Marshall County AlArchives News.....How Daniel Wilson Was Killed January 17, 1883
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Kenneth Stacy klstacyfamily@aol.com January 28, 2007, 4:13 pm

The Huntsville Weekly Democrat January 17, 1883
How Daniel Wilson Was Killed
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  Editor Guntersville Democrat:--I see in the Huntsville Independent that W. L. 
Goodwin had killed N. T. Williams, a moonshiner, near Attalla, and that an 
inquest justified the killing; all of which is false.  These are the facts.
  Samuel Thomas and Daniel Wilson were at Attalla selling brandy contrary to 
law, when W. _. Goodwin, J. P. Smith and a Mr. Campbell went to arrest them.  
There were two rooms in the house.  Thomas and the owner of the house were in 
one room and Daniel Wilson, a young woman and a lad were in the other room.  
Smith and Campbell went to one door, and Goodwin went to the other door which 
was shut.  Goodwin burst through the door and leveled his pistol at Wilson, 
saying three times “See here.”  I am told no other words were spoken.  Wilson 
met Goodwin and threw him back out of the door and started to run.  About the 
time Wilson cleared the door, Goodwin fired killing him dead.
  If it’s law to shoot a man running, Goodwin is justifiable.  These are the 
facts as I gather them from eye-witnesses.  These witnesses, though present at 
the killing, were not examined by the coroner and jury of inquest.  Whoever 
bossed the farce of an inquest would not let them be examined, alleging, as an 
excuse for not allowing them to testify, that the person with whom Wilson and 
Thomas were stopping were concerned in the brandy and would not tell the 
truth.  That is new law to me.  Even if concerned in the brandy, I think they 
were, at least, competent witnesses, and should, by all means, have been 
examined if that coroner and jury had desired to learn all the facts.
  But these witnesses were not in the least concerned in the brandy.—Thomas and 
Wilson were simply stopping with them. I am told that the witnesses who were 
examined were the deputies only.  They swore that Wilson had tow pistols 
buckled around him, that he snapped his pistol at Goodwin and, afterward, 
knocked him down with it.  All the witnesses, with whom I talked, say that 
Wilson had no pistol about him and, in fact, had no weapon of any kind.
  It might be proper for me to state that Wilson had no interest whatever in 
the brandy.  He was only hired by Thomas to drive the team.  Daniel Wilson was 
by brother, but I have given the facts just as told me by those who saw the 
killing, being desirous that my friends should not be under a false impression 
as to how my unfortunate brother came to a sad death, and, for this reason, I 
ask the publication of this letter written by one not accustomed to write for 
newspapers.
	H. J. WILSON,
	Martin’s Mill, Jan’y 3rd.

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