CULTURAL AND CIVIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT
A History of Tarpon Springs,
as chronicled by newspaper excerpts and City archives
Excerpt: Tarpon Springs Florida The Early Years, by
Gertrude K. Stoughton
The first man buried in Cycadia cemetery was shot; but the killer, W.N.
Conley the bookkeeper, had honestly mistaken him for someone else, and
was not held.
Marshal Rube Jones was "the law -- harsh, arbitrary and
unquestioned..and he sported a pure gold badge. He is said to have used
his gun too freely, and to have been greatly feared, but he had both
friends and enemies. In the end he was gunned down and his killers were
never traced.
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Tropical Breeze , August 1994 -
September 1994.
TOM CRAIG TALKS ABOUT TARPON SPRINGS HISTORY......
Talking about how Tarpon Springs was first settled, Craig said that the
first people who came were from Key West, the Bahamas and from the
southern states. "All the Southerners liked everybody to believe that
they left big plantations somewhere in Carolina or Georgia, but that
wasn't always true. Some of them were running from the law because they
had lost everything they had, and a few did leave big plantations."
"We had a lot of really rough people here, and I mean rough. Tarpon
Springs used to be called Murder, Incorporated. There was lots of
smuggling around here and feuding families." The Ku Klux Klan was
revived in 1924. One of the well-known marshals was Rube Jones. His
badge was made from two $20 gold pieces. "He'd warn people the first
time they broke the law," said Craig. "And the next time he'd just shoot
them."
Craig's father once competed against Rube Jones in a shooting contest.
"My dad was the best quail shot in this part of the county. In those
days you had to hit what you aimed at because nobody had money to waste
on shells" he said.
Barney Anderson* decided to run for Marshal against Rube Jones. On the
walkway by Spring Bayou, Jones, using a shotgun, killed Anderson.
Craig's sisters witnessed the shooting. At the trial Jones convinced the
judge that Anderson had threatened him, and that he was shot in
self-defense. He was released. Rube Jones won the election and continued
to be marshal until he retired around 1920. He was murdered in an ambush
in 1921 and is buried in Cycadia Cemetery.
Reported by: Patricia Pochurek
* * * * * *
Excerpt: St. Petersburg Times, North Pinellas Edition, Sunday, July 3,
1994
Lawman's Badge inspires a look back.
Cycadia Cemetery: Block J, Lot 56, Grave No. 5.
There lies legendary Tarpon Springs lawman Rube T. Jones. Don't look for
a gravestone. You won't find one.
Old cemetery records are the only proof that's where Jones' body was
laid to rest after he was murdered in August 1921, his body pumped full
of buck shots.
Now, more than 70 years since this former city marshal's death, the lore
surrounding Jones is undergoing a renaissance.
It has triggered by a policeman's badge Jones commissioned an artisan to
make for him in 1920 from two $20 gold pieces.
Nick Pappas, the last of more than a dozen police chiefs to wear the
badge before he retired in 1968, wants to see it put on display.
He was given the badge when he retired but returned it a few days later.
It was part of the city's history, and he wanted it displayed for all to
see.
City employees are working to find a secure place to display the badge.
They want to make sure it isn't stolen "The utmost concern is security"
Protos said.
The gold in the badge, ornate with an eagle at its crest and leaves on
the side, would be worth about $750 on today's market, said Chris
Arbutine of Belleair Coins Inc.
But a large market for collectible police memorabilia means the badge
could be worth much more. Although Arbutine hasn't seen the badge, he
estimated it could sell for as much as $2,500 because of its history.
It is a history made more special because of Marshal Jones.
Lore of 'the toughest, meanest, killingest man'
A history of the city, Tarpon Springs, Florida: The Early Years, called
Jones "the law - harsh, arbitrary and unquestioned."
He was a big man said to have been feared by many. A picture of Jones in
the history book shows his size. The caption reads: "The 6 foot 2 inch
Marshall and 6 foot 4 inch Tarpon."
Former Mayor Tom Craig was 20 when Jones was killed. Craig said Jones
"was the toughest, meanest, killingest man."
Craig said he can still remember, although he cannot recall the year,
when Jones was said to have killed a man challenging him for the
marshal's job.
One day, Craig said Jones hid on the steps of Spring Bayou waiting for
the man to pass by on his way home. When he did, Jones shot him.
