End of Watch, April 4, 1909
An excerpt from the book, “Some Gave All,” available on Amazon
By Mike Simmons
24-year-old mounted policeman Officer J. D. Carter was working the midnight shift on the east side of Pensacola – near today’s 9th Avenue and Bayfront Avenue area. Carter was good at his job. In order to be promoted to Mounted Officer and given a horse to ride, an officer had to be on the ball. Usually that meant that he was active and assertive.
The midnight shift is often unpredictable. Just when you think it is going to be a crazy night, everything slows to a crawl until daylight. As often though, when the night is a slow, event-less night, the bottom falls out and its all hands on deck. You never know.
In 1909, there were no police radios. If an officer needed help in an emergency, he simply blew his whistle, alerting nearby officers to respond. But in non-emergency situations, he would go to one of the call boxes in town and call Headquarters.
It was just after midnight. Officer Carter responded to an incident which is still unknown to this day. As a result of his investigation, he placed a man under arrest and took him to the call box at 9th Avenue and Aragon Street in the Hawkshaw neighborhood so the transport wagon could come and pick him up.
As they reached the call box, the man pulled out a large knife and began stabbing the officer. The fight must have been terrible, because the ground was torn up and covered in blood. The wounds were inflicted on Carter’s hand, arm chest and face. The one that went deep into his chest was the fatal one. According to witnesses, the man ran with Officer Carter in pursuit, despite his injuries. Carter chased the man about fifty yards towards Luke’s Alley, firing two rounds at him. Carter then collapsed and died.
A few minutes later, the news reached the Pensacola Police desk sergeant’s office. Within five minutes, Marshal Sanders, Captain George Hall, Sheriff VanPelt and a half-dozen other officers arrived on the scene. They located the body of the unfortunate officer and began an unsuccessful search for the suspect.
“Can I help you?” Desk Sergeant Murphy said to the middle aged woman that came into the police department an hour after the incident.
“I would like to know the bond amount for my husband who was just arrested,” she said. “I want to bond him out.”
“What is his name?” asked the desk sergeant.
“David Alexander,” she said. He was arrested around 9th Avenue and Aragon Street a little while ago.”
A possible name was attached to the suspect. Murphy got the word out and the officers made their way to the Alexander home, mere feet from the crime scene. David Alexander was about 45 years old. He was perspiring, his clothes were torn, and he was somewhat nervous, but he didn’t run, and his clothes weren’t bloody. They took him in. Meanwhile, the body of Officer Carter was taken to the police station for examination by the City Coroner.
Sgt. Murphy later testified that Alexander admitted to him that he killed Officer Carter. But the investigation was never completed. About 4 AM, two large mobs of masked men, armed with firearms, forcibly entered the police station. One group overpowered Sgt. Murphy, tying him up. The other group sought out and found Turnkey Charles Simpson. They dragged him to the holding cell where Alexander had been placed and made him open it. Then they took Alexander by force out of the station, across the street into Ferdinand Plaza where they lynched him over a light pole. They also fired about 15 shots into his body. The gunshots were later determined to be the cause of death.
Neither of the policemen at the station were severely injured, although Murphy’s clothes were torn. He said he tried to resist but couldn’t hold out against such a large crowd. A later interview with the other inmates was conducted. They said the officers allowed the men to storm the station and take Alexander to be lynched.
Later that day, the Pensacola City Council passed a proclamation condemning the men of the lynching party and began an investigation into their identify. Although Sgt. Murphy and Officer Simpson felt they knew some of the men responsible, they couldn’t positively identify them due to their masks.
So, what began as a simple arrest ended with a brave officer being killed, an untried suspect being killed, and two officers being slightly injured.
What a dark day.