Thomas R. Canova Family Organization
Newspaper Articles Regarding The Assassination of
George Paul Canova
Father of Thomas R. Canova
Times-Union and Citizen- June 6, 1898
KILLED BY ASSASSIN
George P. Canova murdered at Sanderson Sunday Night: Was Fired Upon from
Ambush While Driving Along the Road -- Investigation Being Held.
"Information was received in the city yesterday of the assassination, near Sanderson, in Baker County, of George P. Canova, a member of the Board of County Commissioners of that county and one of its most highly respected citizens. Mr. Canova died almost instantly from the wounds inflicted.
Information received from the correspondent of the Times-Union and Citizen is to the effect that Mr. Canova was killed about three miles south of Sanderson, while he was driving along the road in company with Thad Hill.
After driving over a bridge, it was found that the road was blocked in some manner and Mr. Hill got out of the buggy to see what the trouble was. Just as he jumped out someone fired from ambush along the roadside, there being three shots. These shots took effect, resulting in the death of Mr. Canova.
There is said to be no clue to the perpetrator of the crime, although a son of Mr. Canova came to Jacksonville yesterday and secured bloodhounds to put upon the track of the assassin. An inquest will be held, to be conducted by E.E. Pons.
Mr. Canova had resided on West Monroe Street, in LaVilla, for some time recently, his children going to school here. The family moved back to Sanderson last week.
Mr. Canova was the father of *Mrs. W.P. Ward of this city and a brother of Mrs. William Baya and Mrs. L. Warrock. Mr. and Mrs. Ward and family went up to Sanderson on the morning train yesterday. He was one of the wealthiest men in Baker County and had figured prominently in politics there for the past few years. At the time of his death he was chairman of the Board of County Commissioners and a member of the county Democratic executive committee. He had also been a Representative from the county in the State Legislature."
*George Paul Canova was also survived by his mother, Celestina Crespo, who lived to April 1902. He was her only son.
MacClenny-June 6, 1898
"The Baker County Democratic Executive Committee met today pursuant to the call of the chairman and adjourned until June 18, out of respect for the late George P. Canova, who was a member of the committee.
The County Commissioners met today in regular session, and adjourned to meet June 13, without transacting any business out of respect for George P. Canova, Chairman of the Board."
Southern Star
The Southern Star carried a report of the assassination and added:
"Brother Canova, since accepting the Gospel, has been a sincere member of the Church; ever striving to live up to all of its requirements; happy and contented was he in the hope of eternal life. No cause existed for the committal of such a crime, not the slightest provocation was given. The fact that murders are being perpetrated and the guilty evade punishment, forces our minds to recall the state of affairs that existed among the Nephite nation, previous to and instrumental of bringing about their downfall and destruction; also the prediction concerning the things that should exist in our day previous to Christ's second coming."
Times-Union and Citizen- Follow up Article #1
The following article from the Times-Union and Citizen detailed George Canova's death:
"KILLING OF G.P. CANOVA:
One Of The Most Fiendish Murders Ever Committed: Was Shot Six Times, and Then an Ax Was Used - The Body Brought Here for Burial.
Further particulars received concerning the death of George P. Canova last Sunday evening show that it was, without doubt, one of the most deliberately and foully planned and executed murders that have disgraced the history of Florida. In company with his brother-in-law, TA. Hill, Mr. Canova was returning from church, and when the two arrived at a gate that barred their way, Mr. Hill got out of the buggy to open it and allow the team to pass. No sooner had he dismounted, than assassins, concealed nearby, opened fire on Mr. Canova. As he heard the shots fire, Mr. Hill ran and Mr. Canova was pulled from the buggy, having been shot in the head, the ball entering his left eye and coming out at the top of his head. A gash appeared to have been cut in the head that laid it open to the brain. Six shots were fired, each of which took effect. One entered the left eye, as related above, another the nose, one the left leg, another broke all the fingers of the left hand, and several buckshot were found in the left leg. The fiends, after shooting their victim, seemed not to be satisfied with their work and possibly fearing that he was not dead, used an ax, inflicting horrible wounds on the head.
