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CONTACT:
Dean Dixon
Historical Resources Assistant
(941) 749-1800 ext. 4070
March 2003 Article
Introduction: The Manatee
County Historical Records Library is a wealth
of information about our local past. Documents from
as early as the 1850's describe the life and times
of Manatee County residents and weave many an interesting
tale. Each month, we will post a new story for you
based on documents in our library. We invite all of
you to come to the library, located
at 1405 4th Avenue West, to see these documents
for yourself and to touch, feel and experience our
heritage.
Arson in Pioneer Florida
Click here to
see the Circuit Court Docket from the trial
Life was uncertain for anyone living in this area in 1880,
but for poor laborers there were hazards that landowners didn't
face. They depended on their employers to provide for them
in the wilderness and, if that support was not there, they
didn't have land to fall back on. Matthew Vass was a black
man working on a plantation in post-Civil War Manatee County
Florida in 1880. The choices that Vass made when he faced
that situation are unclear today because little evidence remains.
But one thing is clear, he became embroiled in an arson case
that led to him being put on trial for the burning of his
boss's house.
James Sikes ran a plantation near Shaw's Point. In July of
1880, he decided he had to take a trip to Tampa and he remained
there 9 days. He had a group of men working for him, one of
which was Matthew Vass, who was black. The number and race
of the others is not mentioned in any of the court documents,
but it is likely that they were black as well because, when
the men's supplies ran out, Matthew was sent to Manatee as
a spokesman for the group to get provisions. If any of the
others were white, in those days, they would have gone to
town instead of Vass.
Matthew Vass went to Manatee to check with the local stores
to see if Mr. Sikes had left an order for provisions. His
first stop was at the Gates' store. He was told that he had
not. Vass then went to the Curry's store and was again told
that James Sikes had not left an order for provisions. Matthew
Vass went back to the plantation and returned later in the
week to Curry's store. This time Vass asked if he could have
some provisions and was told by Curry that he needed to have
an order from Sikes before he could get supplies. Then Curry
told him that if Sikes had not come back by Friday he would
give him some supplies. Matthew Vass returned on Friday and
instead of getting supplies, Curry told Vass that he should
go to Sikes' house and make sure that he was not sick and
at home. After this visit is when things really began to go
wrong for Vass.
Several of the towns most known and respected citizens including
William Vanderipe Sr., Ferman Whitiker Jr. and Josiah Gates
were driving cattle to Shaw's Point to be loaded on to boats
and shipped out to market. They stopped at Sikes' Hammock
to graze their cattle. While they were there, they saw Vass
riding down the road on a horse that was owned by Sikes, heading
away from Sikes house. The men then saw Sikes' house on fire.
They got to the house as quick as they could, but the house
burned so quickly that they could not save it. All that was
saved unburned from the house was one trunk. The men, convinced
that Vass had set fire to the house, quickly went after Vass
and he was arrested and brought to trial.
In the trial, Vass faced some of the leading citizens of the
county. The testimony against him included no eyewitness saying
that they saw Vass setting the fire. In fact, none of the
witnesses could find horse tracks around the house where Vass
had supposedly been. One young witness who lived near Sikes
said that he heard the horses of the cattle drivers, but never
heard the horse of Vass. Sikes himself said that as far as
he could tell, nothing in the house was disturbed.
Unfortunately, the records of the event do not say what the
final disposition of the trial was. It is likely that Vass
understood the verdict would go against him, because the records
indicate that he ran off. In this case, running off may not
be an indication guilt but a recognition that his innocence
wasn't going to change the outcome. Vass may have set fire
to the house, but the fact that he was left without supplies
and had to go begging gave everyone a reason to suspect him
whether he did it or not. Running from the house also made
it easy to blame him.
Dean Dixon, Historical Resources Assistant, Manatee County
Clerk of Courts
Sources: Court documents
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