The Curious Killing of Charles Sudmall

Charles E. Sudmall may be remembered locally as the man who built our Exchange Hotel in Milton, and the manager of the West Florida Telephone, and Telegraph company. There is much more to his story, however.

            Sudmall immigrated to the U.S. from Dundag, Russia, (present day, Latvia) in 1895 when he was 20, or 21 years old. The Massachusetts State and Federal Naturalization records state that he arrived on the tenth of June, 1895. He signed a Declaration to denounce Tsar Nicholas of Russia, and become a citizen of the United States. A passport application in 1912 stated that he arrived from Buenos Aires in June of 1895 aboard the ship, Angara. The application stated that he lived in Boston, New Port, Rhode Island, Pensacola, and Milton, residing in the U.S. for 16 years.

            By 1898, he was living in Pensacola on South Palafox, and working as a “bayman”, which is defined as a person who fishes the bay.  In just a few years, however he was living in Milton, and listed his occupation as an electrician.

            By 1906, he was living in Milton and was the manager of the Milton Telephone Exchange, and in September of that year, he was charged with the murder of an attorney named Lawrence N. Ervin. According to newspaper accounts, he and Ervin were having dinner, and Ervin felt insulted over something that was said. He demanded an apology, and Sudmall refused and left the scene to walk over to a livery stable. Ervin followed him and once again demanded an apology. Sudmall again refused and walked away, this time to the phone exchange building, where he went to the second-floor balcony and sat down. About 30 minutes later, Ervin appeared and cursing, once again demanded an apology. This time when Sudmall refused, Ervin produced a knife, and cut Sudmall at least two times. Sudmall then struck Ervin in the face causing him to fall off of the balcony, and fracturing his skull on the street below. Ervin died about 10 days later. (He is buried in DeFuniak Springs).

            Represented by future Attorney-General Thomas F. West, Sudmall was exonerated during a hearing with Judge Holley due to self-defense.

            Sudmall did become a naturalized citizen in Pensacola in June of 1911. His passport application describes him as: 5’9” tall; prominent forehead; hazel eyes; prominent “Greek” nose, medium mouth, and chin; dark hair with olive complexion, and a rather large face. He left the country and went back to Russia to visit his family for a few months.

He registered for the draft in September 1918, showing his occupation as “Telephone Manager”.  In the 1919 publication, The American Telephone Journal, he is described as the General Manager of the Gulf Telephone and Telegraph company at Milton. He had been in the business for 13 years and had 200 subscribers. Before getting into the business he had worked at the Pensacola Navy Yard in the electrical department. He was a member of the Florida Telephone Association.

            Charles Sudmall was a pretty wealthy man by the time the ‘20s rolled around. Not only did he own the Telephone exchange in Milton, but he owned the Marianna Telephone Exchange, the Exchange Hotel, and a hotel in Floridatown. He had no family in the United States. He never married, and seemed focused on his businesses and becoming successful. One of his business partners in Milton was Grover Cleveland (Cleve) Harvell, the son of the former local Sheriff, James Harvell. Cleve Harvell and Sudmall were partners in a garage in town, located at the corner of Oak, and Elmira Streets, and Harvell was also an agent for Star Automobiles.  

A Very Suspicious Killing

            On the last morning of his life, Charles Sudmall’s conversation with Cleve Harvell was partially overheard by Mr. Falk, (or maybe, Faulk) who owned the Santa Rosa Hotel. Falk was at the garage to pay a bill and heard Sudmall ask Harvell if he was going to be busy. Harvell said he was going to Pensacola but would see him on his return. Falk later testified that the conversation seemed friendly.

            Culver W. Cobb later testified that he, Harvell, and H.C. Collins took a trip to Pensacola the day of the killing. Harvell had a .32 caliber pistol, and he had fired it from the ferry as they were returning. Cobb said this pistol was the same one found next to Sudmall’s body later that evening.

            About 7:20 pm, Mrs. Hinote, the night operator at the phone exchange received a call from Harvell looking for Sudmall. She transferred the call to the hotel and waited on the line for Sudmall to answer. She heard Harvell say, “Well, I got back.” Sudmall said, “Who is this”? “Cleve.” “I’ll be right down” Sudmall said. He then stopped by his office and got something from his desk and put it in his pocket. Lillie Nelson said she saw him do this 6, or 7 minutes before the shooting.

            Apparently, when Sudmall reached the garage, there was an immediate sound of gunfire. Cleve Harvell, and Walton C. Rhoades, (sometime referred to as Walter), were the only ones in the garage when Sudmall entered. C.W. Cobb claimed that he and another man were the first to reach the garage after the shooting, and were let into the building by Rhoades. He testified that a pistol found next to Sudmall’s body was the same one Harvell was displaying earlier in the day. He also claimed that Harvell walked him to the back of the garage, and requested that he not identify the pistol as belonging to him.

