One of the Groveland Four falsely accused of raping a white woman in Groveland, Florida July 1949. He was shot to death by a posse of Sheriffs and others in Madison County, Florida. The posse had over 100 people and he was shot over 100 times. He was a cook and married to Ruby Lee Jones.
"Possemen Slay Lake County Rape Suspect. A young belligerent Negro-fourth suspect in the rape case that inflamed mob violence in central Florida last week-died at the hands of a posse Tuesday. Three sheriffs headed the searchers who caught up with Ernest Thomas in a densely wooded area about 10 miles south of here and shot him to death as he tried to run away. He was "belligerent as the devil" said Lake County Sheriff Willis Virgil McCall. "He had a loaded pistol in his hand when he was killed and he had his finger around the trigger." The sheriff said he didn't know who fired the fatal shot, "but it was a bunch of good fellows." Sheriffs Simmie Moore and Bill Towles said they didn't know either who killed Thomas nor how many bullets were fired at him. "
"At his Eustis home, McCall said the posse 'of at least 100 men from everywhere' surrounded the Negro at 3 a.m. Monday and had him "headed off all the time until he was killed at 11 o'clock.' However Madison Sheriff Simmie Moore said there were only five official members of the posse."
"Jury Finds Killing of Negro 'Lawful'" The jury called Thomas' death a 'lawful homicide.'"
In 2016, the Lake County Commission followed Groveland Mayor Tim Loucks in presenting the surviving families of the Groveland Four with a posthumous apology. Both Loucks and members of the Lake County Commission then began lobbying state lawmakers to do the same. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by State Representative Bobby DuBose apologizing to the families of the Groveland Four, some of whose members were in attendance, and exonerating the men. The Florida State Senate passed an identical resolution sponsored by Senator Gary Farmer on April 27, 2017. The resolutions also called on Governor Rick Scott to expedite the process for granting posthumous pardons. On January 11, 2019, the Florida Board of Executive Clemency, with newly seated Republican Governor Ron DeSantis at the helm, agreed unanimously to pardon the Groveland Four. "Seventy years is a long time," DeSantis said before taking office. "And that's the amount of time four young men have been wrongly written into Florida history for crimes they did not commit and punishments they did not deserve."
"Possemen Slay Lake County Rape Suspect. A young belligerent Negro-fourth suspect in the rape case that inflamed mob violence in central Florida last week-died at the hands of a posse Tuesday. Three sheriffs headed the searchers who caught up with Ernest Thomas in a densely wooded area about 10 miles south of here and shot him to death as he tried to run away. He was "belligerent as the devil" said Lake County Sheriff Willis Virgil McCall. "He had a loaded pistol in his hand when he was killed and he had his finger around the trigger." The sheriff said he didn't know who fired the fatal shot, "but it was a bunch of good fellows." Sheriffs Simmie Moore and Bill Towles said they didn't know either who killed Thomas nor how many bullets were fired at him. "
"At his Eustis home, McCall said the posse 'of at least 100 men from everywhere' surrounded the Negro at 3 a.m. Monday and had him "headed off all the time until he was killed at 11 o'clock.' However Madison Sheriff Simmie Moore said there were only five official members of the posse."
"Jury Finds Killing of Negro 'Lawful'" The jury called Thomas' death a 'lawful homicide.'"
In 2016, the Lake County Commission followed Groveland Mayor Tim Loucks in presenting the surviving families of the Groveland Four with a posthumous apology. Both Loucks and members of the Lake County Commission then began lobbying state lawmakers to do the same. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by State Representative Bobby DuBose apologizing to the families of the Groveland Four, some of whose members were in attendance, and exonerating the men. The Florida State Senate passed an identical resolution sponsored by Senator Gary Farmer on April 27, 2017. The resolutions also called on Governor Rick Scott to expedite the process for granting posthumous pardons. On January 11, 2019, the Florida Board of Executive Clemency, with newly seated Republican Governor Ron DeSantis at the helm, agreed unanimously to pardon the Groveland Four. "Seventy years is a long time," DeSantis said before taking office. "And that's the amount of time four young men have been wrongly written into Florida history for crimes they did not commit and punishments they did not deserve."