Justice of the Peace, E.E. Pons, ex-offici coroner, impaneled a jury, which viewed the body, and adjourned till tomorrow at 11 o'clock in the morning. Every effort is being made to secure evidence. A crowd visited the scene of the murder yesterday, and great indignation was expressed at the cowardly murder. Bloodhounds were placed on the trail of the supposed murderers, and five men were arrested at a house near the place of the killing, to which place the scent of the hounds led them. The prisoners were held for several hours by Sheriff Herndon, but after a thorough investigation, they were released, having satisfied the officers of their innocence.
The dead body was brought to the city by Undertaker Gordon last evening and the funeral will be held from the residence of W.P. Ward, a son-in-law of the deceased man, at 816 West Monroe Street, at 9 o'clock this morning and the internment will be in Evergreen Cemetery. The following gentlemen have requested to act as pallbearers, and will meet at the office of Undertaker Gordon at 8 o'clock this morning: W.A. Bours, W.D. Barnett, E.W. Gillen, M.A. Dzlalynski, F.J. Pons, W.T. Baya, G.H. Fleming, and Monroe Duval.
State Attorney Hartridge has taken active steps to ferret out the crime and discover the real murderers. He will go to Sanderson today or tomorrow to make a personal investigation, and will do all in his power to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Times-Union and Citizen- Follow up Article #2
From an undated Times-Union and Citizen article in Jacksonville, Florida:
"CANOVA MURDER MYSTERY:
A Relative of the Accused Arrives Here Seeking Counsel. - It is Probable that Maj. St. Clair-Abrams Will Represent the Rigdons - Mr. Hill, Who Was With Canova at the Time of the Murder, Also Arrives Here.
Since the killing of George P. Canova, at Sanderson, June 5th of last year, Mr. W.P. Ward and other relatives of the deceased have been endeavoring to apprehend the dastardly murderers. The State and relatives offered rewards aggregating $3,500 and detectives were employed to search for the perpetrators.
Saturday evening Mr. Ward received a telegram that W.P. Rigdon and his two sos were arrested at Sanderson, charged with the crime. Shortly after the murder Rigdon was arrested for this crime, but was released on habeas corpus proceedings, Judge Call holding the evidence against him as insufficient. In the meantime, further evidence has been searched for, and it is said that this additional testimony led to the re-arrest of Rigdon and his sons.
The relatives of the murdered man will employ the best of legal talent to aid in the prosecution of the Rigdons.
T.A. Hill, a brother-in-law of the late Geo. P. Canova, and Benj. Rigdon, of Baker County, came to the city this morning, and confirmed the news that on Saturday afternoon Wm. Rigdon and his two grown sons, George and Willie, were arrested and placed in jail. These men were indicted by the grand jury last Tuesday as being the assassins, or concerned in the assassination of Geo. P. Canova. Mr. Hill was at the time of the murder, riding along the road in a buggy with Mr. Canova, and they came to a gate, which was closed and when Mr. Hill got out to open the gate, Canova was fired upon and killed.
Mr. Rigdon came, it is said, to consult with attorneys for his brother and nephews. Maj. A. St. Clair-Abrams will probably represent the defendants, as he has already once done for the elder Rigdon, who was arrested on the same charge once before.
There was some talk of bringing the men here to be imprisoned, but it is thought that will not be done. Judge Call will probably be applied to for bail for the three imprisoned men.
Unidentified Newspaper Article
From an unidentified newspaper this article appeared. Appears to be church related:
"ANOTHER MARTYR:
The murder of a man because of his religious convictions and affiliation may be gratifying to the bigotry of some radical sectarians, but the assassin and not the martyred is the loss in such cases. The murder of Brother Canova in Florida because he was a Latter-Day Saint, is an act the recompense for which will be required by a just God at the hands of the assassin and those who commend such work while the one whose life was taken in the cause of truth will receive the blessing of the God whom he served in the reward of life eternal. Yet it does seem strange that there are some people who call themselves Christians who have not realized the lesson that Jesus of Nazareth was put to death because of his religious conviction and affiliation were not with the multitude that controlled.
