Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-04-24
KANGAROO COURT
!. FEATURE OF BIG
TAMPA SCANDAL
Charges Against Sheriff
and Prosecutor Made
to Governor
AFFIDAVIT S BY DOCTOR
One Man Beaten Until
He tainted From Loss
of Blood
Special to the News


Tampa, April 24-That W. C. Spen.
Ger, sheriff of Hillsborough county
knew of inhuman conditions existing
in the county Jail where prisoners
were severely beaten when they were
unable or refused to pay fires assessed
q ea;nst them by kangaroo court" ,"
is snother charge brought against the
sheriff by the citizen committee OF
twenty-five which recently went 10
Tallahassee to lodge charges against
the sheriff and County Prosecutor
Morris Givens
Among the affidavits which The
committee carried to Tallahassee were
those relating to the gambling and
general immortality which was per-
mitted to exist in West Tampa and
two affidavits from white men Of cor
ditions at the county Jail.
C. H. Raub, araga man, sets forth
in one of the affidavits that has been
placed before the governor that on
December 27 last he was arrested on
a false charge of emoczzlement made
by his then partner H. G.. Pride. He
says that the office who arrested him
refused to let him communicate with
his family or friends before commit
ting him to Jail, and he was in the Jail
several hours before he got into COM
|munication and made bond. At the
preliminary hearing he was freed of
the charge and his partner, it is al
legged, promptly disappeared from the
city. I
Demanded IS of Prisoner.
Upon being placed in the pail, Mr..
Raub says, the prisoners to the num-
Der of about twenty formed exam
garoo court" and demanded $500
from him. He told them he had no
money with him. They told him they
would let i'm send out for it, but he
said he would not get it. They told
him he must pay or receive fifty
lashes. He again refused. Raub says
he heard them call for the turnkey
and ask Inn to "bring the rawhide." F"
That the turnkey brought it, they
threw him face downward vver a box
and held him while the, fifty lashes
We're applied to his back. His affi-
davit, which is supported by similar
affidavits made by three reputable
physicians, Drs. R. +. Smoake, H. S.
champion and R. A. Ely, is to the eff
feet that the rawhide lash used lac
Grated his back so severely that it
took two months of treatment to cure
the places. ....
Robert NJ. Smoak, employed as
driver for the National Biscuit Corn
pany, ran down child on the Plant
City Dad some time ago He was ar
rested and charged with manclaughter
but the charge was dismissed at the
preliminary hearing on testimony of
eyewitnesses that the accident was
unavoidable Young Smak has made
affidavit that when he was placed in
Jail the kangaroo court was formed
and demanded $500 from him, threat
ening him with fifty lashes unless he
complied. He did not have the mon
ey, but was allowed twenty-four hours
of "grace" in which to get t.
8. Cuban Badly Beaten.
That same afternoon, Smoak says,
Rugilio Durnan, Cuban, was brought
to the Jail. Like Smoak, he was hall
ed before the ''kangaroon court," !"
which is presided over BY w. II.
Young, who is pin jail awaiting his
second rial on the charge Of murder.
The demand of SIS 90 was made Of
Durnsn. and he was told penalty for
Noncompliance was fly lsshes. He
was defiant, stating that he had no
money and If he did have be wuuId
not submit to beng robbed. Whez>1p.
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