Cherokee County AlArchives News.....WILL SMITH IS KILLED August 22, 1908 ************************************************ 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, 4:40 pm The Cleburne News, Helfin, AL August 22, 1908 NEWSPAPER issue of Saturday, August 22, 1908 WILL SMITH IS KILLED; THE FAMOUS BELL TREE MOONSHINER IS SHOT BY WILL CHANDLER IN SELF DEFENSE; FATAL SHOOTING OCCURRED AT BORDEN SPRINGS. He was killed with his own pistol and had been a desperate character for many years. William Smith, the notorious "Bell Tree" blind tiger keeper and desperado, is dead. He died with his boots on as he had sworn he would, at the hands of a man he tried to kill. Last Sunday afternoon at Borden Springs, a station on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in the extreme northern part of this county, Will Smith was killed outright by Will Chandler. It seems that both parties had been to an all day singing at New Bethel church a short distance away and while passing Borden Springs station, a row or scuffle between other parties was in progress, one of whom was an employe of Chandler and he left his wagon in care of his wife and children to go down and investigate the trouble. When he arrived at the place where the trouble was going on, Will Smith and Chandler became involved in a heated controversy because Chandler asked the boy who was in his employ to come away. During the time of the trouble both Smith and Chandler's brothers got into the mix-up and Smith's brother got Chandler's brother down and was choking him severely, while Will Smith was standing over Will Chandler with his gun on him having him to pray and occasionally kicking him and telling him to get down to it; when Smith observed that his brother was about choked to death, he threw his gun on Chandler's brother and told him to stop; just at this time Chandler took advantage of the opportunity and knocked Smith down with a rock from behind and then it became a hand to hand fight between the four for the gun, each realizing that whichever side got the gun it meant death to the other. Finally, Will Chandler got possession of the deadly weapon and fired four shots at Will Smith, three of which took effect in the head, spattering Smith's blood over the grass around. Immediately after the killing, Chandler gave himself up to the authorities and came to Heflin that night and was in jail by 2:00 a.m. Chandler waived preliminary trial Monday morning. He made bond for $2500. and will await further action by the grand jury. This is the second killing that has taken place at Borden Springs within the last few months and it is said that six men have been killed within a short distance of that place. As to the character of the two men we personally know nothing, but it comes to us that Mr. Smith was the possessor of a dark record. He was one of the most notorious moonshiners in the State of Alabama and as proprietor of the recent "Bell Tree" blind tiger near the state line, on Flagpole Mountain, has made a fortune selling liquor, having no respect for law and order. Rumor has it that part of his life was stained by the blood of seven human beings. We sympathize with the ones deserving but to Smith we have no sympathy to offer. Alas, when will our county rid its golden hills from such characters as "Bill Smith, the Bell Tree man" ? ____________ File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/cherokee/newspapers/willsmit150nw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/alfiles/ File size: 3.7 Kb