For Sale —American Paradise (57 page)

34. On January 27, 1914, Floyd Chaffin, a civil engineer:
Weekly Miami Metropolis
, April 9, 1915

35. Tell Sheriff Baker not to send any more “chicken-hearted men”: Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928) pp. 10–11

35. Finally, the family made a cynical calculation:
Weekly Miami Metropolis
, April 9, 1915

35. But three had dared to vote to convict John Ashley of murder:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, July 1, 1914

36. “All this madness, all this rage, all this flaming death”: Russell, Bertrand, edited by Ray Perkins Jr.,
Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell: A Lifelong Fight for Peace, Justice and Truth in Letters to the Editor
(Peru, Illinois, Open Court Publishing Company, a division of Carus Publishing Company, 2002) p. 35

36. . . . the newspaper's editors misspelled “Serb” and “Serbian”:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, June 29, 1914

37. Bryan submitted his resignation: Kazin, Michael,
A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan
(New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 2006) pp. 232–242

37. . . . so he was never handcuffed, and he was allowed to receive home-cooked suppers: Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928) pp. 10–11;
Daily Tropical Sun
, November 16, 1914

37–38. . . . then told the 150 potential jurors that any of them who were sick:
Stuart Times
, November 11, 1914

38. As usual, Ashley was not in handcuffs when he got into an automobile:
Daily Tropical Sun
, November 16, 1914

39. . . . seagulls learned that when a passenger train crossed the bridge: Work Projects Administration,
Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State
(New York, Oxford University Press, 1939) p. 312

40. “They were young fellows, and they looked like farmers”:
The New York Times
, February 8, 1915

40. But the men turned out to be drifters:
New York Sun
, February 9, 1915

40. It so happened that silent film director George Terwilliger:
Evening Ledger
of Philadelphia, February 26, 1915

41. . . . C. C. Myers and a boatload of tourist hunters:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, February 16, 1915

41. On Tuesday, February 23, the Ashleys committed the crime:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, February 23, 1915

42. Somehow, John Ashley was shot in the head:
New York Times
, February 24, 1915; Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928), pp. 13–15;
Stuart News
, January 9, 1964;
Daily Tropical Sun
, February 27, 1915

43. In 1915, Edwin Menninger was a senior at Washburn: Winslow, Walker,
The Menninger Story
(Garden City, New York, Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1956) pp. 158–161

43. On March 22, Ashley was in court in West Palm Beach:
Daily Tropical Sun
, March 10, 1915;
Daily Tropical Sun
, March 11, 1915

44. In 1909, L. D. Reagin, publisher of the
Sarasota Times
:
Sarasota Herald
, April 24, 1928

44. Still, a few dreamers were willing to try: Perry, Francis W., and Jaudon, James F.,
History of the Tamiami Trail
(Miami, Florida, Tamiami Trail Commissioners and Dade County Board of Commissioners, 1928) pp. 4–7

45. Judge Pierre Branning issued some special instructions:
Weekly Miami Metropolis
, April 2, 1915;
Weekly Miami Metropolis
, April 9, 1915;
Stuart News
, January 9, 1964; Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928) pp. 18–19;
Daily Tropical Sun
of West Palm Beach, June 4, 1915;
The De Soto County News
, June 3, 1915

47. Some people who were acquainted with Joe Ashley:
Stuart News
, January 9, 1964

47. The Ashleys' jailbreak attempt came in a sudden:
Daily Tropical Sun
, June 4, 1915;
De Soto County News
, June 3, 1915; Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928) pp. 18–19

49–50. Among the discussion items on their agenda was the proposed highway: Perry, Francis W., and Jaudon, James F.,
History of the Tamiami Trail
(Miami, Florida, Tamiami Trail Commissioners and Dade County Board of Commissioners, 1928) pp. 4–16

50. . . . met in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to discuss the road's route: Perry, Francis W., and Jaudon, James F.,
History of the Tamiami Trail
(Miami, Florida, Tamiami Trail Commissioners and Dade County Board of Commissioners, 1928) p. 7

50. “. . . a splendid road from this city to Tampa”:
Miami Herald
, October 15, 1915

51. On August 4, A. J. Rose, Ashley's court-appointed attorney:
Weekly Miami Metropolis
, August 4, 1916

51. Ashley left the jail handcuffed:
Weekly Miami Metropolis
, September 15, 1916

51. “Hands up, gentlemen,”:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, September 15, 1916

51. For the next two weeks, the robbers fought a running gun battle:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, September 19, 1916;
Miami Daily Metropolis
, September 21, 1916

51. . . . about forty miles north of Gainesville:
Evening Independent
, November 15, 1916; Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928), p. 20

51–52. On February 10, Miami engineer John W. King: Perry, Francis W., and Jaudon, James F.,
History of the Tamiami Trail
(Miami, Florida, Tamiami Trail Commissioners and Dade County Board of Commissioners, 1928) p. 25; Larned, W. Livingston, “Lost in the Everglades,”
Forest and Stream
(eight-part series), February 1918 and May 1918 p. 278

