The Surrency Affair: A True and Shocking Tale of Tragedy

John and Mayme Surrency were murdered in Jacksonville FL on November 25 1936 the day before Thanksgiving. Two men were hired to rob the couple of two hundred dollars. In reality John was carrying over twenty-seven hundred dollars which remained untouched as the pair fled. Murder appeared the ultimate goal. Sheriff Rex Swift and his deputies made short work of the investigation and the two men and their coconspirator were apprehended on December 12 1936. But would all three face justice? As facts were brought into the light of day it became apparent there was more to the story. Clyde Hysler the man who contracted the murder was a member of a family whose run-ins with Jacksonville law enforcement occurred over decades prior. So deep was their connection to organized Crime Al Capone stayed at the home of Jim Hysler Clyde’s father in 1930. Adding to the mystery was the untimely and mysterious deaths of Mayme Surrency’s brother Bartow’s state senator John Swearingen in 1931