Good Day to all! What a stressful three weeks! Hope everyone is doing okay. I’ve lived here almost 73 years and have never experienced anything like it. Sorry I was unable to get a column out two weeks ago.
Did you know Punta Gorda has not always been the peaceful town folks see today? Around 1900, just 13 years after its incorporation, the city we all love was a small, rough and tumble frontier town averaging two or three murders annually. One of the most notorious occurred around 7 pm on the evening of January 29, 1903.
John H. Bowman, 45 years old, had recently been reelected to his fourth term as Punta Gorda’s City Marshal. The pay was $50.00 a month, not a bad salary in those days. He was an imposing figure with a large handlebar mustache and obviously popular with the citizens. However, that popularity, due to his success arresting “undesirables” and shutting down establishments selling illegal alcohol, undoubtedly created enemies.
Once arrested, detainees were held in the “calaboose”, a shed containing a strap iron cage located on an alley behind Marshal Bowman’s home, which was on Taylor Street where the county’s historic courthouse now stands. Amazingly, the iron cage was rediscovered several years ago and is now on display in the Punta Gorda Historical Society’s History Park on Shreve Street.
That January evening, after dinner, the marshal was at home sitting in the front parlor with his wife and four children, preparing for a trip to visit relatives the next day in Wauchula. Suddenly, with two-year-old daughter Betty in his lap, a shotgun blast fired through a window struck him in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Examination of the wound determined that the shotgun shell’s casing had likely been “scored” to keep its cluster of pellets in a tight pattern. A hunter’s trick used to increase killing power. Miraculously, no one else was injured.
At the time, several boys were playing near stables across the street from Bowman’s home and one claimed to have seen someone flee the scene, passing by the stables. However, he was unable to recognize him. Undisturbed footprints were found nearby and Sheriff T. E. Fiedler brought bloodhounds from Arcadia. They picked up a trail leading to the Railroad Dock at the foot of King Street (U. S. 41 north today), where it was lost. The next day, Marshal Bowman was buried at Indian Springs Cemetery. Sometime later, a shotgun was found in waters near the Railroad Dock. Unfortunately, although believed to be the murder weapon, it was untraceable.
The marshal’s widow soon moved across the river to live with her mother in Charlotte Harbor. Making the events of January 29th even more tragic, she died two years later and the children were placed in the Arcadia Orphanage for adoption. Three men were eventually arrested for the murder. More on that in my next column.
Photographs of Marshal Bowman can be viewed on the Punta Gorda History Center’s website. Select “Online Collection”, then “Keyword Search” and enter the search criteria.
“Did You Know” appears, typically, every other Wednesday, courtesy of this newspaper and the Charlotte County Historical Society. The Society’s mission is to help promote and preserve Charlotte County’s rich history. We are also always looking for volunteers and interested individuals to serve as board members. If you believe our area’s history is as important as we do, please visit Charlotte County Historical Society on-line at https://cchistoricalsociety.com/, or call 941- 769-1270 for more information
Check out History Services’ yearlong project, “Telling Your Stories: History in the Parks”. It began in January 2021 with placement of the first interpretive sign “Charlotte Harbor Spa” at South County Regional Park. The last was dedicated December 15, 2021 at Centennial Park featuring Florida postcards. All dedicated signs can be viewed at online library resources. Select “Programs and Services”, then “History Services” and “Virtual Programs”.
Visit the same site to access recently released oral histories featuring 40 local folks. Select “History Services” and scroll down, or phone 941-629-7278, to find out what history related programs and videos are available.
October 23 column