But Jones escaped punishment, Craig said, because his lawyer was able to
prove he had killed in self-defense. The dead man had been carrying a
gun and reportedly had threatened Jones' life in the past.
"Rube proved he killed because his life was in danger," said Craig, who
knew people who saw the shooting.
Jones was a stern man who wasn't afraid to use his gun. He was notorious
for using the butt of his gun to hit people and teach them a lesson,
Craig recalled.
"Anybody who kept him from enforcing the law, he killed them," Craig
said.
The fear that Jones struck has carried over generations.
Mayor Protos remembers being scolded by her grandmother as a little
girl. "My grandmother would say, Rube Jones' ghost is going to come and
get you." Protos recalled.
A Tarpon Springs Leader story about Jones' murder in 1921 says he served
as marshal for 10 years until about 1920, when he resigned and moved to
Port Richey. Jones, who wasn't yet 50 when he was killed, was known all
over the state, the story said He was described as a "crack marksman."
He had been married.
While short on details of Jones' life, the Leader story offers a
description of the former marshal's death.
Protos said she didn't know Jones' final resting place was an unmarked
grave. Now, she says, she'll have to see to it that he gets a proper
gravestone.
Reported by Deanna Bellandi
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Tarpon Springs Leader Monday, August 29, 1921
R.T. Jones and H.E. Scott Murdered
Rube T. Jones and Herbert E. Scott, residents of Port Richey, were shot
to death about dark Saturday afternoon within a mile of Weeki Wachee
Springs and about fifteen miles from Brooksville, in Hernando County.
Their lifeless bodies, sitting in the front seat of a new Ford touring
car, were found at 9 o'clock Saturday night by Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Clark
and Mrs. R.T. Jones, wife of the dead men.
About a Dozen Gun Shots Heard in Camp.
Mr. and Mrs. R.T. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Clark, and H.E. Scott had
gone into the Weeki Wachee territory to camp for a few days, having
settled down at what is known as the military landing on the river,
about two miles from the springs. Mr. Jones and Mr. Scott left the camp
very late Saturday afternoon in a Ford car for the springs, where they
are said to have made several purchases for the camp. Mr. and Mrs. Clark
and Mrs. Jones remained at the camp prepared supper for the party. At
about 8 o'clock they heard a dozen or more gun shot explosions not very
far away, but paid no attention to them as they presumed that Jones and
Scott had run across some wild game and had endeavored to kill something
to eat.
Dead Bodies Found in Ford Car
However, after finishing the preparation the supper and waiting for an
hour, those at the camp decided to go out in another car to see if they
could locate Jones and Scott. They went a short distance along the very
sandy road and soon came upon a car standing still in the road, and as
the light of the approaching car flashed ahead the bodies of two men
could be seen in the front seat, motionless. In a second almost it was
discovered that Jones and Scott had been shot to death presumably were
sitting as they had been when the fatal shots were fired. Jones, at the
steering wheel, bloody all about the head, neck, and left side, was
leaning backward to the right while Scott was sitting almost erect with
his head, half shot away, resting on top of the back of the seat.
Reign of Horror.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Jones were terribly shocked and frightened
over their horrible discovery. They were too far away from the springs
for their voices to be heard for help and as it was almost impossible
for them to get their car by the death car, they decided to make for
Brooksville for assistance. It took some time to get their car turned
around on the very bad highway and Mr. Clark was not familiar with the
road, so it was about 12 o'clock before they reached Brooksville.
Officers Notified.
Sheriff Will Cobb was notified and County Judge G.V. Ramsey immediately
summoned a coroner's jury, the officers and jurymen proceeding hurriedly
to the scene of the tragedy reaching there about 2 o'clock Sunday
morning. They guarded the bodies in the car until daylight, when they
endeavored to get a line on every possible clue that might lead to the
identity of the guilty parties.
What the Officers and Jurymen Found at the Death Scene.