Interview of Donald Dobson
On July 17, 1986, S. Clyde Johnson of Newberry, in company with Elder James R. Boone, of Jacksonville, and Brother Donald Dobson of Sanderson, travelled out south of Sanderson to try and locate the actual site of the martyrdom of President Canova. Brother Johnson once wrote of the event: "False reports of the intent of the Mormon missionaries in their work in the South had spread widely. Rumors with their ten thousand tongues had it that the local women would be converted and hauled away to Utah to become enmeshed in the harems of the Mormons. Doctrines which differed so outlandishly from those of the traditional hellfire and brimstone protestant doctrines ensconced in the religion of the Southerner added their fuel to the smoldering resentment until in some locales the pot burst and a tragedy occurred. Such was the case in Sanderson."
While in the company of Brother Donald Dobson, Brother Johnson learned that President Canova and his brother-in-law Thaddeus Hill had made a stop before the fatal incident occurred that night. He wrote of it as follows:
The conference over and many miles to cover and darkness closing fast, the brethren began their way homeward. They stopped at the home of a non-member friend named Dobson who invited them to supper and to stay the night. President Canova, having a county commissioner meeting early the next day, declined the offer and headed home. Brother Dobson's father was the man who hosted President Canova and Elder Hill a few hours before the assassination. Brother Dobson was born eight years after the incident and was told of the murder by his father who pointed out to him the location.
We drove south along State Road 220 to Clarence Dobbs Road and Brother Dobson said that intersection was the site. When he was a boy, two large pine trees had marked the location of the gate across the road and they stood somewhat off the now paved Road 220 to the east and just south of Clarence Dobbs Road.
NOTE: The place where President Canova and Elder Thaddeus Hill stopped to visit and have dinner was the farm home of Brother Dobson's grandfather, Seaborn Dobson and his wife Martha Ann Alford in Bradford County where the conference took place. Brother Dobson's father, George, was 16 years old at that time. He married Daisy Fraser in 1904 and apparently related the incident to his son Donald who was born in 1906, and other children through the years.
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George Paul Canova
Father of Thomas R. Canova
Information received from the correspondent of the Times-Union and Citizen is to the effect that Mr. Canova was killed about three miles south of Sanderson, while he was driving along the road in company with Thad Hill.
After driving over a bridge, it was found that the road was blocked in some manner and Mr. Hill got out of the buggy to see what the trouble was. Just as he jumped out someone fired from ambush along the roadside, there being three shots. These shots took effect, resulting in the death of Mr. Canova.
There is said to be no clue to the perpetrator of the crime, although a son of Mr. Canova came to Jacksonville yesterday and secured bloodhounds to put upon the track of the assassin. An inquest will be held, to be conducted by E.E. Pons.
Mr. Canova had resided on West Monroe Street, in LaVilla, for some time recently, his children going to school here. The family moved back to Sanderson last week.
Mr. Canova was the father of *Mrs. W.P. Ward of this city and a brother of Mrs. William Baya and Mrs. L. Warrock. Mr. and Mrs. Ward and family went up to Sanderson on the morning train yesterday. He was one of the wealthiest men in Baker County and had figured prominently in politics there for the past few years. At the time of his death he was chairman of the Board of County Commissioners and a member of the county Democratic executive committee. He had also been a Representative from the county in the State Legislature."
*George Paul Canova was also survived by his mother, Celestina Crespo, who lived to April 1902. He was her only son.
MacClenny-June 6, 1898
"The Baker County Democratic Executive Committee met today pursuant to the call of the chairman and adjourned until June 18, out of respect for the late George P. Canova, who was a member of the committee.
The County Commissioners met today in regular session, and adjourned to meet June 13, without transacting any business out of respect for George P. Canova, Chairman of the Board."
