An excerpt from the book, “Some Gave All,” available from the author or on Amazon
By Mike Simmons
The winds of the U.S. Civil War were blowing throughout the South, and Coffee County, Alabama was no different. Coffee County had only been in existence since 1841. But to the parents of John Yelverton, life was great. Their healthy boy was born on July 28, 1856. They knew he was destined to make his mark on the world. In 1863, Confederate deserters burned the Elba courthouse down. Perhaps seven-year-old John Yelverton watched it burn.
When he was 21, young John Yelverton wanted two things. He wanted to move out of Coffee County, but before that he wanted to marry. Not just anyone, though. He had his sights set on pretty 19-year-old Calla Rushington. So, on January 12, 1878, the young couple stood in Probate Judge B. M. Stevens chambers and vowed to be committed to each other until death did them part.
Two years later, John had fulfilled his second goal. The Yelvertons found themselves living in the booming waterfront town of Pensacola, Florida where he was employed as a Pensacola Police Officer.
John was a natural. He seemed to have a sixth-sense. Maybe it was better described as a nose for hunting down criminals. The notorious Chambers brothers, Jeff and Tom, wreaked havoc throughout Escambia County, Florida. Tom was finally caught and arrested for Armed Robbery of the US Post Officer in Millview, about 10 miles west of Pensacola. Jeff was more of the sly type. Once when he was languishing in jail in Pensacola, he was able to slide between two bars and escape. On another occasion, he had been arrested and was being transported to the jail. As the officers stopped to transfer him to another vehicle, he bolted. An extensive search failed to locate him. A few months later, Escambia County Sheriff Wilkins got a letter from Jeff explaining that he was in Baldwin County, Alabama and asking for mercy. Sheriff Wilkins, however, noticed that the letter was postmarked from Pensacola. The next day, John, following his nose for criminal hunting, went back to Jeff’s house, as some other officers had already done. During his search, he noticed something odd about the female’s dress hanging on the wall. As he swept it aside, he was standing face-to-face with Jeff Chambers, who simply gave up.
Reuben Harris grew up in Savannah, Georgia. As an adult in 1899, he had been arrested numerous times. Most of the charges were disorderly conduct and alcohol violations. He worked numerous labor jobs but couldn’t stay with any of them. In short, it appeared that he was a ne’er do well. In 1899, he got into an argument with another man which resulted him Harris murdering him. Savannah Officer Thomas Watts responded with his partner, known locally as “Bill the Devil.” As they began the investigation, they got word that Harris was taking the first train out of town. Thomas and Bill also caught the train and stayed on his tail.
The train arrived at the old L&N Train Station in Pensacola on the evening of June 1, 1899[1]. The L&N station was situated on the corner of Wright and Alcaniz Streets. As soon as the train stopped, Harris jumped off and headed west on Wright Street. The two detectives, following right behind him, watched him turn south on Tarragona Street.
Looking around for assistance, the law officers found a local lawman – John Yelverton. They summoned him, identified themselves, and explained the situation to him. They told him about the shooting in Savannah, the chase from Georgia to Florida, and the fact that they expected Harris to run and maybe fight back. The three quickly made a plan and went after the suspect.
Tarragona Street was the official name. It was named by the Spaniards who settled here in the early days of the town. They named it after Tarragona, Spain, an ancient port city in the Catalonia region. But everyone called it Railroad Street. When, on August 22, 1882, the official groundbreaking was held for the Pensacola-Atlantic Railroad depot, the track ran down the center of Tarragona Street, giving it the new name. The railroad was eventually bought out by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company. The old depot still carries the name.
Yelverton, who was hoping there would be no violence, did not pull his gun. He followed Harris two blocks to the corner of Tarragona and Chase Streets and approached him in front of the popular Stratton Ice Works manufacturing company to talk with him and bring him in. As soon as Harris saw the officer, he pulled a revolver and fired three rounds into Yelverton. One struck him in the head and another to his right side, mortally wounding him. As he fell, the wounded officer drew his revolver and shot at Harris, who had turned to run.
However, before Harris could flee, Detective Watts and “Bill the Devil” arrived and each fired, striking Harris in the lungs. He ran behind the Stratton Ice Works building and hid. A few minutes later, Pensacola Police Chief Frank Wilde arrived and, together with the Georgia officers, began searching for Harris. Chief Wilde was a wily old fox. He was always a man of energy, having been a stevedore, a sanitary inspector, and a fireman before becoming police chief. He was a familiar face in town and the town trusted him. He was not one to back down from a difficult situation. So, when Chief Wilde arrived, the number of minutes that Harris had of freedom were limited.
The old chief started looking for the desperate man, who was injured and armed with two pistols. Wilde found him hiding. Harris had hoped to lie in waiting for the next lawman to come for him and shoot him also, but he didn’t count on the wily old fox. Wilde came to him unnoticed. Before Harris could shoot, Wilde subdued him and took him into custody.
Officer Yelverton was immediately taken to the Pensacola Infirmary where he underwent emergency surgery. However, his prognosis was not good. His health continued to decline. At 3:35 on June 3, 1899, he succumbed to his injuries. He was 43 years old, married with two boys. As it was, the Yelverton family was barely scratching out a living. Now, 32-year-old Ida, the new widow, didn’t have the money to bury him. The city fathers of Pensacola held an emergency session and voted to pay the $75 for Officer Yelverton’s funeral expenses. They felt that was the least that they could do for a man who gave his life to protect the community.
As to Harris, his condition – wounded in his lung – did not initially look good. However, he began to slowly improve. A few days later, he was moved to the jail infirmary. Citizens of Pensacola became enraged. Talk began about forming a lynching party. This threat became so real that Sheriff George Smith – who oversaw the jail – stationed specially armed deputies at the jail around the clock.
On December 5, 1899, Harris’ murder trial took place. Harris’ attorney argued that the shooting was an accident, but the jury returned with a guilty verdict. Harris was sentenced to hang, much to the approval of the community. However, On January 26, 1900, Governor William Bloxham allowed the State Board of Parole to commute Harris’ sentence to Life in Prison.
[1] The Pensacola News June 1, 1899. Acquired May 11, 2023. https://www.newspapers.com/image/353162757/?terms=%22Yelverton%22&match=1
Wasn’t Lt. Yelverton, (from the 1970’s) related to John Yelverton?
Yes, he was. I don’t remember how, though.