            Luther Fisher, undertaker, examined Sudmall’s body later that evening. He found eight bullet wounds; five in the body, one in the leg, and two in the arm. He testified that Harvell, who was a close friend of his, admitted that both he and Rhoades had shot Sudmall. Fisher said the killing was planned and premeditated. Rhoades was instructed to hide in the corner and shoot Sudmall as soon as he entered the garage. Rhoades missed the first two shots, but then hit him three times. Harvell hit him with five shots. Harvell then claimed that Sudmall was his best friend in Milton and that Rhoades had killed him. He asked Fisher to say that the body only had five bullet wounds. L. Douglas Wolfe, an assistant of Fisher’s, (and later owner of the Wolfe Funeral Home), testified that while he was preparing Sudmall’s body and sewing up the bullet holes, someone asked how many bullet holes there were and Harvell spoke up and said, “There ain’t more than five, are there?” and winked his eyes at Wolfe. Supposedly Harvell was drunk at the time, but other witnesses claimed he was sober.

            State Attorney Thompson’s case was that:

·           Harvell, and Sudmall were in business together.

·           Harvell called Sudmall over the phone to come to the garage.

·           Sudmall was shot as he entered the building.

·           Sudmall’s body had two different kinds of bullets in it.

·           Eight bullets entered his body.

·           Only Rhoades, and Harvell were waiting in the garage.

              The pistol found by Sudmall belonged to Harvell.

The defense claimed self-defense, and Rhoades took all the blame for the killing. The first trial of the two in the spring ended in a mistrial. After the mistrial, attorneys for Harvell, and Rhoades filed a writ of Habeas Corpus with the Florida Supreme Court and got them released on $5000 bail until they were retried.  On October 3, 1924, after a retrial, Harvell was acquitted and Rhoades was “Nol Prossed”. They dropped prosecution on Rhoades.

This whole case stinks. Remember, Charles Sudmall was a very wealthy, successful man with no family ties in the United States. In December 1923, County Judge H. W. Thompson, appointed Culver W. Cobb, (yes, the same one who testified at the Harvell trial), as Curator of Sudmall’s estate. Sudmall’s Last Will and Testament had been written and witnessed in May of 1910. The original executor that Sudmall requested had passed away, so the vacancy was filled by Cobb. I believe Thompson is the same State Attorney who led the prosecution of Harvell, and Rhoades.

Listed in the inventory of Sudmall’s possessions were seven automobiles:

·           Ford Touring Car 1917 model

·           Ford Touring Car 1923 model

·           Cole Eight Touring car

·           Willys-Knight Touring car, model 64. Serial #28860, motor #76600

·           New Overland Red Bird Car model 92, Ser #11065, motor #92-16419

·           New Overland Touring car model 91, Ser # 49460, motor #52367

·           Another Overland Touring car model 91, Ser # 49372, motor# 52708

I am thinking the cars were part of the inventory for sale in the business Sudmall owned with Harvell. I would like to know, but so far haven’t been able to find out, what happened to the cars. Supposedly they were to be sold with the proceeds going to the estate. I wonder who ended up with them, and at what price.

Culver W. Cobb was born in April 1890, and his father was Farrar H. Cobb.  He was a cashier at the First National Bank in Milton.

            After, Sudmall was killed, the West Florida Telephone, and Telegraph Company met in Marianna, and selected a new President. Peter L. Rosasco was made President, and R.A. McGeachy a Director. McGeachy was a Milton Attorney.

            At some point, Peter Rosasco was made Administrator of Sudmall’s estate. In October of 1927, Arthur B. Lule, Solicitor General of Latvia requested Rosasco be removed from his role. The request was granted by Judge McLeod. Mr. Rule was acting at the request of Charles Sudmall’s father Karl and he was charging a “misappropriation, or misapplication of funds.”  Rosasco was removed as administrator on Oct. 22. (In 1989, Bill Rosasco renovated the Exchange Hotel. The newspaper referred to him as the owner.)

            What a tangled web it was. I believe that there was a plot to do away with this foreigner who had become successful in this country, and divide his wealth. Of course, a jury in Santa Rosa County was going to acquit a well-known local boy of killing someone from Russia.

                                                Article from Pensacola Journal Oct. 8, 1927

                                

Whatever Happened to….

Cleve Harvell died 12 June 1974, and is buried at Ft. Barrancus National Cemetery. On his WWI draft registration card, it states that he is a Chief Deputy Sheriff.  He served in the U.S. Army from 9 Nov 1917 to 7 Dec 1918. In 1921 he married Ruby Wiggins. In 1925 They live in Tallahassee and he is the Manager of the M.A. Houston Motor Company.

Walton Canvass Rhoades was born in 1879. In the 1910 census for Santa Rosa County he is listed as a Druggist. In the 1909 fire that burned most of downtown Milton, he lost his drug store. Shortly after he reopened in the Wiggins building.

He married Nancy Charity Hilton in Milton on 23 Aug 1903, and in the 1920 census she is listed as a Hotel Proprietor. I was unable to find him listed in 1920. 

In 1929 He, and his wife are living in Miami, and he is in the Produce business.

In 1930 he is living in Pahokee, Palm Beach County, Fl, and listed as a grower, and buyer for fruits and vegetables, while his wife and daughter are in Knoxville, Tenn. Working at the LeConte Hotel.

Walton C. Rhoades

In 1934, Nan is shown as the Manager of the Bay Court Apartments in Miami.

It looks like they stayed in the Miami area until he passed away in 1937, and she died in 1959. They are both buried in the Woodlawn Park North Cemetery in Miami.