It is reported that within fifteen feet of the road where the car stood
about a dozen empty shotgun shells were found, two being No. 16 and ten
being No. 12. Also there were several empty pistol or rifle cartridges
picked up in the same spot. Right near, several small pieces of paper
were noticed, which gave the officers the idea that the gunmen had eaten
a lunch while waiting for their intended victims to drive by, and two or
three pieces of cake and bread were seen on the ground. From the tracks
observed it seems certain that there were two or three people in the
killing act, and their tracks led off for a half mile or so to a place
where it is thought they boarded a car. The death car was found in a
high gear with the switch on. The lower left corner of the bottom
windshield was broken apparently a shot having struck there. Scott's
shotgun, with the barrel up, was resting between his legs as he is said
to have carried it whenever riding in the woods, and the shotgun which
Jones used was standing in the back of the car, where he is said, to
have kept it when out on such occasions.
Both Bodies Brought to Tarpon Springs.
Undertaker L.K. Vinson was notified at 12 o'clock Saturday night of the
killing and was instructed to go to the scene and be ready to remove the
bodies just as soon as the Hernando officials gave permission to do so.
Mr. Vinson, with C.H. Reed and Harry Jukes, arrived there for the bodies
about 7 o'clock Sunday morning, at which time the coroner's jury was
still working in an effort to unravel the mystery. Between 9 and 10
o'clock the two bodies were delivered to the undertaker, who proceeded
to Tarpon Springs, where he prepared both of them for burial.
Gruesome Sight in Undertaker's Rooms.
Those who were admitted to the Vinson undertaking rooms at noon Sunday
beheld a gruesome sight. With his clothing partially removed R.T. Jones
was found almost literally full of No. 8 buckshot. A Leader reporter
counted fifty holes in his body through which buckshot either entered or
left the body, most of them being where balls went in that did not go
through. On his chest a half dozen blue spots revealed the presence of
buckshot that stopped on their death-dealing journey just underneath the
skin. The bullets could easily be felt by a touch of the finger. Mr.
Jones' left arm was broken just below the shoulder one bullet cut a
groove on his left cheek two inches long; a nick was taken out of his
nose; bullets had entered all over his left side, ranging all the way
from his head to thigh. Several balls plowed into his head, while a
whole load of buck shot smashed the left hip.
The lower half of Scott's face was completely gone, he having been shot
beyond all recognition. If it had not been known that he was with Jones
no one could ever have identified his remains. There were not nearly so
many shot wounds in Scott's body as were found in Jones', but evidently
a whole load of buckshot went into Scott's face at close range,
battering and grinding it into a mass of blood, skin, flesh and bones.
Possible Motives for the Crime.
No one knows with any degree of certainty just what motive or motives
the murderers had for committing the crime. There are many conjectures,
of course. One theory advanced is that of robbery. It is said that Mr.
Jones usually carried from one to two thousand dollars on his person,
and it is said that he had about fifteen hundred dollars with him on
this trip. The store keeper at the springs, it is reported, stated that
when he paid him for the articles purchased a short time before the
killing, Jones had a large roll of bills in his hand, apparently there
being a thousand or more dollars. However, the coroner's jury found only
$34 in one of his hip pockets. A large diamond ring valued at about
$2,000 was gone. A diamond stud was found under his shirt bosom.
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Clearwater Sun, Sunday,
July 17, 1966
Tarpon Chiefs Wear Very Unusual Badge.
The badge worn by Police Chief Nick Pappas may not be the oldest badge
worn by a law enforcement officer but it could well be the most unusual.
The badge has been worn by every chief, law enforcement officer, in the
city since the turn of the century. The badge was made from two $20 gold
coins and it was first owned by R. (Rube) G. Jones, marshal of the city,
when around 1900, he had the coins cast into a badge. The small badge is
a two-inch circle topped by an eagle with spread wings. The etchings on
the face of the badge showing signs of the badge are showing signs of
the continuous wear, but the words "Tarpon Springs Chief" are still
easily read. The laurel wreath, encircling the badge and the rays of the
sun spreading from the center are also showing the hand print of time.
Chief Pappas, who was appointed in 1960, said that he had a safety catch
put on the valuable badge. "I feel that it should be kept for future
chiefs and someday placed on display in the police museum." he said. The
chief said that the only time he had to have the badge repaired was when
one of the eagle's wings had to be replaced. Among the well known chiefs
that have worn this badge are Oscar Hill, Pasco Morris, Albert Gnann, Ed
Washington, Bill Lyons, John Kinsey, Costa Manos and Roy Phillips.
Sheriff Don Genung said the value of this unique badge could not be
measured in dollars because it is a valuable part of the early history
of Tarpon Springs.
