1905 – Sheriff Frank Knight took Simon Reyes to the State Prison. Reyes had been found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend and was sentenced to hang but the Governor commuted his sentence to life.
1926 – Florida Governor John W. Martin appointed Key West Police Chief Cleveland Niles as Sheriff of Monroe County to fill the unexpired term of the late sheriff Roland Curry. Mayor Leslie Curry then appointed Ivan Elwood to replace Chief Niles.
1967 – The 6th Battalion (HAWK) 65th Artillery dedicated and re-named its four batteries in honor of four U.S. Army members from Key West killed in Vietnam: Peter Knight, Richard E. Recupero, Florentino Roque and Eckwood Solomon.
1984 – Drunk driving was the suspected cause of the worst automobile accident in the two-year history of the Seven Mile Bridge. The collision of a station wagon, a van and a school bus camper resulted in the deaths of five – including a family of three – with 13 injured. The bridge was closed for five hours.
2009 – After 12 years of planning and fundraising, the 522-foot former military ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg was sunk in 140 feet of water south of Key West. The sinking went as planned: The ship went down in two minutes, and divers quickly ascertained that it sat perfectly upright on the bottom.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Cleveland Niles as Key West Police Chief. Niles later became Monroe County Sheriff. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.