Compiled By Kyle VanLandingham
Edited by Spessard Stone
The following newspaper articles relate various attempts to kill Jacob Summerlin, John W. Whidden, Francis A. Hendry, and John Parker, all prominent South Florida cattlemen.
Bartow Informant, July 21, 1881
Attempted Poisoning
The Tampa Tribune of last week says: “We learn from parties who came up from Punta Rassa in Tuesday’s steamer that some two or three weeks ago there was an attempt at wholesale poisoning at the hotel of Col. Jacob Summerlin at that place.
Some dozen persons, including several of the most prominent cattlemen of the Caloosahatchee region, who took a meal at Col. Summerlin’s house, were all attacked with severe vomiting and other symptoms of poisoning directly afterwards, and were bad sick for several days, the Colonel himself being probably the worst sufferer.
There seems to have been a similar attempt at poisoning about a week before this. Col. S. seems to have been the worst sufferer, and is hardly yet fully recovered from the effects of the two doses of poison administered in his food.
The attending physician thinks that the poison used was either arsenic or corrosive sublimate.
There are suspicions as to who was the poisoner, but so far no positive proof.
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Bartow Informant, August 4, 1881
A man by the name of Collier tried to poison Messrs. Summerlin, Whidden and Hendry, at Punta Rassa, in order to get their money, but he put too much poison in the coffee and caused them to cast up their breakfast. Collier would not eat breakfast on shore. Capt. John [Whidden] says that he thought he was done for, and thanks his stars that he was so fleshy. [reprint from Manatee News]
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Bartow Informant, August 18, 1881
Capt. Jacob Summerlin offers $500 for the conviction of the party who attempted to poison himself and others a short time ago at Punta Rassa.
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Bartow Informant, August 25, 1881
The Punta Rassa Poisoning.
Below we give Mr. Jacob Summerlin’s letter to the Key West Democrat in regard to his recent poisoning. Mr. S. has many friends and relatives in this county.
There is some person who has been stopping at this place or Myers, who is too mean for anything, and I take the privilege of stating to the public that none of us is safe from such, low, mean, undermining, bound wretches, for on or about the 25th of June, some one, intent upon wholesale slaughter, put corrosive sublimate in a can of parched coffee, and all of us who drank it were made deadly sick; but fortunately, we all went to vomiting, although for three or four days it looked as if several of us were going to die. Capt. F. A. Hendry was the sickest. I have been in bed most of the time since, for twenty days, and still my limbs seem weak, but I am in hopes to get over it. Dr. Kellum detected the poison, and declared it to be corrosive sublimate. [Mercuric chloride--a poisonous white crystalline compound, used as an antiseptic and disinfectant and in insecticides, preservatives, and batteries, and in metallurgy and photography.] I cannot see any reason for the deed except the party hoped to get my safe key during the excitement and rob me. During my absence to Jacksonville a short time before, the house was robbed and my day book was missing; no doubt the same party did this last deed.
There was another robbery about this time at Myers. A Mr. Lewis of Cedar Keys came down to Myers to marry Miss Collier. When they returned to church he left his money in his trunk at the house of Capt. James Collier, and before they returned, his money was stolen, about $160. Suspicion rests very strong upon a man, and a chain of circumstantial evidence makes it quiet plain; but about the poison and my money and book there is only strong suspicion, but we are slowly working it up.
I will give $500 for the conviction of the party or parties who done the deed. I would like to have the privilege of tormenting them to my satisfaction, and I would neither burn, drown, strangle or kill them. I would have written sooner, but my hand would not hold the pen.
Yours, Respt’y
J. Summerlin
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Bartow Informant, October 6, 1881
Messrs. Summerlin and Zipprer, on their return from a cattle expedition last week, were poisoned by eating food cooked in a copper kettle. We are glad to know that nothing more serious than some queer feelings resulted.
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Bartow Informant, October 27, 1881
Bartow Camp-meeting
Ed. Informant
Our camp-meeting on Bartow circuit begins Friday before the fifth Sabbath in October. It is to be strictly self-sustaining. The tent-holders will take care of their friends who come from a distance. But their neighbors who can tent as well as the other tent-holders should look out for themselves. Persons who go to camp-meetings to run horse-races and gamble and trade, and all who do not go for the good of the meeting, can get their meals at the restaurant.
By order of the tent-holders.
G. W. Mitchell, P.C.
Sept. 28, 1881
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Bartow Informant, November 5, 1881
Captain John Parker, of Manatee county, had doubloons stolen from him at the camp-ground, last Monday. Joe Richard, of Bradford county, was arrested on suspicion, and is under guard here until the meeting of court next week, as we have no jail. We learn that Richard had bought a horse from a negro, and that some of the gold pieces he paid the negro were identified by Capt. Parker as part of the stolen money, from certain marks on them.
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Bartow Informant, November 12, 1881
Death of an Old Settler
We are pained to learn of the death of Col. John Parker of Manatee county, who died suddenly at Ft. Meade, Thursday morning [November 10, 1881] of heart disease. He left Bartow on Wednesday afternoon, in apparent good health, and reaching Fort Meade that evening, passed the night with Mr. P. Dzialynski. Next morning he arose and went to the meeting and speaking to George Dzialynski on his way. Not appearing at breakfast time, a search was made for him, when he was found sitting in the water-closet--dead. Thus another old settler has passed away.
[Comment by Kyle VanLandingham: There is a long tradition and belief in the Parker family that John Parker died of poisoning. He had sold some cattle at Punta Rassa and then went to Camp Meeting near Fort Meade. At some point he was given a drink of poisoned liquor which caused his death. Another account says he was poisoned by food and died in the outhouse with his feet sticking out the door. It is also understood that Thomas Owen Parker, son of Col. John Parker, hunted down and killed the man who had murdered his father.]
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Bartow Informant, November 12, 1881
Richard, the prisoner under arrest for stealing Col. John Parker’s money, made his escape last Sunday, and Judge Mitchell instructed the grand jury to investigate the matter, which we are informed they did. The sheriff placed him in charge of a youth to take an evening walk; when out of the town limits, he sprang upon the youth and disarmed him, took the pistol and escaped.
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Bartow Informant, March 18, 1882
The following is an approximate statement of herds owned by some of the more wealthy cattle men in south Florida:
Z[i]ba King, 30,000; Hendry Bros., 20,000; H. T. Lykes, 10,000; J. T. Lesley, 9,000; Summerlin & Son, 12,000; Ben. Guy, 8,000; Irvin Lock[ler], 7,000; W. B. Henderson, 7,000; W. H. Vanderipe, Nelson Lock[ler], A. G. Zipprer, W. H. Willingham and several others, own herds of from 3,000 to 5,000.
A slightly revised edition of this was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, Fla), 1C, September 4, 2008.
March 29, 2001 & October 17, 2001, September 4, 2008