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Clearwater Sun, Tuesday,
July 24, 1984
This Police Badge Outshines them all
It's mostly gold, and if that isn't enough, it has a history too.
Largely made from $20 gold pieces about 66 years ago, this badge has
been worn by 13 police chiefs before it was retired in 1968. And now
it's been retrieved from a bank safety deposit box.
Acting City Manager and Police Chief Blaine Lecouris said Monday that
the badge will occupy a prominent place in the police station to be
built this year.
Rick Arbutine, Manager of Belleair Coins, estimated the "melt value" of
the badge at about $641. Good quality gold pieces of that vintage would
be worth $650 each on today's market, Arbutine said.
LeCouris, who never wore the gold chief's badge, said he is "primarily
interested in it because of its history and tradition. People should
take pride in things that are historical." He plans to have it framed in
a shadow box and placed, along with other memorabilia, in a special
section of the new station.
LeCouris said he had no idea where the badge was, but Finance Director
Bob Bublitz, the keeper of the safety deposit box key, knew its exact
location. Bublitz retrieved it for inspection Monday afternoon.
The badge about 2 1/2 inches long, is about half the size of the current
chief's badge. It is stamped 14-carat gold on the back and is
intricately marked and carved. The badge has a weak latch--its only
apparent flaw.
Jones' body was found in August 1921, in a boat with 80 bullet holes. He
was reported to have been wearing the badge when his body was
discovered. He is buried in the city's Cycadia Cemetery.
In 1968, when popular Police Chief Nick Pappas retired, city
commissioners told him to keep the gold badge he had been wearing for
eight years. Pappas said he gave the badge back on the condition that it
be put on display and at the time, everyone agreed. But the badge was
never displayed. For years it remained in the city's safe. A city
employee found it stuck behind a drawer in 1975. Then City Attorney Don
Scholl wrote a resolution that would have placed the badge on display
with the city's Historical Society memorabilia.
But residents, and some commissioners, objected because of its value. It
was far better, they warned, to keep it stored safely out of sight. It
was transferred to the safety deposit box.
According to Pappas' records, the following chiefs wore the badge
between 1921 and 1960 when it was passed to him-Sam Mickler, Ed
Washington, Webb Hill, W.W. Carter, C.W. Lyons. Albert Gnann, Roy
Phillips, Costas Manos, Pasco Morris, Oscar Hill (brother of Webb Hill)
and John Kinsey.
Pappas was delighted that LeCouris planned to display the badge at the
new police station. "It's a shame for it to be hidden some place."
Pappas said.
Reported by: Amelia Davis
* * * * * *
Excerpt: St. Petersburg Times, North Pinellas Times, Saturday, August
19, 1989
Ex-Tarpon Police Chief marks 100th birthday
Charles William "Bill" Lyons, chief of police in Tarpon Springs from
1934 to 1941, celebrated his 100th birthday Thursday (Aug. 17) with two
parties--one in the afternoon with friends at the Bay Tree Nursing
Center in Palm Harbor and one in the evening with family members at his
daughter's home in Dunedin.
Lyons, born Aug. 17, 1889, in Barren County, Ky., has been a resident of
the Tarpon Springs area for more than 70 years. He first came to Florida
in 1913 to work as a painter in Tampa. After completing the job there,
he found work in Clearwater painting the Belleview Biltmore Hotel.
But Lyons had good reason to return to Kentucky. In 1914 he married his
hometown sweetheart, Louella Healy and did not return to Florida until
1918 when he settled in Tarpon Springs.
"In the early '20s, (Lyons) drove a bus from Tarpon Springs to
Clearwater three times a day," said his granddaughter, Gail Hendrickson.
"It was a nine-passenger open touring car. He had to pull off the road
every time he met another vehicle because the roads were only 9 feet
wide.
"The fare was 50 cents. Can you believe that in a day when people worked
all day for not much more? Two of his brothers-in-law drove buses to
Tampa daily."
Mrs. Hendrickson has heard many wonderful stories of life in Tarpon
Springs in the "early" days -- about her grandfather's garage on
Hibiscus Street (the building is still there, she said) and his career
as a Tarpon Springs police officer. "He joined the police force in
1930," she said. "He worked 12-hour shifts from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
There was no automobile he did everything on foot. "In back of the
Tarpon Springs train depot there was a little shack with a phone in it.
