Orange County FlArchives Obituaries.....Clark, Ralph April 8, 1916
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William Morgan wsmorganv@aol.com December 10, 2008, 3:43 pm

Winter Park Post, 13 April 1916
YOUTH MURDERED INHANNIBAL SQUARE

TWO SHOTS FIRED INTO THE DARKNESS AT 12.30 SATURDAY NIGHT

Heard by Neighbors, and Body of Young Man Discovered on Roadside in the Morning

When the first rays of the morning light dawned over Hannibal Square on Sunday 
the dead body of Ralph Clark, colored, seventeen years old, was discovered 
lying face downwards under an oak tree by the roadside, wounds in his head 
showing that he had been murdered. As a consequence, Andrew Harris, colored, 
55years old, charged with murder, sits waiting in the county jail for trial.  

Harris is one of the well-to-do residents of the square, but has long been the 
butt of some of the younger element who have 'been plaguing and annoying him. 
He has often been heard to say that if they did not leave him alone he was 
going to make it hot for them one of these days, and it was no unusual 
occurrence to hear him fire off his shot gun in the night.  When, according to 
witnesses, at 12.30 Saturday night, he is said to have heard men making a 
disturbance in front of his house, he stepped out into the darkness on his 
porch, shot gun in hand, and cried out. "I'll kill  everybody!"—and fired both 
barrels.  He then went back to bed, and the next morning neighbors called him 
to point out to where one of his supposed annoyers lay dead in his tracks.

Judge Martin, Sheriff Gordon and Deputy Sheriff Moseley were summoned-from 
Orlando by Marshal Overstreet and an inquest was held in the old school house 
just opposite to where Clark's body was lying. Almost the entire population of 
the square were standing around looking on and talking-about the killing. It 
was decided at the inquest to hold Harris for murder.

It was just about daylight when Marshal Overstreet was called to the square. He 
had no sooner returned to his home after inspecting the scene of the murder 
when Andrew Harris, very much excited, came to him and said that he certainly 
wanted the man found who had killed young Clark. "I know who killed him," said 
theMarshal, looking Andrew straight in the eye, "You killed him with that shot 
gun of yours." 

The marshal says that Andrew stared at him in an awe-struck way, and then in a 
tearful voice said, "Yes, sir, I shot the gun.  Yes, sir, I shot the gun.1' 
Tears were flowing from his eyes as he turned and walked away. Young Clark was
Harris' own step-son. 

It seems to be the opinion of the square that Harris had no intention of 
killing anybody and fired the gun to frighten away his annoyers.


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