It was bought by W.M. Pepper , Sr. , in 1917 for $ 50,000 , and was published by the Pepper family for three generations , until it was sold to the Cowles Media Company in 1962 . During the time it was owned by the Pepper family ( specifically in 1922 ) an editor at the paper openly admitted his membership in the Ku Klux Klan and praised the Klan in print . This attitude helps to explain the editorial published in the paper following the Rosewood massacre justifying the actions of the whites , saying " Let it be understood now and forever that he , whether white or black , who brutally assaults an innocent and helpless woman , shall die the death of a dog . " Conversely , the '' Tampa Tribune '' of the time called it " a lasting blot on the people of Levy county " , clearly condemning rather than justifying the massacre
Rosewood massacre
Rosewood massacre
The Gainesville Sun