That served as the local police station." Lyons' badge, made from two
$20 gold pieces, is now in the historical society in Tarpon Springs, she
said. "Hunting was his hobby and, in the early 40's he and Ed Becket
formed and built a sheet-shot club in the Tarpon Springs area. I can
still remember that place." Lyons and his wife have two
daughters--Kathlyn Guthrie of Clearwater and Betty Hutto of Dunedin.
They have eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Their son,
John Wesley Lyons, was killed in a car accident in the late '60's.
Reported by: Pat Scarberry
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Clearwater Sun - June 8, 1977
Badge survived Blustery Decades
For 10 years, a gold police badge has gathered dust in the vault at city
hall.
Several weeks ago the Tarpon Springs Historical Society petitioned the
city commission to put the badge on display in Tarpon's new historical
museum. But Commissioner Kettrell Powell balked at the idea, saying the
badge might be stolen.
Why all the fuss about a badge?
Esten Albaugh, 87, remembers Rube Jones, the Tarpon Springs marshal who
had the badge cast from two double eagles ($20 gold pieces). Albaugh was
city clerk during the latter part of "Rube's rule, as we called it
then." "He ran the city," Albaugh said. "He was a blustery bluffer--he
didn't stand for no nonsense. Rube's father was marshal before him--he
was a kindly old fellow with part of his ear bitten off in a fight. They
didn't cry at the sight of blood in those days."
Jones was elected marshal for 12 straight one-year terms beginning in
1906, even though he once shot and killed his deputy. He spent some time
behind bars, Albaugh said, but that didn't keep him from being
re-elected.
"Everybody was afraid to run against him," Albaugh said. "Rube enforced
the law as he saw fit, but sometimes he lost interest in enforcing the
law."
Tarpon Springs had a population of about 500 then, and it was a tough
port town. Albaugh remembers about half a dozen assassinations during
the Jones era.
"The first man buried in our cemetery was shot," he said.
Tarpon had a thriving red light district in those days too. Jones was
charged with its administration. He shepherded a carload of girls from
Tampa each week and then make sure they went back. "Each month, Rube
came to the city clerk's office with a whole pocketful of bills," said
Albaugh. The bills were fines levied against the prostitutes.
In 1918, the city experienced a change in city government including a
new charter calling for the marshal to be appointed rather than elected.
Jones resigned and turned to bootlegging for a living, Albaugh said.
Although Jones had many friends and was famous for his "How's your fat?"
greeting, he also had many enemies. In 1921, while on a hunting trip up
at Brooksville with his man Friday, he was ambushed.
"The undertaker told me he had 80 slugs in his body," Albaugh said.
Sam Mickler was appointed chief of police in 1918 and given the badge,
officially ending the gunslinger's reign.
C.W. Lyons, 88, who later served as police chief for six years wore the
badge, characterized Mickler as "just an old Florida cracker, a short
heavy-set fellow with kind of sandy face. A lot of people didn't like
him."
Mickler was followed by Ed Washington, then Webb Hill, a plumber before
he was appointed chief in 1928.
"I was working at my garage when Webb came down with a Colt and asked me
to try it on," Lyons recalls.
And so Lyons became the second half of the town's police force. In those
days, he said, law enforcement experience was not mandatory, and "the
police chief was largely a political job."
Hill was chief when the city's most celebrated unsolved murder occurred.
On Jan. 6, 1931, Dr. Archibald McCallister Jr. was shot and killed at
Tarpon General Hospital. Although several people professed to know the
killer, nothing was ever proved, Lyons said.
Lyons took over as chief in 1934, "and the only thing the city furnished
us was the badge," he said. His salary was $115 a month, however, quite
an improvement from the $20 per arrest Rube Jones had been paid.
Lyons replaced W.W. Carter, "a rough kind of a fellow -- he had hands as
big as two of mine." Carter kept tabs on the black side of town. "He had
a lot of pimps that would tell him what was going on," Lyons said.
Carter was fired after an argument with one of the commissioners.
Although Tarpon was rank with illegal immigration, gambling, and
prostitution, there were no murders or violent crimes during the '30's
and '40's, Lyons said. One of the highlights of his career was when he
killed an eight-foot alligator that was terrorizing people in Spring and
Whitcomb Bayous. Lyons put the beast on the hood of his cruiser and
drove through town with it.
