Macon Weekly Telegraph, Georgia
27 September 1909
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)
FLORIDA POSSE AVENGES DEATH [of] TOWN MARSHAL
Slayer of Officer Hawkins, of Perry, Lynched Saturday Night.
BODY SWUNG HOURS
Officer Approached Negro to Arrest Him on Some Trivial Charge.
SHOT DEAD ON SPOT
Escapes But Is Captured -- Strung Up in Front of His Shop.
LIVE OAK, Fla., Sept. 26 -- Swinging from a limb in front of his shoe repairing shop at Perry, Taylor county, the dead body of Charley Anderson, colored, was found early this morning, a mob having imposed death as a penalty for the bullet he sent into the heart of Marshal Hawkins, of Perry last night.
The place of the lynching was almost at the spot where Marshal Hawkins was slain, the officer having been in the act of placing the negro under arrest when he met his death at the hands of the man he meant to make a prisoner. The negro's body was allowed to hang until late in the day when it was taken down and shipped to this place.
Slays Officer in Cold Blood.
The killing of the Perry officer occurred at 8 o'clock last night. Anderson was wanted for a minor offense, it is said, and was in his shoe shop when the officer went to arrest him. Hawkins was at the door of the shop when the negro appeared, armed with a pistol, and before the officer could defend himself shot him to death.
Anderson escaped for a time, but was caught several hours later and at 2 o'clock was in the hands of the men who pursued him. He was returned to his shoe shop and in front of it a rope was placed about his neck and he was swung into the air. Bullets were fired into his body and he was left swinging.
The excitement incident to the murder and lynching has disappeared and Perry is quiet tonight.
