Good Day to all! Did you know that although three men, George Battersby, Dick Windham, and Isaiah Cooper, were arrested for the murder of Marshal John Bowman and one even convicted, the killer’s true identity remains a mystery?
When the marshal was shot, a group of boys were playing around a stable near the Bowman house and one, on the stable’s roof, had seen the gunshot’s flash. He could not identify the assailant but saw him run in a direction that allegedly passed two other citizens who claimed it was Isaiah Cooper. However, he had an alibi. His boarding house landlord corroborated Isaiah’s claim that he was there when the shot was fired.
Outraged townsfolk offered a $700 reward and raised $1,000 to hire a private detective from Tampa. Although 20 pages of evidence were gathered against Battersby and Windham, locals with a history of bootlegging arrests, and they were taken into custody, County Judge A. E. Pooser declared the “evidence” worthless and ordered their release.
Within two weeks of the crime, many in Punta Gorda became convinced that Isaiah Cooper was indeed the perpetrator. A carpenter from Fort Ogden, he was staying in town while working on a fish fertilizer factory being built where the Punta Gorda Boat Club building now stands, on the bay at the foot of Berry Street.
During that time, “witnesses” came forward maintaining that in their presence, Cooper had threatened Bowman for falsely arresting him on bootlegging charges. Indicted, several trial witnesses destroyed Cooper’s alibi, since surprisingly, Circuit Judge W. B. Wall did not allow his landlord to testify. In another interesting twist, Isaiah was prosecuted by the same Tampa attorney, H. B. Phillips, who had successfully defended the first two suspects arrested. A jury of 12 DeSoto County men, none were allowed from Punta Gorda, found him guilty and he was sentenced to hang at noon on August 5, 1904.
Cooper strenuously maintained his innocence, claiming the “Whitecaps” had done it, throughout the trial, a Florida Supreme Court review, and petitions to the state pardoning board. At the time, local vigilante committees were commonly referred to as such.
In addition, a group of Arcadia activists, the Mourning Club, began protesting his sentence. Isaiah’s new attorney, J. W. Brady of Bartow, reached Tallahassee on August 4 with the 20 pages of evidence compiled against Battersby and Windham, meeting with Governor Jennings in a last ditch effort to commute the sentence.
Less than two hours before Cooper was to hang at noon on August 5, DeSoto County Sheriff T. E. Feidler received a telegram from Jennings staying the execution. Some of Punta Gorda’s leading citizens sent their own telegram demanding an explanation, but received only a vague response referencing “new matters” coming to the governor’s attention. The execution was rescheduled for September 1905, stayed again until February 1906, and then postponed further.
In 1908, Punta Gorda’s leading citizen, Albert Gilchrist, was elected governor. He had been one of the first to reach the murder scene vowing to see the assassin hang. However, one of his first acts reduced Cooper’s sentence to life in prison. As was common in those days, he was then leased as a laborer to a turpentine camp near Deland. In September 1913, Isaiah was allowed to walk into a flooded area of the pine woods unaccompanied by guards, never to be seen again. Hmm!
Search for “Marshal John Bowman” on the Internet. Then select Desoto County Times pg 1c to view photographs of the marshal, two of his children, and Isaiah Cooper.
This column appears every other Wednesday, courtesy of the Sun newspaper and the Charlotte County Historical Center Society. The Society exists to help preserve and promote Charlotte County’s rich history. We’re always seeking new members, volunteers, and interested individuals to serve as board members. If you believe our area’s history is as important as we do, please call (941) 833-3828 for more information.
July 25 column