Lyons passed the badge on to Albert Gnann. Then it was worn by Roy
Phillips, Costas Manos, Pasco Morris, Oscar Hill (Brother of Webb), John
Kenzie and Nick Pappas, the last chief to wear it before it was retired.
Pappas had a safety catch put on the badge and had one of the wings
replaced. Despite these minor modifications, it has survived as a symbol
of the rough and tumble pioneer days of Tarpon Springs.
Reported by: Stephen Magagnini
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Suncoast News- Date Unknown
Olden Days had it's share of violent times
In the past for tonight, here on the Suncoast, many violent acts have
occurred, with resultant deaths or injuries to number of people from
stabbings, shootings, fights, strangling and the like.
Question: Was it ever thus, or is it a case of criminal elements now
coming to this area, as it is elsewhere in Florida in recent years?
Well, it seems to be getting worse as the years roll by, and our
population increases, while our quality of life decreases. And yet, I
can remember quite a few terrible happenings in this area, and elsewhere
in Florida, here are some of them.
Just for instance, because it's one of the oldest and more established
towns in this area, lets mention some of the bad moments in Tarpon
Springs olden days. I had been told some of these tales by old-timers,
and some were in print by historians Bob Pent and Gertrude Stoughton
also.
A century ago, one of the principal people in the birth of Tarpon
Springs was Maj. Mathew Robinson Marks, who came from Orlando, bringing
his family with him. He came to lay out the city, on behalf of the
famous Disston interests, and so he did, staying a few years. A large
hotel was built and named for him, it burned down in 1884. Soon after he
had a narrow escape from being shot in a quarrel, some say after a long
chase in downtown Tarpon. A few years later, after returning to Orlando,
he became the mayor there, from 1889 to 1893.
Incidentally, when Tarpon officially became a city in 1887, one
ordinance was that there was no shooting allowed within the city limits.
The town marshal, by the way, was also the health officer and general
trouble shooter. They say that the first man buried in Cycadia Cemetery
was shot, but the killer, W.N. Conley the bookkeeper, had honestly
mistaken him for someone else, and he was not held.
There was a time when Tarpon Springs was quite unhealthful, and a doctor
had to be good on gunshot wounds. Located on the edge of open-range
cattle country, there were thousands of head cattle and hogs roaming
freely, guarded by a handful of range riders. There were disputes,
thefts, and outright murders, with no questions asked. Saturday night
shootings in Tarpon were common, and two families conducted a blood feud
which claimed a dozen lives.
Families in outlying cabins feared to light their lamps at night, and
one man was shot in his field, again in bed and once more in his
field--the final time fatally. Marshal Rube Jones was "the law," harsh,
arbitrary, and unquestioned, and he sported a pure gold badge. He is
said to have used his gun too freely, and to have been greatly feared,
but he had both friends and enemies. In the end he was gunned down, and
his killers were never traced.
The same held true in 1931, when the Tarpon health officer Dr. Archie
McCallister was murdered on the steps of the hospital. Also in '31,
three young sponge divers were stabbed, bludgeoned to death, then put in
a jail cell at Cedar Key, it was set on fire to conceal the crime. The
two drunken officers who did it were sentenced to life in prison.
Reported by: Glen Dill
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Tampa Tribune, June 29, 1951
TARPON SPRINGS GETS ALL NEW POLICE FORCE
Tarpon Springs today got an entirely new police force after the former
police chief and four-man department quit Wednesday, complaining they
were considered "a big joke." The four new policemen appointed this
afternoon by the city commission are George W. Little, Nick Pappas,
Elmer Manos and Gordon Young.
E. Pasco Morris, a barber and for two terms chairman of the Pinellas
County School Board, was named to succeed the former police chief,
Costas Manos, at a commission meeting Thursday morning.
Manor Lauds Morris
Ex-Chief Manos congratulated his successor, E. Pasco Morris, and offered
him his assistance. Chief Morris told the commissioners he would do his
best to give them a force they could be proud of. The police department
"is not a joke," he added.
Mayor O.F. Baynard called for public support of the new force.
The four previous patrolmen resigned this week because they said they
were ridiculed and laughed at. Former Chief Manos quit soon after the
city commission returned a $10 fine to Manuel Tsourakis, who had been
arrested for shooting firecrackers.
