By Mike Simmons
Miss Fannie Morris lived alone on Romana Street in downtown Pensacola. At 3:00 AM on Monday, January 8, 1900, she was asleep in bed when she felt a man in her bed, hugging her. Apparently, a man named Squire Goldsmith, who lived a few blocks away and whom she was vaguely familiar with, came in through the back door and, like a proper gentleman, took off his hat and his shoes, leaving them on the gallery. He then crept into her bedroom and crawled into bed with her. He rolled over and snuggled with her, hugging her friendly-like.
This woke Miss Fannie up, but she didn’t react the way Mr. Goldsmith had hoped. Instead of reciprocating his hug, Miss Fannie grabbed her pistol, which gave the gentleman the idea that his presence was no longer welcome. She emptied all five rounds of her revolver at him as he was exiting the room. She called the police, who were there in minutes.
A short search found the dejected lover, holding his hat and shoes while hiding, quite shaken and disappointed. They searched his hind parts for bullet holes, but found none. On January 12, he was held over for county court, where he stood trial in March and was convicted. He was sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary. When he got out, he directed his affections away from Miss Fannie.