53. John Ashley was back to his old tricks: Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928) p. 20;
Palm Beach Post
, July 11, 1918

54. . . . world events were inexorably dragging the United States: Koenig, Louis W.,
Bryan: A Political Biography of William Jennings Bryan
(New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1971) pp. 568–569: Rice, Arnold S., and Krout, John A.,
United States History
from 1865
, (New York, Harper Perennial, 20th Edition, 1991) pp. 168–172

55. Suffering from a leg injury that wouldn't heal: Seebohm, Caroline,
Boca Rococo: How Addison Mizner Invented Florida's Gold Coast
(New York, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2001) pp. 151–156; Tindall, George B., “Bubble in the Sun,”
American Heritage
, August 1965; Boulton, Alexander O., “The Tropical Twenties,”
American Heritage
, May/June 1990

Chapter Four: Leave Your Brain at Home

56. “There was an immense, all-pervading disillusionment”: Catton, Bruce, “The Restless Decade,”
American Heritage
, August 1965

56. “. . . into the easy-
going life and beauty of the European past”: Allen, Frederick Lewis,
Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s
(New York, Perennial Classics/Harper Collins, 2000) p. 237

58. “I would like to acclaim an era of good feeling”:
Gettysburg Times
, March 4, 1921

58. “We are not doing anything to combat this propaganda”:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, November 23, 1921

58. In November 1921, Merrick had added several thousand acres: Tindall, George B., “Bubble in the Sun,”
American Heritage
, August 1965

58. . . . sold his first lots for $600 each:
Evening Independent
, December 2, 1974

58. . . . knowledgeable people thought Merrick's plans were doomed: Roberts, Kenneth L.,
Florida
(New York and London, Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1926) pp. 75–89

59. “. . . practically down to his last dollar”: Fisher, Jane,
Fabulous Hoosier: A Story of American Achievement
(Chicago, Harry Coleman & Company, 1953) pp. 135–137

60. Fisher installed Harding in one of the luxurious villas:
Miami Daily Metropolis
, January 31, 1921;
Miami Daily Metropolis
, February 2, 1921

60. . . . John Ashley and his felonious family had been operating three moonshine stills: Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928) p. 20

61. Selling booze to Florida bootleggers was such an economic boon to the Bahamas: Buchanan, Patricia, “Miami's Bootleg Boom,”
Tequesta
, vol. 30, 1979, p. 18

61. When Poucher and a deputy arrived: Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928), p. 20

62. Three days later, Ashley was behind bars again:
Palm Beach Post,
June 5, 1921

62. Just after dark on Wednesday, October 19, 1921, Ed and Frank Ashley: Stuart, Hix C.,
The Notorious Ashley Gang: A Saga of the King and Queen of the Everglades
(Stuart, Florida, St. Lucie Printing Co., Inc., 1928) pp. 24–25;
Palm Beach Post
, November 14, 1921

63. . . . prices for bootleg liquor in Miami were low: Roberts, Kenneth L.,
Florida
(New York and London, Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1926) pp. 75–89;
Miami Daily Metropolis
, January 31, 1921;
Davenport Democrat
, March 21, 1922

64. Business was usually quiet in the mid-afternoons:
The Lima News
, January 10, 1925;
Miami Daily Metropolis
, May 13, 1922;
Palm Beach Post
, May 13, 1922;
Ocala Star-Banner
, November 7, 1954

65. . . . and signed an order allowing Mobley, Matthews, and Middleton to be temporarily transferred:
Ocala Star-Banner
, November 7, 1954;
Miami Daily Metropolis
, December 15, 1922

66. In February 1923, Collier bought a dredge:
Collier County News
of Naples, Florida, April 26, 1928

66. In Fort Myers, civic and business leaders decided that something had to be done to revive public interest: McIver, Stuart,
True Tales of the Everglades
(Boynton Beach, Florida, Florida Flair Books, 1989) pp. 23–24; Kay, Russell, “Tamiami Trail Blazers: A Personal Memoir,”
Florida Historical Quarterly
, vol. 49, no. 3, January 1971, p. 281

67. “The outside world had no knowledge”: Kay, Russell, “Tamiami Trail Blazers: A Personal Memoir,”
Florida Historical Quarterly
, vol. 49, no. 3, January 1971, p. 281

67. On April 11, the
Miami Herald
sent a reporter aloft:
Logansport
(Indiana)
Pharos-Tribune
, April 13, 1923;
San Antonio Express
, April 12, 1923;
The Eau Claire
(Wisconsin)
Leader
, April 12, 1923;
Miami Herald
, April 19, 1923

68. main group was still several days behind them:
Miami Herald
, April 22, 1923

68. In Fort Myers, people were furious:
Fort Myers Press
, April 18, April 19, April 23–28, April 30, May 1–2, 1923