From Days Gone By Sept. 14, 1923

 September 14, 1923.

    All of the far eastern part of the county was stirred Saturday and Sunday by the killing in cold blood of John Harmon, aged colored man who lived on the Kite-Bartow road about 2 miles north of Mr. B. J. Wiggins home, some time of the early part of Friday night.

    All the colored people of that community were going up to a "setting-up" up the road where a neighbor was dead. Passers-by of the Harmon shack saw John's blind horse hitched to the buggy standing in the front and he had told his landlord he was also going to the setting up as soon as he got his supper.

   So Harmon started off but before he gone a half mile he was lying dead in his own blood and his blind horse wondering through the woods with the buggy in tow, was found the next morning.

    A neat, snug man's sized bed in a clump of grass and bushes mashed down revealed the hiding place of the night assassin beside the road and as Mr. Lewis Claxton came along just above there he stopped to pick up a man's hat to climb back on his load of cotton and go to sleep only to be awakened by the cries of his 2 boys that a dead man was in the ditch. It was barely daylight. The cotton farmer was on his way to Bartow but then summoned the Coroner, L. R. Clayton.

    John had 5 bullet holes close together in the back of his neck and his throat was cut clean across. His money and watch were still there and his watch was running. Robert was not the motive.

    An inquest was held and Hill Rogers, his 2 sons, Lee and Otis, were brought to jail charged with either committing the crime or implicated in it. Hill and his son Otis, declared that his other son, Lee did it and had confessed to it. Lee was jailed but claimed he had no knowledge of it.

    Tuesday officers took one of the boys to the fodder stacks at the Rogers home and the boy went straight to a stack and pulled the pistol out, a .32, the empty shells found where the shots were fired being the same size. They did not find the knife. The two boys are admitted murderers now, they say, and are trying to take it all off the old man. Opinion is now all 3 had a hand in it.

    The September Term of Superior Court will not be held says Judge J. L. Kent. He states there is not sufficient business before the court to justify the session. The next session will be held in March 1924.

    Mr. F. C. Lord has opened a new grist Mill near the city power house in C. H. Moore's old machine shop. Mr. Sidney F. Smith celebrated his 50th birthday at Rehobeth. Mr. Albert Sinquefield brought a sample of rice which he has planted an acre and a half. It is some fine rice. Miss Ora Logue of Lovett married Mr. E. W. Tanner. Judge J. C. Wiggins while fishing for Redfin's in Cedar Creek, slipped on the bank and broke his arm. A passing car rushed him to Dr. Brantley.

    Tax Collector J. Nat Riner is ready to collect your taxes. A total of $60, 604.25 is to be collected. Of this amount white people owe $58,756.57, and colored people owe $1,847.68. Besides Wesley Chapel and Stokes school consolidating, also Scott and Poplar Springs consolidated, Oakhill and Pinegrove, also Davis, Tom and part of Providence combines with Kite.

    Sudden was the death of Mr. William L. Pournell at his home in town having been taken seriously ill. He had not been well for several months but not thought to be in bad health. He had continued his blacksmith and repair work. His sudden death was a shock to the city. He was 72, born in Washington Co., a son of George P. Pournell. His wife, one daughter and 2 sons survived him. He was buried in Westview.