
Needsmere, where she met her hus-
band, and told him all.
Her husband drove to Citra, am:
telephoned to the sheriff at Ocala
Sheriff Galloway got dogs from the
Marion Farms stockade and went to
Citra at once.
The husband, with others, met the
sheriff at Citra, and accompanied the
victim to the scene of the crime. They
reached the point at 10 o'clock SA.ur-
day night They searched the neigh
borhood with lanterns and got all ev;
dence, which was enough to Justify
the arrest of ]. J. Johnson, a negro,
the man whom the victim passed. in
the road. He is a negro preacher,
living at Dexter, two or three miles
from the scene of the crime.
After the sheriff had talked with
the negro and julius Marsh, who the
negro worked for, the sheriff was sat
isfied he had the right man.
The sheriff sent a party to John
sons home and got the clothes, the
Nl1OCo anu lat lltll nc NOlC IAAC IAbCA
noon of the crime. He dressed the
negro in these clothes and then went
to the woman's home, some eight
miles distant. The victim immedi-
ately identified Johnson as the fiend
who perpetrated the crime.
Bruce Meffert, who was passing
through Citra in an auto, brought the
sheriff and his prisoner to Ocala, ar
irving here at p. m, Sunday
An attempt was made to storm the
jail by indignant citizens, but the
sheriff made an appeal to them
stating that the man was il the
hands of the law; that the evidence
against him was clear; that the grand
jury would Immediately convene. and
| that he was certain that the negro