Sunland Tribune Volume 31 Article 5 2006 Seeking David Fagen: The Search for a Black Rebel's Florida Roots Frank Schubert Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune Recommended Citation Schubert, Frank (2006) "Seeking David Fagen: The Search for a Black Rebel's Florida Roots," Sunland Tribune: Vol. 31 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune/vol31/iss1/5 This Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sunland Tribune by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Schubert: Seeking David Fagen: The Search for a Black Rebel's Florida Roots Seeking David Fagen: The Search for a Black Re bel's Florida Roots 1 Frank Schubert Miami, Fernandina, and Jacksonville. Among them were all four regiments of black regu­ avid Fagen was by far the best lars: three (the 9th Cavalry, and the 24th known of the twenty or so black and 25th Infantry regiments) in Tampa, and soldiers who deserted the U.S. a fourth, the 10th Cavalry, in Lakeland. Re­ DArmy in the Philippines at the cently the experience of these soldiers in turn of the twentieth century and went the Florida has been the subject of a growing next step and defected to the enemy. I !is number of books, articles, and dissertations.2 story fi lled newspapers great and small , Some Floridians joined regular units, from the New Yori? 11imes to the Crawford, and David Fagen was one of those. lie en­ Nebraska 11-ibune. The Times called him listed on June 4, 1898, for a term of three "the celebrated Fagen,'' assuming that all years, and began an extraordinary military who read about him would know why. It journey, starting as a private in the 24th was he that the even more celebrated Fred­ Infantry and ending as a captain in Emilio erick Funston wanted desperately to kill Aguinaldo's Filipino revolutionary army, and then, when he fa iled to do so, made fighting against his former comrades and public excuses to cover his failure. In the the United States. The conflict that started period press, the literature, and the official as part of the war with Spain in 1898 ended records of the war, one name kept popping by throttling the Fil ipino independence up: David Fagen, the teenager from Tampa movement in 1902. who had enli sted in the 24th Infantry in Ilow does one discover the background 1898 for the war against Spain, "celebrat­ of such a young man? I-le does not appear ed" in the New Yori? Times, leading insur­ in what might be called "uplift histories," recto soldiers against the Americans, and such as the late Rowena Brady's Things frustrating the great Frederick Funston. Who Remembered,J a book that traces the emer­ was this soldier, and what was his story? gence of a black professional and entrepre­ For many years, historical studies of neurial middle class in Tampa. Ile is not in Florida at the turn of the twentieth century Maxine Jones and Kevin McCa rthy's Afri­ that talked about the war with Spain tend­ can Americans in Florida,4 with its biogra­ ed to focus on local volunteer regiments, on phies black Tampa's social pillars, such as civilian patriots trying to make soldiers com­ educator Blanche Armwood and nurse fortable in camp, and on businesses and Clara Frye. communities experiencing strong economic In fact, in an earlier version of a local surges as a result of Florida becoming the history, D. B. McKay's Pioneer Florida, pub­ springboard to operations in Cuba. Indeed, lished in 1959 during the waning days of Florida during the 1898 war included all segregation, there is some indication of how that. All of V Corps, the 17 ,000 men who far David Fagen and his family were from went to Cuba, along with those left be­ being among the pi llars of black Tampa. In hind, were bivouacked in Tampa, Lakeland, a chapter called "The Good Colored People 29 Published by Scholar Commons, 2006 29 Sunland Tribune, Vol. 31 [2006], Art. 5 'l\vo fa nciful views of Fagen that illustrated a 1909 novel, The Little God.~ , hy Rowland Thomas. of Tampa," Sam Fagen, David's father, made believe your lawyer. Case dismissed." ':-> a cameo appearance, illustrating what did The tale shows in stark reli ef the racism of not, in Mc Kay's judgment, constitute the the day, when a black man's word was not "good colored people" of Ta mpa. McKay even good e nough to establish his own guil t. wrote: The story may also show a black man so Sam Fagin [sicjwas a shiftless old Ne­ shrewd that he knew that a ll he had to do gro who was never known to work, but was admit guilt to be exonerated. had about 20 children. I mention him because I recall a funny story about him. \\That about Sam's son David? What can When the late Clarke Knight had just one find out about this young African graduated from law school he walked in­ American man from the mean dirt streets of to the police station one morning look­ the Scrub, Tampa's black urban enclave':> ing for business. He saw old Sam in a What and who might have shaped his li fe , cell and asked why. Sam said he was accused of stealing chickens. Cla rke and - perhaps most importa nt - what might volunteered to represent him.The next have been the sources of his extraordina ry morning when Sam was arraigned before rebellion? Judge Harry Peeples the judge glared at The searc h begins with F'agen's fa mily him and evidently unnerved him. Told and reli es on standa rd sources: census to plead to the charge, Sam whispered, 'Jedge, when you looks at me lak dat it records, insurance maps, and vital statis­ seems lak you looks right through me. I ti cs. Sam Fagen (c.1840-1899) did not have ai n't gwine li e to you, Jedge - I's guilty.' twenty children. Il e and hi s wife Sylvia Cla rke was on his feet instantly to (c.1853-1883)<> had seven offspring and protest: 'Judge Peeples. You fri ghtened David was the seventh, following four broth­ this poor old man so badly with your fierce expression that he doesn't know ers and two siste rs. The fa mily also includ­ what he is saying. I am his lawyer, and I ed Sylvia's son George Douglas, the oldest tell you he is not guilty.' Whereupon the child in the family in 1880, eleven years of honorabl e court delivered himself of this age when David was aged one. gem: 'Sam Fagin, stand up' I'll have you Sam Fagen, head of the family, was a la­ know that I came from South Ca'lina, and l was taught to always take the word borer and, if not a local legend, he should of a white in preference to the word of a have been . In addition to his acquittal as Negro. 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( '. ,J ,, ;· ··:· it;iir ./.?/:''.!f ....... A portion of Fagen's first enlistment paper, showing his "X." (National Archives) bune had him catching an alligator, and an­ ing house or with no outside employment other in 1881 reported that he had stolen went from 50 to 64 percent. Sometimes, the oats for his horse.7 Sylvia "kept house," as circumstances and opportunities of Recon­ the census report put it. George was sixteen struction led freedwomen to earn wages, in 1885 and did "general job work," so he but they "created economic niches that may have contributed a bit to the house­ added earnings without sacrificing care of hold, but the family was big, depended their families or submitting to the super­ mainly on Sam's earnings as a laborer, and vision of whites." (Thus, the 1880 census probably had trouble making ends meet.