Canton Rotary Honors Fallen Bailiff 100 Years Later

The Rotary Club of Canton and local law enforcement members recently posthumously honored a Cherokee County bailiff who was killed in the line of duty over 100 years ago.

Community members gathered in Canton Rotary Park June 18 to remember Cherokee County Bailiff Charles Fernando “Charlie” Loggins, whose name was added to the park’s Public Safety Memorial, which bears the Rotary motto: “Service Above Self.”

During Georgia’s prohibition era, Bailiff Loggins was shot and killed on May 24, 1921, after arresting a man for transporting whiskey near Franklin Gold Mine outside of Canton. Loggins, Sheriff Floyd Blackwell and Deputy Guy Blackwell stopped a Packard automobile containing 50 gallons on whiskey. One of the occupants of the vehicle fled into nearby woods; the driver, F. H. Daniel of Atlanta, was placed under arrest.

Upon transporting the Packard and the prisoner back to Canton, the vehicle stalled. While officers attempted to restart it, Daniel was able to pick up a handgun and exit the vehicle. He first attacked Blackwell, then shot and killed Loggins. He then shot and injured Blackwell before being overtaken by the deputy. Daniel was convicted of Loggins’s murder and sentenced to life in prison. Loggins was survived by his wife and nine children.

The ceremony included a moving performance of the national anthem by Jennifer Puckett, presentation of the colors by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Color Guard, opening remarks from Rotary Club of Canton President Francisco Lozano, and a special presentation by Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds.

Reynolds spoke about Loggins’ life and presented a certificate and medal of honor to Loggins’ descendants who were present, members of the Dean and Hamby families. He then unveiled the new addition to the memorial. The monument, dedicated to the men and women of Cherokee County’s public safety agency who lost their lives in the line of duty, also honors Alonzo Rush Cagle (Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, 1923), J. W. Foster (Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, 1976), Dana Denise Shaw (Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, 1999), Timothy Wayne Woodard (Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, 2000), and Joe Burson (Holly Springs Police Department, 2021).

The ceremony was followed by lunch and the Rotary Club’s weekly program inside the newly renovated Jones Building. During the program, the club continued to honor public servants with Public Safety Appreciation Scholarships awarded to Sergeant Terrell Long with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services (Station No. 8) and Capt. Casey Barton of the Holly Springs Police Department.

Also during the program, a special presentation was made in honor of the late Erin Mason, assistant to the police chief at the Holly Springs Police Department. Erin, her husband, Dakarai, and their sons Brandon and Titus were all tragically killed after a car accident May 19. Friends of Holly Springs Police Foundation President Ann Gazell accepted a donation on behalf of the Rotary Club of Canton to benefit the Mason family’s sole surviving member, 5-year-old Noah.

Erin Mason received the Rotary Club of Canton’s Public Safety Employee of the Year Award in September 2023.