Gunned down!

Gunned down at the oh so young age of 17.  In 1924 in the West Tampa area, Cyril was shot a number times in the stomach and died shortly there after. As the story goes Cyril was with two or three other young men, supposedly in the process of breaking into a store when the shots rang out.

Young Cyril P Herrick started life out in Chicago Illinois, 2 March 1907, before his parents decided to pack up the whole family and move to the West Tamp Florida area. This move must of been an adventure!  Can you imagine packing up a family of seven and heading south across a road system that wouldn't have existed in the late 1910's.  

Illinois Birth Record

In searching for Cyril's records,  I wasn't able to find a birth record, but found one that matched, well for the most part.  The birth record was for an Edward Herrick with the same parents, same home address and same date of birth. So, I don't know if this was an error in recording by the hospital staff or his parent decide to call him Cyril Paul instead and just didn't bother documenting the correction. The picture of the boy on horse back (above) was Cyril  somewhere between 13 and 17 years old.  Nice looking boy, wouldn't you say.

Now,  by the 1920 the family were firmly in place in the Tampa area, including  the two oldest boys, Edmund and George F Herrick (II) and his family.  The head of the family, George F Herrick (I), came from Cork Ireland, after which, he stops in Freeport Illinois long enough to find his wife Mary Kennedy and start his family.  Eleven children all but, only seven children made the trip from Chicago due early deaths.  Cyril was a teen by this time, doing what teens do, running with friends,  Moving ahead four short years, and we learn about the next set of records found for Cyril.  While with friends, in the early morning hours of 24 April 1924, Cyril was heard to say; "Boys, I'm dying, save me"!

Cyril was with friends checking out a drinking stand around two o'clock in the morning, when shots rang out.  hitting Cyril in the stomach and supposedly wounding another.  Cyril was with friends, Johnnie Thomas and E.M. Albury and one unknown red-headed guy.  The shooter was also the owner of the drink stand.  George St Amant was arrest and held in jail awaiting trail.  The attached newspaper clippings are from the Tampa Tribune April 1924, in which I will allow the rest of the story be told.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Continued.....