Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
In the 1800s, school shootings were not part of the headlines, but there were exceptions to the rule, one of which occurred in Madison County. When Frank W. Pope was 16 years old, he had a run-in with his teacher, J.T. Bristow. Whatever the nature of the conflict, it resulted in Pope fatally shooting Bristow.
The truth about the incident will never be fully known because only two accounts came forth to the public, one of which was given as political coverage for Pope many years later. The supposed eye-witness account stated that Bristow had whipped Pope with a chinquapin switch and Pope returned later in the day and shot him.
Pope had been nominated by the Independents to run for governor of Florida in 1884. Political supporters knew that Pope's past would haunt him if they didn't get ahead of it, so they released a version of the story that claimed Bristow had severely beaten Pope with a heavy chair and Pope shot him in self defense.
After the killing, Pope, whose family was known for being hot-tempered, fled to Montana. Pope returned to Madison several years later, where he became a lawyer and eventually became the mayor of Madison. Aside from the family temper, Pope was a skilled politician who was well known for his oratorical abilities. Basically, the man could talk a fly off of a carcass.
The election went without a hitch throughout most of the state, but things were a little more interesting in Madison. Ballot boxes were stolen in Madison, Cherry Lake and Hamburg, greatly reducing Pope's numbers in his home county. Statewide, Pope lost the election by over 4,000 votes. There is little doubt that the troublesome incidents of his childhood played a part in his political demise.
Pope soon moved to Jacksonville after his defeat, where he became a successful criminal attorney and put his oratory skills to good use. Both Pope and his victim are buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Greene Publishing, Inc. would like to thank the Treasures of Madison County Museum for providing the information for this article which was taken from Elizabeth H. Sim's wonderful book, "The History of Madison County, Florida."