By Spessard Stone
Frontier Manatee County, Florida of the 1870s was afflicted with a lawless element with the Johnson brothers gaining notoriety as cattle rustlers.
Isham Johnson of Hernando County, Florida, had during the Civil War joined the U.S. forces and served as scout and guide for the Union troops. After he participated in the destruction of two salt works of the Confederates, much bitter feeling resulted against him and his family. His wife was compelled to leave her home to take refuge within the Union lines.
Following the war, the Johnsons returned home to find nothing on their place but the buildings and experienced great hardship in getting along and in obtaining corn to subsist. Driven to the edge, Isham in 1866 killed a steer, which was soon identified as that of a neighbor. After mediation failed and an onerous fine was imposed, Isham and his family left Hernando County. The Johnson family, including sons Alonzo, Augusta (Gus), John, and Raymond, settled near the Peace River at Fort Ogden in then Manatee County. On March 3, 1869, John requested a permit to establish a ferry over Pease Creek (Peace River), but they were not to be gainfully employed law abiding citizens for long.
On July 25, 1869, three of Isham's sons were involved in a racial assault. John Lomans, a black man who had served as a voter registrar, while passing near Gus Johnson's residence, was beaten with a cow whip by Gus. The assault was encouraged by Alonzo and John Johnson, who with clubs stood behind Lomans. When Lomans took hold of the cow whip, Gus, then standing not over fifteen feet distant, discharged his revolver at Lomans.
On November 13, 1872, a grand jury returned true bills against Isham Johnson for forgery and Alonzo Johnson and Ziba King for selling liquor without a license.
After moving to Fort Ogden in December 1872, William H. Barnwell ran Ziba King's bar room, which led him and his family becoming acquainted with the Johnson brothers, close neighbors who bought a good deal of whiskey, and tobacco, and snuff. After several months, they learned from Ziba King the brothers were stealing hogs and cattle and curing them in pits in Peach Creek swamp to sell at Bartow and other places, but they were being watched. Soon after, Barnwell was drugged and robbed by the brothers. The four Johnson brothers and one woman were apprehended and tried for stealing and robbing houses. Three of the brothers were reputedly sent to prison, but John and the woman were released.
In 1873 Isham Johnson was taxed on one horse while his son Alonzo was taxed on one horse and twenty cattle.
The Johnson brothers were soon in the news again. The Weekly Floridian of Tallahassee of May 26, 1874 reported of Alonzo, Gus, and Raymond:
"The Ocala Banner reports the following recent instance of three men, the sons of Isham Johnson of Manatee county, started from that county with about one hundred head of cattle, making their way to Live Oak. These cattle, it seems, were stolen, and the owners of the same armed themselves with proper warrants and started in pursuit. They overtook the Johnsons about eight miles from this place. At their approach one of the brothers attempted to escape and was shot down. The other two were captured, ropes put around their necks and in this condition they were hastily carried off.
"The wounded man was shot through the head and arm and in the back. The latter wound is very serious and he lies in a helpless and paralyzed condition."
Gus, the wounded brother, was taken to a house and left in charge of an old colored lady with ten dollars in cash and a horse to defray the expenses for attention of the critically wounded man.
Alonzo and Raymond were jailed in Pine Level, but soon escaped.
The Tri-Weekly Union of Jacksonville of July 14, 1874 reported:
"The Lake City Herald gives an account of the theft of some horses in Hillsborough County and the pursuit of the thieves, who were found in Georgia with the horses. They acknowledged that they broke jail in Manatee county, where they had been confined on a charge of cattle stealing. Their names are Ramon [sic] and Alonzo Johnson. They were brought back and committed to jail."
Justice moved slowly. In Manatee County court proceedings on April 19, 1876, Alonzo and Raymond were granted a change of venue to Polk County and were ordered to be imprisoned in Hillsborough County while awaiting trial.
Giving bond to appear at Bartow to testify against them were: Owen R. Blount, Daniel Carlton, R. C. Hendry, Nelson Locklair, Samuel Lippencott, and John W. Whidden.
Enroute to Hillsborough County, Alonzo and Raymond Johnson escaped to parts unknown. Thus lax security led to justice thwarted.
References not cited include: letter concerning Isham Johnson by John G. Foster to Gov. Walker of Oct. 12, 1866; Kate Barnwell Williams, "This Is The Story Of My Life," Tampa Bay History, Spring/Summer 1987; Canter Brown Jr., Florida's Peace River Frontier, pp. 244-246.
This article was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, Fla.) of August 29, 1996.
February 28, 2001& links = October 17, 2001 & May 6, 2002, midi = "Reynardine," arranged by Ron Clarke.