Page 4A
Longboat Key News
Friday, August 4, 2006
The Sara Sota Assassination Society
As the floodgates to Florida opened
and homesteaders moved into what
became Sarasota and Manatee counties, farmers with their families —
who were more honest than not
— moved in alongside the renegades
and troublemakers.
Manatee County at one time
stretched from Tampa Bay to
Charlotte Harbor and from the Gulf
to Lake Okeechobee, when settlers
came before the last Indian war. The
village of Manatee is now Bradenton.
It was also the county seat and post
office location at that time.
They were frontier towns, with
very little regard for any kind of law.
“Carpetbaggers” came down
from the North to take advantage of
economic opportunities in Florida,
including real estate expansion. They
came to the “last frontier” with their
bags made of scraps of fabric or carpet that was popular at the time.
“Scalawags” came from other
southern states. They were Unionists,
who needed to leave the home of the
Confederacy.
Carpetbaggers and scalawags were
said to be running the government in
the Manatee County Voting District 7,
the first county voting district, which
was located in the city of Manatee.
Carpetbaggers and Scalawags
As carpetbaggers and scalawags
populated the huge county from the
Manatee Village to Charlotte Harbor,
arguments grew because of the loca-
tion of the county seat and the
from historical records. It
post office. It was located on
is generally believed that
the north end of the county, and
it was a loosely disguised
many felt it should be moved to
Democratic Club, accorda more central location.
ing to Williams.
In 1886, county commissionDecember 1885, the
ers decided to move the county
postmaster at Sarasota
seat.
was assassinated by the
W.H. Vanderite from Manatee
vigilantes.
Village (now Bradenton),
It was a politically motiErasmus Rye from Rough and
vated attack. Charles
Ready (now Palmetto), D.L.
Abbe was a Republican.
Hawkins from Long Creek
He was influential and
(near Sarasota), F.B. Hagan from
was responsible for namWaldron (near Lilly), Maxwell “Carpetbaggers” came down from the North to take advantage of
ing Sarasota.
Whidden from Cool and Easy economic opportunities
He applied for the first
(near Wauchula), W.A. Johnson
post office, and got it with
from Joshua Creek, William Collins as a courthouse, and saw to it that three a regular income. He almost named
from Daniels (west side of Horse Creek), roads would serve the county seat.
Sarasota “Helena,” but settled on
Williams said that James Green “Sara Sota.”
and E.W. Thompson from Greene (now
Gardner) were the commissioners who appointed himself postmaster, and James
Before assassinating Abbe, they
T. Magbee — Tampa’s most notorious killed Harrison “Tip” Riley, who
made this decision.
They also consulted prominent settlers scalawag — as judge for the sixth circuit. was a farmer in the Bee Ridge area
Jesse Knight, James D. Green, John John Bartholf was a carpetbagger, who of Manatee County. It was thought
Platt Sr., Enoch Mizell, Eli Morgan, came from New York and entered the Riley was on his way to warn
political arena at Manatee Village. He was Abbe.
and Maxcy Whidden.
According to Lindsey Williams in his appointed clerk of the court by Green.
Riley was ambushed on a country
Magbee was said to be the law at Pine road by three vigilantes — Louis
book, “Fascinating Past,” the site committee rode around Peace River valley for Level, a judge who cited for contempt of Cato, Tom Dryman and Edmund
five days. Each member was paid $3 per court anyone who displeased him.
Bacon.They all fired at him at once,
The Legislature forced his retirement but he didn’t die until Cato cut his
day for food and lodging and 10 cents a
day for horse care. They recommended in 1874.
throat. The coroner ruled that Riley
Bartholf and Green continued to run was killed by “unknown assailants.”
40 acres of high ground with a stand of
pine trees ten miles west of Tater Hill, the county until vigilantes began harassing him and he moved to Jacksonville.
which was later named Arcadia.
Throat Cut
The commission adopted the report
Abbe was killed by vigilanunanimously and named the location, Oath of Punishment
te Charlie Willard on Dec. 24,
According to Williams, the Vigilance 1884, while Abbe was painting his
Pine Level.
They built a one-room cabin to serve Committee was organized in 1883 at upturned boat on the beach. He
Sarasota by a physician named Dr. was being helped with his task by a
Leonard F. Andrews and a disgruntled winter guest, Charles Morehouse.
“Yankee,” Alfred Bidwell. There were Willard shot Abbe through his head.
22 members including three doctors and Morehouse ran for his life, but
three lawyers.
paused to hide in the bushes, only
Members had an oath they took to to see Willard slit Abbe’s throat and
“inflict punishment” on carpetbaggers, then drag his body into a boat.
land grabbers and reconstruction “nigA 26-man posse was formed.
gars.”
Willard was found on the fourth
Williams also refers to the society as day and taken to Pine Level County
the Sara Sota Vigilance Committee, Jail.
while Janet Snyder Matthews’“Journey
Sarasota folks had had enough by
to Centennial Sarasota,” calls the group of now. They demanded that the reign
murderers the “Sara Sota Assassination of terror be stopped. Dr. Adam
Society.”
Hunter, a vigilante, confessed. Eight
It was thought that the secret society other members of the assassination
might be an offshoot of the Ku Klux society were arrested, one of them
Klan, which sprang up through the South Bidwell. He tried to kill himself by
after the Civil War, though that is not clear taking a massive dose of heroin.
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