The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-02-19
MURDERER STOvER
NOW SAFE IN JAIL
All Efforts to Find H. S
Gardner's Body Have
Proved Futile.

| Last week The News told OF the
arrest at Elizabethton, Tenn, of the
negro Clyde Slower, charged with the
murder of the two Gardner brothers
at their hunting camp on the Ockla-
waha river. The details Of the crime
are familiar to all our readers.
1t was expected that Sheriff Ken
nerly would arrive in Palatka last
Saturday morning with the prisoner,
but there was controversy at
Elizabethton between the Marshal of
that place, who made the arrest, and
the Detective from Jacksonville, who
wanted to make the arrest, over the
distribution of the reward. While
they wrangled, the State waited.
This is when our own Sheriff Ken
nerly got especially busy. When he
heard of the wrangle he piked for
Tallahassee to get requisition papers
from the Governor. Then the officers
at Elizabethton fixed Up truce and
came on with Slower. Sheriff Ken
nerly met them on arrival at Jack
sonville, paid his own promised re-
ward of $100 to the Elizabethton
town marshal, and came on to Pa
latka with the niger. Frank Hagan
of the Jacksonville detective force al
so came along. Sheriff Kennerly
with his prisoner arrived in Palatka
at 3:12 Monday afternoon, and in ten
minutes more he had Slower safely
locked in Jail.
Concerning the doings of this 'nSgro
murderer the public will have to lot
somewhere else than in the columns
of Palatka News. This paper is not
going to tell what he eats for his
breakfast, or dinner, or how he pass
es his time, or say anything else con-
cerning him which has a tendency to
make hero out of a low-down niger
murderer. 1t is sufficient to say that
he is in jail; that he has confessed to
the double killing; that he will have a
fair trial in court, and that the law
will take it's course. That course of
the law will end at the gallows. There
is no doubt of this.
1t is not likely that there will be
any special term of co1rt, for the rea-
son that there is no necessity of such
special term. A special term would
cost the tax payers of Putnam coun-
ty at least $4,000; the niger isn't
worth that much to this people. The
regular term will convene April 26th
On Tuesday morning Sheriff Ken
nerly, armed with diagram furnish
ed by the murderer, left with several
gentlemen of this city for the scene of
the crime to find the missing body;
they followed the diagram as nearly
as possible but found nothing On
Wednesday Sheriff Kennerly, accom-
panied by States Attorney A. V. Long,
Justice John E. Marshall. and dep1-
ties Harry Carman, DR.. W. S. Miller,
Louis Rosignol, W. M. Cannon and
F. L. Thorp, with the negro in irons,
made second trip to the scene of the
crime, and which Slower promised he
would lead them to. But Slower
failed to lead. He became bewilder-
ed, Just as many had predicted he
would. The party returned about 10
p. m. without finding the body. The
search will be kept up, but now that
the murderer has shown his inability
to assist, he will remain in Jail.
Sheriff Kennerly was advised by
many of his friends not to tempt
the Ip-river people by taking the ne
gro TO U0e OChldWdlid. lIS VooiN nili
along, however, when he thought that
by so doing he could locate the miss
ing body. AND HE HAD NO FEAR
OF LYNCHING, EITHER. The
Sheriff simply said, when he had de-
cided to take Slower along: 81 will
take him up there alive, and | WILL
bring HIM BACK ALIVE" and
that is what he did. There was no
show of an attempt to secure the ne
gro. The people were curious, but
they WE'RE ORDERLY. The people
of this county respect their sheriff
they know that he will do his duty
and if there was man up the rive
who had desire to lead a lynching bee
he suppressed that desire eithel
through respect for Sheriff Kennerl!
or through fear of him. He knev
that in order to get the NIGGEf
FROM THE SHERIFF HE WOULI
FIRST HAVE TO KILL THE SHER
IFF, and no, Putnam county maj
would care to do that.
Yes, good people of Putnam coun
ty, this niger murderer is in jail, h
will remain there until court sits; the
he will be tried and given justice
which, in his case is not what h
desires. 4.