By Mike Simmons
Law and Order. That’s what it is called – for a reason. Historically, some extreme community members have taken matters into their own hands when a horrendous crime took place. In ancient times, that is how matters were settled – by citizens taking revenge. That may sound great in some cases, but not when emotions take priority over justice. For instance, if a person was accused of a terrible crime, a lynching might take place, often without the whole story being told. Occasionally, innocent people have been wrongly killed. Such was the case in many towns – maybe Pensacola.
Officers who have worked the midnight shift will tell you that it is a different animal. Busy at times, slow at others, but always different. A city changes somewhat when most people are asleep. That’s how it was at 1:00 in the morning of April 4, 1909. 24-year-old mounted policeman Officer John D. Carter was working on the east side of town – near 9th Avenue and Aragon Street. The name of the working-class neighborhood was Hawkshaw.
As a result of an unknown incident, Officer Carter took a man into custody. He needed to have the man picked up by the wagon and taken to the jail, so he took him to the patrol call box on the corner of Aragon and Luke’s Alley to call it in. However, as he went for the phone, a fight ensued. The unidentified suspect stabbed Officer Carter multiple times – the fatal one in the chest – leaving what was described as a gaping hole. Before he collapsed, Officer Carter managed to fire two shots at the suspect, not knowing if his shots found their target. Officer Carter died on the spot. Within a few minutes, Marshal Sanders, Captain George Hall, and Sheriff VanPelt arrived and began an unsuccessful search for the unknown suspect. Within minutes, all available officers joined in the search.
A short time later, a lady appeared at the desk sergeant’s office at the police station inquiring about the bond amount for her husband, David Alexander, who had just been arrested by a mounted police officer (incidentally, another David Alexander was named Chief of the Pensacola Police in 2015). Mrs. Alexander had been made aware that her husband had been taken into custody by a neighbor. Immediately, all officers were notified and sent to Mr. Alexander’s home to contact him. When they first contacted him, Alexander’s clothes were disheveled, and his clothing and countenance were consistent with being in a struggle. He was arrested and taken to the city jail.
Captain Hall later testified that Mr. Alexander confessed to Carter’s killing to him and Turnkey Charles Simpson. In the early stages, it looked as if Alexander was the killer of Officer Carter, but the full story would never come out. At 4:00 am, 40-50 masked men stormed the city jail while Sgt. Murphy and Turnkey Simpson were the only two men on duty at the station. They overpowered Sgt. Murphy and held him down. The later investigation proved that Sgt. Murphy’s clothes were torn and he was beaten by the mob. They held a gun on Simpson and made him open Alexander’s cell door. They tied the prisoner up and dragged him out of the jail and across the street into Ferdinand Plaza. They threw a rope over a pole, put the other end around Alexander’s neck, and lynched him. Then – as he was hanging, they fired numerous bullets at him, fifteen striking him. The coroner later ruled the gunshots as the cause of death.
No matter how you view it, this incident was sad. One of Pensacola’s finest had just been brutally murdered while doing his job, and his co-workers had worked swiftly and diligently to apprehend the suspect. However, instead of mourning Officer Carter’s death and celebrating the quick work of the other officers, some citizens allowed their emotions or their prejudice to get the best of them and put to death the man who had not yet been convicted of the crime…and may not have been.
In addition to the official report of the incident, questions remain. First, although Mr. Alexander’s appearance looked like he had been involved in a struggle, there was no mention of blood on him. There was, however, mention of the large amount of blood on Officer Carter’s clothing and at the scene. If Alexander had been involved in the killing, one would expect at least a little blood to be on his clothes. Also, Alexander never resisted the arresting officers.
According to the testimony of at least one prisoner, none of the lynching party wore masks, as was stated in the official report. When the cell door was opened, instead of attempting to negotiate his release, Simpson bade Alexander goodbye.
After the lynching, the Grand Jury investigated the incident thoroughly and condemned the few men who murdered Mr. Alexander. The Grand Jury also had at least one man arrested for his part in the murder. The officers were said to have done the best they could, even though they were overwhelmed.
An investigation into the lynching led to the arrest on April 17, 1909, of William “Russian Bill” Thompson at his home at Baylen and Cedar Streets. While awaiting trial, the jail personnel were increased for security purposes. On April 28, 1909, Thompson was found not guilty in a jury trial.
As horrendous as this incident was, it is a credit to the people who cared so deeply for their officers and for finding the truth about the suspect’s killers. But that was overshadowed by vigilante justice, which is never the proper action. Did David Alexander kill Officer Carter? Maybe. But we will never know for sure.
Rest in Peace, Officer Carter.