Southern Star
The Southern Star carried a report of the assassination and added:
"Brother Canova, since accepting the Gospel, has been a sincere member of the Church; ever striving to live up to all of its requirements; happy and contented was he in the hope of eternal life. No cause existed for the committal of such a crime, not the slightest provocation was given. The fact that murders are being perpetrated and the guilty evade punishment, forces our minds to recall the state of affairs that existed among the Nephite nation, previous to and instrumental of bringing about their downfall and destruction; also the prediction concerning the things that should exist in our day previous to Christ's second coming."
Times-Union and Citizen- Follow up Article #1
The following article from the Times-Union and Citizen detailed George Canova's death:
"KILLING OF G.P. CANOVA:
One Of The Most Fiendish Murders Ever Committed: Was Shot Six Times, and Then an Ax Was Used - The Body Brought Here for Burial.
Further particulars received concerning the death of George P. Canova last Sunday evening show that it was, without doubt, one of the most deliberately and foully planned and executed murders that have disgraced the history of Florida. In company with his brother-in-law, TA. Hill, Mr. Canova was returning from church, and when the two arrived at a gate that barred their way, Mr. Hill got out of the buggy to open it and allow the team to pass. No sooner had he dismounted, than assassins, concealed nearby, opened fire on Mr. Canova. As he heard the shots fire, Mr. Hill ran and Mr. Canova was pulled from the buggy, having been shot in the head, the ball entering his left eye and coming out at the top of his head. A gash appeared to have been cut in the head that laid it open to the brain. Six shots were fired, each of which took effect. One entered the left eye, as related above, another the nose, one the left leg, another broke all the fingers of the left hand, and several buckshot were found in the left leg. The fiends, after shooting their victim, seemed not to be satisfied with their work and possibly fearing that he was not dead, used an ax, inflicting horrible wounds on the head.
Justice of the Peace, E.E. Pons, ex-offici coroner, impaneled a jury, which viewed the body, and adjourned till tomorrow at 11 o'clock in the morning. Every effort is being made to secure evidence. A crowd visited the scene of the murder yesterday, and great indignation was expressed at the cowardly murder. Bloodhounds were placed on the trail of the supposed murderers, and five men were arrested at a house near the place of the killing, to which place the scent of the hounds led them. The prisoners were held for several hours by Sheriff Herndon, but after a thorough investigation, they were released, having satisfied the officers of their innocence.
The dead body was brought to the city by Undertaker Gordon last evening and the funeral will be held from the residence of W.P. Ward, a son-in-law of the deceased man, at 816 West Monroe Street, at 9 o'clock this morning and the internment will be in Evergreen Cemetery. The following gentlemen have requested to act as pallbearers, and will meet at the office of Undertaker Gordon at 8 o'clock this morning: W.A. Bours, W.D. Barnett, E.W. Gillen, M.A. Dzlalynski, F.J. Pons, W.T. Baya, G.H. Fleming, and Monroe Duval.
State Attorney Hartridge has taken active steps to ferret out the crime and discover the real murderers. He will go to Sanderson today or tomorrow to make a personal investigation, and will do all in his power to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Times-Union and Citizen- Follow up Article #2
From an undated Times-Union and Citizen article in Jacksonville, Florida:
"CANOVA MURDER MYSTERY:
A Relative of the Accused Arrives Here Seeking Counsel. - It is Probable that Maj. St. Clair-Abrams Will Represent the Rigdons - Mr. Hill, Who Was With Canova at the Time of the Murder, Also Arrives Here.
Since the killing of George P. Canova, at Sanderson, June 5th of last year, Mr. W.P. Ward and other relatives of the deceased have been endeavoring to apprehend the dastardly murderers. The State and relatives offered rewards aggregating $3,500 and detectives were employed to search for the perpetrators.
Saturday evening Mr. Ward received a telegram that W.P. Rigdon and his two sos were arrested at Sanderson, charged with the crime. Shortly after the murder Rigdon was arrested for this crime, but was released on habeas corpus proceedings, Judge Call holding the evidence against him as insufficient. In the meantime, further evidence has been searched for, and it is said that this additional testimony led to the re-arrest of Rigdon and his sons.
