In Mrs. Sloan's recital of her memories from childhood to the great age of 90 presented on this page last Sunday, was included a story of three tragedies in one Fort Ogden family. It was deleted because of limited space last week, but to complete the graphic picture of life in Southwest Florida nearly a century ago it is given space today....

"I remember one party that had tragic ending. It was held at the home of John Daughtrey on Christmas Eve.
"A Dr. Key had moved with his family from Texas and had settled in Fort Ogden some time before. He had six children, three boys and three girls. The boys were John, Bill and Oliver; the girls were Olive, Myrtis and Ann.
"There was also at the party a young man by the name of David who had had a little too much to drink. He asked Miss Ann Key to dance with him, she refused, and this displeased him very much. Her brother Oliver took it up.
"The guests would not allow any fighting at the party and told them to meet next day at a designated place and settle their difficulties. This they agreed to do. They met the next morning with a few of the town people on the edge of a pond on the property of Uncle John Williams, who had sold his holdings in Fish Eating Creek and moved to Fort Ogden sometime before.
"David was still drinking and started the fight before the signal was given, killing Oliver Key almost instantly.

THE OTHER TWO Key boys were also killed tragically.
"John Key was the oldest and was the captain of a boat named the Lilly White which operated between Galveston and Key West by way of Tampa and Fort Myers. As his home was in Fort Ogden he docked the boat at Liverpool and was walking to his home when someone robbed and killed him. He left a wife and two small children.
"The murderer was never apprehended.
"The other son, Bill Key, was killed a year later by a man by the name of Driver, who left the country and was never heard of again.
"Dr. Key, sick and disheartened, left Fort Ogden taking his wife and daughter Ann with him. The other two daughters had married. Myrtis married a Mr. Barley and Olive married a Mr. Boggess. They remained in Fort Ogden.
"The three Key boys are buried in the cemetery in Fort Ogden along with my mother, grandmother, Uncle John and Aunt Mollie Williams, several of my uncles and aunts - in fact most all the people I knew when I was young."

Donald McKay had a Sunday column in the Tampa Tribune called Pioneer Florida which appeared from 1946 - 1960.