The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-02-15
JUDGE BULLOCK
DEALT JUSTICE
With a Strong but Not Too Severe
Hand i'm Alloting Punishment I'm
The Kendrick RiOting And
Conspiracy Case

The disposition of private individu-
ais to set themselves up as the law
received a severe setback in the cir
cult court Tuesday, when Judge Bull
lock sentenced the men who pied
guilty to invading the home of j. P.
Milton, near Kendrick, one night last
spring, i'll treating him and threaten
ing him with death if he did not leave
the country.
While considerable has been printed
in the Star about the case, the full de-
tails have not been given, for as soon
as the men accused were arrested the
Star confined itself to the briefest of
reports of court proceedings. They
having pied guilty and been sentenc-
ed, it is not out of place to give a
brief history of the case.
The trouble began when Miss Penny
Nix, about year ago, married J. P.
Milton, farmer from Georgia, but
who had been working in Florida for
some years. "Miss Penny" as all her
friends call her, is lady whose life
has been given to good and unselfish
work, is beloved by all, and undoubt-
edly some of the men who mistreated
her husband thought they were doing
her service. Miss Penny, ever since
her girlhood, has devoted herself to
the care of others, and, as is always
the case, some of the recipients of her
kindness began to demand as their
right what had been given purely in a
spirit of goodness. They resented the
advent of Milton, forgetting that ev-
cry woman has a right to make her
own choice in marriage. Mrs. Milton
has shown no signs of dissatisfaction
with her marriage, has always stood
up for her husband and declared that
he was good to her. But certain of
her friends claimed they knew more
about it than she did, and acted ac-
cordingly.
The trouble came to a eliminating
point one night last May, when Mil
ton was taken from his wife's home,
in spite of her efforts to rescue him,
| by masked. men, carried across coun-
TRY, severely whipped and ordered to
He left next day for his former home
in Georgia and might have submitted
to the outrage if it hadn't been for
his wife's resentment against such an
invasion of her and his home and
rights. The perpetrators of the act,
who at first seem to have thought
that they had performed a praise
worthy act, soon found that the pub
lie sentiment of not only their own
neighborhood but the entire county
was against them. They were arrest
ed and gave bond, and when the grand
jury met it promptly indicted them
They pied guilty, and Tuesday came
up before Judge Bullock for sentence
The judge, before passing sentence
gave each man a chance to speak in
his own behalf. Will Chappell was
the first to be heard. He told long
story of what he claimed to be his
reasons, but none of it is evidence
and it is not proper to print it with
out a refutation from the other side
Mr.. Chappell concluded by saying thai
he planned to get some of the boys to-
gether and give Milton beating anG
then run him off. Chappell and Rogel
Lyles drove around in a car and Sc
} lected five other men to go with then
: to the Milton house and take Miltol
out. Chappell said he was unable tx
, get out of the car himself but that he
sat in the car and prayed that no ont
J would get hurt, while the other boy,
went to the house. He said that tn,
other boys blacked their faces will
SCOT and burnt cork and went to the
Milton home while the Millions wer'
) at supper. They held gun on Milton
and brought him out with them. The.
= took him in the car by a very round
= about way to the Blitchton neighbor
hood, and then taking him out of th'
: car commanded that he lay down Of
r the ground. Then they pulled hi
clothes down and gave him abou
: twenty-five licks with a buggy trace
= Then they told him that if he woul
/ leave the country and never be see
. or heard of again they would no
). harm him further.
e The other defendants told their ste
ries, corroborating Chappell on mos
points. 1t was brought out, however
that some of the party thought Mi
e ton should have been killed, and If
i had not been for the refusal of other
i he might have been. It was easy
= see that most of the defendants reall
believed they were doing what wa