Sylvester arrived home in the middle of the night. Rose and Daniel were watching the back of the house while Beauty and Roy watched the front. Listening, Daniel sat forward in his chair, laid a hand on Rose’s arm.
”Hold on,” he whispered.
He stood when a dove cooed over by the smoke house. Daniel broke out in a grin and cooed back, an amazing imitation. Rose looked up in surprise as a shadowy figure stepped out from behind the smokehouse and quickly crossed the dirt yard in silence.
“I hoped you’d remember that call,” Sylvester grinned. “I’d be afraid to have you shooting at me, unlikely you’d miss.” He shook Daniel’s hand and pulled him close in an embrace. “Hey there Rose, you look like you think I’m a haunt. It’s me,” he chuckled, leaning over to hug her.
“Everybody all right? Where are my dogs?” he asked, looking at Daniel.
Daniel looked off to the east, sighed, his eyes glancing back towards Sylvester, but he could not speak.
“Tell me,” Sylvester ordered.
“Sam Carter,” was all Daniel could say. He started to weep silently.
Sylvester took Daniel by the shoulders and pulled him into an embrace.
“Come on in son, I guess there’s things I need to hear about. Come inside,” Sylvester told them.
Sylvester led Daniel into the kitchen where Sarah slept in the rocker. At the sound of the door opening she woke and stood, raising the shotgun that had been in her lap.
“Don’t shoot Mama, it was a job getting here and I could use some food,” Sylvester smiled as he hugged her.
“Oh son, I’m so glad you’re here. Where’s Sister?”
“I left her in Gainesville with the Hall family. We heard about the goings on here and I made the last train. I saw Gussie’s parents in Archer. They told me Aaron’s been locked up in Bronson. Said the sheriff’s taking him to Gainesville in the morning.”
“How did you manage to get back here?” Sarah asked as they sat at the table.
Restless, Rose got up and brought out some food and coffee for her uncle.
“I moved to the freight car in Archer after I spoke to Gussie’s father. I rode in with the boxes and a crate of chickens. What a smell.” He laughed. “The Bryce Brothers unloaded everything at the Wright’s freight dock, and I slipped off then. I came up the back way when that mob roared out of here a couple hours ago.
“What’s been going on?” he asked, looking around at everyone.
“Sam Carter’s dead,” Sarah told him. She told the stories of Fanny Taylor, and Aaron, and Sam Carter, her voice catching as she spoke of his death.
“I couldn’t let this boy here go out, I couldn’t have stopped them. There were too many men with guns. All they would have done is hang him too. There was nothing to be done,” she told Sylvester, tears in her eyes.
Sylvester pushed his coffee cup away and stood, then crossed over to the window facing out over the side yard.
“They hung him and burned him?” he asked, shaking his head. “Did anyone come for him?”
“He’s still there, Sylvester. I was afraid to send our boys out, who knows where those people are?”
Sylvester, eyes bright, looked at his mother. After a moment, he turned to Daniel.
“Hitch up the wagon. Get Roy from the porch. We need to bring Sam Carter home.” As he moved towards the door he turned back to his nephew.
“Bring the shovels,” he added.
From the Gainesville Sun, January 2, 1923:
TWO NEGROES HELD FOR
ASSAULT OF WOMAN AT
SUMNER EARLY MONDAY
___________
Sheriff and Posse Scouring
Woods Last Night for Fur-
ther Clues to Attacker
-Citizens Aroused
Two Negro suspects were being
held at Sumner last night in connec-
tion with the assault early Monday
morning of a young white woman at
her home near that place. Sheriff
Walker of Levy county, with blood-
hounds obtained from Columbia coun-
ty authorities, was still scouring the
country last night about which the
crime took place. Feeling was said
to be running high in that section
of the county although no violence
was feared during the night. The
negroes are lodged in jail at Sumner.
Called to her front door shortly
after her husband left for work,
the young woman was knocked down,
beaten severely and left in a painful
although not serious condition. She
was said to have been unconscious
until late Monday afternoon, which
prevented identification of the two
negroes held for complicity in the
affair.
(By Associated Press)
Bronson, Fla., Jan.1- Two negroes
were in jail as suspects here tonight
and Sheriff Walker with bloodhounds,
and numerous posses, was scouring
the country for another negro in con-
nection with the attack of the wife
of a mill worker at Sumner early to-
day. The husband had left home for
work when the negro appeared and
knocked at the door. The woman
opened the door and the negro struck
her. Her screams after a time brought
housewives in the neighborhood and
the negro escaped, but the victim
was choken and beaten into insensi-
bility and remained unconscious until
late today.
Authorities have not yet taken the
suspects to her to identify. The ne-
gro believed by many to be guilty
was making for Gulf Hammock, one
of the most dense forests in Flor-
ida, when a posse on his trail last
reported.
The entire county is aroused and
virtually every able bodied man has
joined in the search.
From the Gainesville Sun, Wednesday January 3, 1923:
SUMNER NEGRO SHOT BY
MEMBERS OF POSSE FOR
ASSAULT MONDAY
________
Body of Sam Carter, 45, Found
Riddled With Bullets. Sher-
iff Still Searching For
Other Negroes.
__________
One negro is dead and two are
being held for complicity in the as-
sault upon a young white woman at
Sumner early Monday morning, while
posses headed by Sheriff Walker,
Levy county, is believed to have
[unreadable]
the actual perpetrator of the crime.
Sam Carter, age 45, was shot and
killed by members of a mob late
Monday night after he confessed
to have driven one of the hunted men
several miles in a horse and wagon,
officers stated Tuesday morning.
His son was seen leaving Sumner
shortly before the assault took place
in company with an escaped convict
from a nearby turpentine camp. Mem-
bers of the searching party are of
the opinion that one of them is guilty
of the crime.
Carter, Senior, became implicated in the crime
Monday night when bloodhounds led
searchers to a negro home several
miles from Sumner. Members of the
party declared that the owner of the
home confessed to have hidden one
of the fugitives until Carter drove
him off in a horse and wagon later
in the night. When Carter returned
to the house he was forced to lead
the men to the spot where he claimed
to have left the fleeing man. Blood-
hounds failed to pick up the scent
however, and Carter’s body, riddled
with bullets, was found in this spot
early Tuesday morning.
Feeling is still running high in
Sumner although the posse here has
dwindled to a mere handful of men
[unreadable]
400[unreadable]
500 men combed the woods Monday
night but returned to their work in
the lumber mill yesterday morning
when bloodhounds failed to pick up
further trace of the fleeing man
or men. The dogs were returned to
a convict camp near High Springs
Tuesday morning.
The young white woman had re-
covered from the shock of the as-
sault Tuesday and her condition is
not considered critical. She was
knocked down and beaten about the
face and body before her screams at-
tracted nearby residents.