Tale of a Lynching

Tale of a Lynching

On Sunday night, 3 Oct 1937, J. C. Evans of Port St. Joe was taken from police custody and lynched just north of Ft. Walton Beach.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Joe T. Allen, and Deputy Aubrey Martin were transporting Evans from Panama City, to Milton. They left Panama City around 10:45 pm for the transfer. Around midnight they reached the highway leading from Ft. Walton Beach to Milton. A car forced them to stop, and 5 men, (some reports say 4 men), wearing black masks got out and leveled 2 shotguns and several handguns at the two officers. “We want that N_____”, one of them said.

Sheriff Allen later said that the men forced him and his prisoner into their car. They drove a mile down the road and letting Allen out, they gave him his car keys. The Sheriff walked the mile back to his car and he and Dep. Martin drove in the direction the five men traveled in. After about three miles they found Evans' body lying on the side of the road riddled with buckshot.  Allen and Martin traveled on to Milton, where Allen called Okaloosa County Sheriff John P. Steele in Crestview, who along with County Judge Wilbur Osborne, summoned a Coroner’s Jury and went to the scene.  Allen said he did not recognize any of the men. Sheriff Allen also insisted that no one in Milton knew of the transfer plans.

Governor Fred P. Cone ordered a complete investigation with full punishment for the guilty parties. State Attorney E. Dixie Beggs, Jr. of Pensacola went to Crestview to investigate.

Evans Crime Spree:  Evans was arrested in Bay County on July 12, on a charge of armed robbery in the hold-up of Joe Ansley, on July 10.

J.C. Evans was arrested at a Panama City downtown garage where he was returning to pick up a car he had left behind for repairs. Sheriff Steele, “true to his reputation”, made the arrest without “firearms on his person”. (Another article claimed the arrest was made by Sheriff Scott of Bay County which would make more sense.) Evans was charged with a weekend crime spree that included the alleged theft of a car from R.B. Strickland, of Parker, which is located near Panama City.  He then flagged down Milton Lumberman Henry C. Wood, four miles west of Navarre, robbed him of $40, and stole his car.  Less than two hours later he robbed 18-year- old Sherman Fortune who was working alone at the Sunset Service Station, four miles east of Milton. Fortune said that Evans had bought some gas and oil, and followed him inside to get some change. Once inside, he made Fortune give him the contents of the cash register, then he drove him two miles down the road before dropping him off.  He was also wanted for criminal assault on a 12-year-old boy, but so far, I haven’t been able to find out anything else on this. His last crime was the robbery of Mr. Ansley. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in Raiford. He was being transferred back to Milton to stand trial for the service station robbery.

Joe Ansley testified at Evan’s trial that he had left Panama City for Crestview when he stopped at Pine Log creek on the Freeport Highway to take a bath. He was bathing under a bridge when he heard a car stop. He looked up and saw an adult black male, (later identified as Evans), looking down at him. Evans made his way down to Ansley and engaged him in conversation. Evans then went back up to his car and returned with a gun. Ansley testified that Evans told him to, “Put my pants over my head”. Evans was searching through his belongings when he noticed that Ansley was watching him. He ran over and hit Ansley on the head with the gun and threatened to, “Knock my brains out”. He then told Ansley to run away into the swamp. Evans pursued him for a short distance and fired one shot. Then he returned to the bridge and taking $39 cash, a new $35 watch, and Ansley’s car, left the scene. Ansley hitchhiked to Vernon and called the Sheriff’s office.  

After his conviction in the Ansley robbery, Sheriff Allen requested to bring Evans to Milton to stand trial for the crimes in Santa Rosa County. Sheriff John Scott of Bay County obtained permission from the state to make the transfer with the stipulation that Evans be returned to state custody regardless of the outcome of the Milton trial.

No one was ever arrested or prosecuted for the lynching of J. C. Evans. Authorities speculated that it was committed by men from the Milton area, but there is no evidence to support that. 

As always, if anyone has any additional information on this case, I would like to hear from you.