Cherokee County AlArchives News..... Here is a blood-curlding tale April 9, 1998 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: W. Stephens wend901@charter.net May 13, 2005, 5:04 pm The Cleburne News, Heflin, Al April 9, 1998 Here is a blood-curlding tale of a murder that took place in or near Borden Springs around 1927. It seems there were two men who were at odds with each other. They were Will Chandler and a “Whiskey-Handler” named (or called) Bell Tree Smith. Bell Tree also handled other commodities. It was said that the Smith man operated on a “Large Scale.” Old citizens of Cleburne County around Edwardsville recalled that WillChandler had incurred the wrath of Bell Tree. One day they came upon each other and the fury commenced. At the point of a gun, Bell Tree forced Will Chandler to get down on his hands and knees and eat dirt and grass in the manner of an animal. What Bell Tree overlooked was Will Chandler’s brother who stood nearby witnessing the humiliating sight. Will Chandler had been coerced into removing all of his clothes to degrade him even further. Bell Tree was really lording it over his victim. He was saying that Chandler’s days would be short on the earth and that he would soon depart. Simultaneously, Will Chandler picked up a large rock and his brother knocked Bell Tree down, and Bell Tree was struck mightily with the rock. Then Will got his hands on Bell Tree’s pistol and fired five bullets into the man’s body. On a following Sunday, volunteers were busy digging a grave for the body of an officer who had been slain on Saturday night and they were authorities for the statement that Will Chandler had been convicted by a jury and given a year’s sentence for the killing of Bell Tree Smith. But they said, when he was delivered to the warden in the Alabama penitentiary, he was met with a full pardon issued by Governor B. B. Comer and that he never served a minute for this dastardly crime of killing “the famous operator” of Borden Springs. Bell Tree’s place of operation was near the Borden Springs Hotel. He is said to have obtained his moniker by the use of a bell hanging in a tree when someone wanted whiskey. It was well-known that he kept strong drink for sale and a signal was a ring of the bell near his home. At that time he was considered to be a leader in the community and had always been described as a man set in his ways about everything. Even his neighbors were afraid to differ from him on any question. He was said to have lived in a lavish home, surrounded by servants. His grand lifestyle impressed all who witnessed it. His word was law and “woe to any man who disputed it.” Well, the newspaper of the time said that it was not certain what had become of Will Chandler. A short time after the killing of Bell Tree Smith he (Chandler) was initiated into the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Heflin. So much for that! By the way, Charlie Collins sent me an old newspaper item containing this story. It was messed up and hard to read but I think I got it pretty much right. Charlie said the newspaper had been found on some lady’s wall. Correction to the April 9th article by Mildred P. Miller First, allow me to make a correction. When I said that the Bell Tree Bloodshed occurred in 1927, I was mistaken. That was an approximate date that the story appeared in the newspaper. Actually, it is believed that the killing took place about 1908. The old newspaper clipping which related the story did not have a date on it. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/cherokee/newspapers/hereisab156nw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/alfiles/ File size: 3.9 Kb