From the book, “Some Gave All,” available on Amazon (or this website)
By Mike Simmons
End of Watch Monday, May 22, 1893
Daniel Douglas had only been in the community of Bluff Springs for a few months when his grand house, built for him, his wife, and their seven children, was finished. But he quickly fell in love with the growing town, which lay less than five miles south of the Alabama line in the rural panhandle of Florida. The village boasted three churches, numerous shops, a train depot, a hotel, a post office, and even a private academy for advanced teaching children. Musicians, poets, a judge, four voting delegates, a campground, and over 500 inhabitants lived there. It was a town with a future.
But it needed some law and order, so the citizens elected Daniel to be the new town marshal. As an elected Marshal, he was to keep the peace. Even though he carried a rifle, he usually didn’t wear a sidearm. He didn’t feel he needed to. Of course, to carry out his duties, the best thing he could do was get to know the people. That is just what he did. He knew the town and the town knew him.
So, it was no surprise when, on May 22, 1893, Douglas was notified that there was a law violator in Hughes and Co., a local store. He and a citizen, Thomas Boutwell, walked to the store, approached and arrested the man in question, George Thomas. They left the store and began walking to the jail. Thomas displayed no resistance but went quietly. Suddenly Thomas grabbed up the marshal’s rifle and shot him in the heart.
The marshal’s son was working in the store at the time. Hearing the commotion, he followed the crowd to see what was going on. After Thomas fired the rifle, the son stepped back into the store and retrieved his pistol. When he stepped back out, he shot at the killer. George Thomas did not stop, but the consensus was that he had been hit by the young man. He headed into the Escambia River Swamp.
Reward money came pouring in. People from Bluff Springs, Pensacola, and even the governor of Florida sent money as a reward for Thomas’ capture. Close to a total of $500 offered, which amounts to almost $18,000 in 2025.
A massive manhunt followed, not only from townspeople but also from neighboring towns, counties, and even states. Deputies, hound dogs, hunters, and even businessmen were on the trail of the killer. The news accounts repeatedly reported that his capture was almost certain to be gotten any day. Sightings were reported in New Orleans, in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia…but no capture.
What happened to George Thomas? Maybe he drowned in the river, was bit by a moccasin or an alligator. Maybe he fled the area, or maybe his family hid him out. Whatever the case, he was never caught.
Meanwhile, a string of murders sprang up in Bluff Springs. First was Mason Smith, then George Toler, then McMillan, then Johnson, all within two years’ time. With only 500 people living in town, the killing of five men in two years did what one would suppose. It gave the town a reputation as a wild-killing town. It soon fell into nothingness. Marshal Douglas was buried in Crary Memorial Cemetery in nearby Century, Florida. He was survived by his wife and seven children.
