| Summary: | This is a newspaper account of Will Vaughn, an African American hired to patrol the black business district in East Florence. According to Florence historian Lee Freeman: Vaughn would not receive a salary but would instead be paid out of fines levied on offenders and had no authority over whites. Interestingly, Vaughn was not the first black officer hired in Florence: according to the city council minutes for December of 1867 Mayor James Brock was authorized to employ eight "night policemen" to patrol from 7 pm to 7 am, four men to be on duty all the time, with four of the eight men to be black. Brock also appointed two "day policemen," one black and one white, to assist the constable, or chief of police. I'm not sure how long these "night" and "day" officers, esp. the black officers, were employed. I'm not certain, but I believe this Will Vaughn, whose wife's name was Catherine, was a son of William, Sr. and Mattie Vaughn, was born ca. 1902-1903 and died in 1972 in Decatur. In 1920 he was 17 years old, working as a "laborer" for the "city" and living with his 42 year-old aunt Annie Nabers on Larimore St. in Florence. I don't know how long Vaughn was on the force in Florence only that by 1942 he seems to have moved to Decatur.""
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