For the next three months Chief Morris, who's salary is $245 a month
will be on probation.
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Tarpon Springs Leader, August 22, 1961
NICK PAPPAS APPOINTED POLICE CHIEF AT TARPON
Sergeant Nick Pappas was appointed chief of police by the Civil Service
Board of the City of Tarpon effective today. Pappas passed an
examination on Aug. 22. He has been acting chief since the recent
resignation of John Kinsey. In accepting the appointment, Pappas said,
"We will proceed as we have been for the time being. There will be some
changes as we progress." Quiet, unassuming and kind, Pappas was born in
Miami on April 22, 1918. He came to Tarpon Springs in 1927 and attended
local schools. In 1931 another move to Perry, Florida where he attended
school for a while, but because of hardships known to many, he quit
school and went to work. Beginning in 1935 and until 1951 he was captain
of a sponge boat which brought him back to our town in 1942. 1951 saw
him join the local police force where he was promoted to Sergeant in
1955.
* * * * * *
Excerpt: Clearwater Sun, Sunday, November 3, 1968
TARPON HONORS FORMER CHIEF
Former Police Chief Nick Pappas was honored Friday night for his 17
years of service in the Tarpon Springs Police Department, eight of them
as police chief, in a celebration that included telegrams from J. Edgar
Hoover and Gov. Claude Kirk at a testimonial dinner at Pappas
Restaurant.
A telegram from the governor said, "I salute you as a first line soldier
in our defense." The telegram from Hoover congratulated Pappas for his
record in the police department.
Fred Ryder, Anclote Manor administrator, master of ceremonies introduced
Lt. Carl Hernandez, of the Sheriff's Department. Lt. Hernandez presented
Pappas with a plaque from Sheriff Don Genung and said, "The plaque
represents your outstanding job with the Sheriff's Junior Deputies
program and I wish all the kids in Tarpon Springs were here to present
this plaque to you to show their appreciation."
Hernandez said, "You have put many years into efforts that have helped
the outstanding record of keeping down delinquency in your city."
Mayor George Tsourakis, who planned the affair, presented Pappas with
the gold badge that he wore for so many years. The mayor said, "This is
presented to you on behalf of the city and the city commission and is
for your outstanding service and personal sacrifice while serving the
citizens of this city."
The Mayor also presented Pappas with a key to the city and a certificate
of appreciation. The said, "The work on this badge was done by those who
gave of their time to be sure that you would have this momento to remind
you of our appreciation and to remind you of your dedicated service."
Ryder said, "You have helped make Tarpon Springs a wonderful place to
live."
Reported by Eva Burley
* * * * * *
Excerpt: City Archives
National "Nick Pappas Day" proclaimed August 18, 1965 by Radio Station
WLCY- Tampa/St. Petersburg in recognition of outstanding service for the
Police Department of Tarpon Springs, Florida
Nick Pappas was entered into the 1971 Edition of Outstanding Floridians,
which was published as a special tribute to Senator Spessard L. Holland
and included people who contributed to the strength of the State of
Florida.
Nick Pappas was first Sergeant.
Hired first woman employee, Mrs. Marguerite Clement served as Police
Dispatcher.
Hired first Black Officers, Willie C. Wilson served as part time officer
and Norman Gavin served as full time officer.
Hired first Canine Officer, Timothy Timmons and Schotzee.
On March 7, 1996, The Badge was mounted at the Cultural Center, as a
permanent historical display with the photographs of Marshal Reubin
Jones, the first law officer to wear the Badge, and Chief Nick Pappas,
the last law officer to wear it. The decades only can tell us the real
stories that evolve during an era when a new community is floundering,
trying to establish law and order to a chaotic backwoods justice.
In a recent interview, Retired Chief of Police Nick Pappas was asked if
he had any recollections of Marshal Reubin Jones. Chief Pappas replied
that his father told stories about the Marshal protecting the Greek
immigrants. It seemed that in the early 1900's, the Greeks were always
in danger of being beaten or mistreated when they ventured out of the
bounds of the area designated as "Greek Town". Marshal Jones was very
protective of these immigrants and they were safe when he was around. As
a result, Marshal Jones was well respected by the Greek community that
was just beginning to develop.
Resolution 2001-54