One of the Groveland Four falsely accused of raping a white woman in Groveland, Florida July 1949. He was shot to death by a posse of Sheriffs and others in Madison County, Florida. The posse had over 100 people and he was shot over 100 times. He was a cook and married to Ruby Lee Jones.
"Possemen Slay Lake County Rape Suspect. A young belligerent Negro-fourth suspect in the rape case that inflamed mob violence in central Florida last week-died at the hands of a posse Tuesday. Three sheriffs headed the searchers who caught up with Ernest Thomas in a densely wooded area about 10 miles south of here and shot him to death as he tried to run away. He was "belligerent as the devil" said Lake County Sheriff Willis Virgil McCall. "He had a loaded pistol in his hand when he was killed and he had his finger around the trigger." The sheriff said he didn't know who fired the fatal shot, "but it was a bunch of good fellows." Sheriffs Simmie Moore and Bill Towles said they didn't know either who killed Thomas nor how many bullets were fired at him. "
"At his Eustis home, McCall said the posse 'of at least 100 men from everywhere' surrounded the Negro at 3 a.m. Monday and had him "headed off all the time until he was killed at 11 o'clock.' However Madison Sheriff Simmie Moore said there were only five official members of the posse."
"Jury Finds Killing of Negro 'Lawful'" The jury called Thomas' death a 'lawful homicide.'"
In 2016, the Lake County Commission followed Groveland Mayor Tim Loucks in presenting the surviving families of the Groveland Four with a posthumous apology. Both Loucks and members of the Lake County Commission then began lobbying state lawmakers to do the same. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by State Representative Bobby DuBose apologizing to the families of the Groveland Four, some of whose members were in attendance, and exonerating the men. The Florida State Senate passed an identical resolution sponsored by Senator Gary Farmer on April 27, 2017. The resolutions also called on Governor Rick Scott to expedite the process for granting posthumous pardons. On January 11, 2019, the Florida Board of Executive Clemency, with newly seated Republican Governor Ron DeSantis at the helm, agreed unanimously to pardon the Groveland Four. "Seventy years is a long time," DeSantis said before taking office. "And that's the amount of time four young men have been wrongly written into Florida history for crimes they did not commit and punishments they did not deserve."
"Possemen Slay Lake County Rape Suspect. A young belligerent Negro-fourth suspect in the rape case that inflamed mob violence in central Florida last week-died at the hands of a posse Tuesday. Three sheriffs headed the searchers who caught up with Ernest Thomas in a densely wooded area about 10 miles south of here and shot him to death as he tried to run away. He was "belligerent as the devil" said Lake County Sheriff Willis Virgil McCall. "He had a loaded pistol in his hand when he was killed and he had his finger around the trigger." The sheriff said he didn't know who fired the fatal shot, "but it was a bunch of good fellows." Sheriffs Simmie Moore and Bill Towles said they didn't know either who killed Thomas nor how many bullets were fired at him. "
"At his Eustis home, McCall said the posse 'of at least 100 men from everywhere' surrounded the Negro at 3 a.m. Monday and had him "headed off all the time until he was killed at 11 o'clock.' However Madison Sheriff Simmie Moore said there were only five official members of the posse."
"Jury Finds Killing of Negro 'Lawful'" The jury called Thomas' death a 'lawful homicide.'"
In 2016, the Lake County Commission followed Groveland Mayor Tim Loucks in presenting the surviving families of the Groveland Four with a posthumous apology. Both Loucks and members of the Lake County Commission then began lobbying state lawmakers to do the same. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by State Representative Bobby DuBose apologizing to the families of the Groveland Four, some of whose members were in attendance, and exonerating the men. The Florida State Senate passed an identical resolution sponsored by Senator Gary Farmer on April 27, 2017. The resolutions also called on Governor Rick Scott to expedite the process for granting posthumous pardons. On January 11, 2019, the Florida Board of Executive Clemency, with newly seated Republican Governor Ron DeSantis at the helm, agreed unanimously to pardon the Groveland Four. "Seventy years is a long time," DeSantis said before taking office. "And that's the amount of time four young men have been wrongly written into Florida history for crimes they did not commit and punishments they did not deserve."
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