The relatives of the murdered man will employ the best of legal talent to aid in the prosecution of the Rigdons.
T.A. Hill, a brother-in-law of the late Geo. P. Canova, and Benj. Rigdon, of Baker County, came to the city this morning, and confirmed the news that on Saturday afternoon Wm. Rigdon and his two grown sons, George and Willie, were arrested and placed in jail. These men were indicted by the grand jury last Tuesday as being the assassins, or concerned in the assassination of Geo. P. Canova. Mr. Hill was at the time of the murder, riding along the road in a buggy with Mr. Canova, and they came to a gate, which was closed and when Mr. Hill got out to open the gate, Canova was fired upon and killed.
Mr. Rigdon came, it is said, to consult with attorneys for his brother and nephews. Maj. A. St. Clair-Abrams will probably represent the defendants, as he has already once done for the elder Rigdon, who was arrested on the same charge once before.
There was some talk of bringing the men here to be imprisoned, but it is thought that will not be done. Judge Call will probably be applied to for bail for the three imprisoned men.
Unidentified Newspaper Article
From an unidentified newspaper this article appeared. Appears to be church related:
"ANOTHER MARTYR:
The murder of a man because of his religious convictions and affiliation may be gratifying to the bigotry of some radical sectarians, but the assassin and not the martyred is the loss in such cases. The murder of Brother Canova in Florida because he was a Latter-Day Saint, is an act the recompense for which will be required by a just God at the hands of the assassin and those who commend such work while the one whose life was taken in the cause of truth will receive the blessing of the God whom he served in the reward of life eternal. Yet it does seem strange that there are some people who call themselves Christians who have not realized the lesson that Jesus of Nazareth was put to death because of his religious conviction and affiliation were not with the multitude that controlled.
Interview of Donald Dobson
On July 17, 1986, S. Clyde Johnson of Newberry, in company with Elder James R. Boone, of Jacksonville, and Brother Donald Dobson of Sanderson, travelled out south of Sanderson to try and locate the actual site of the martyrdom of President Canova. Brother Johnson once wrote of the event: "False reports of the intent of the Mormon missionaries in their work in the South had spread widely. Rumors with their ten thousand tongues had it that the local women would be converted and hauled away to Utah to become enmeshed in the harems of the Mormons. Doctrines which differed so outlandishly from those of the traditional hellfire and brimstone protestant doctrines ensconced in the religion of the Southerner added their fuel to the smoldering resentment until in some locales the pot burst and a tragedy occurred. Such was the case in Sanderson."
While in the company of Brother Donald Dobson, Brother Johnson learned that President Canova and his brother-in-law Thaddeus Hill had made a stop before the fatal incident occurred that night. He wrote of it as follows:
The conference over and many miles to cover and darkness closing fast, the brethren began their way homeward. They stopped at the home of a non-member friend named Dobson who invited them to supper and to stay the night. President Canova, having a county commissioner meeting early the next day, declined the offer and headed home. Brother Dobson's father was the man who hosted President Canova and Elder Hill a few hours before the assassination. Brother Dobson was born eight years after the incident and was told of the murder by his father who pointed out to him the location.
We drove south along State Road 220 to Clarence Dobbs Road and Brother Dobson said that intersection was the site. When he was a boy, two large pine trees had marked the location of the gate across the road and they stood somewhat off the now paved Road 220 to the east and just south of Clarence Dobbs Road.
NOTE: The place where President Canova and Elder Thaddeus Hill stopped to visit and have dinner was the farm home of Brother Dobson's grandfather, Seaborn Dobson and his wife Martha Ann Alford in Bradford County where the conference took place. Brother Dobson's father, George, was 16 years old at that time. He married Daisy Fraser in 1904 and apparently related the incident to his son Donald who was born in 1906, and other children through the years.|
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