William J. West
William Jeffery “W.J.” West (1863-1909) was sheriff of Scott County in the 1900s, perhaps best known for marching three black murder suspects out of the county jail and through the night to Knoxville to help them avoid a lynch mob. He was murdered in 1909.
See Also: Sheriffs of Scott County
Preceded By: Sam Sexton • Succeeded By: Andy Thomas
Biography
Born Aug. 19, 1863, William J. West was the son of Fredrick West (1839-1884) and Jane Ellis (1843-1918). His siblings included Martha West Daugherty, Rachel Jane West King, James L. West, Columbus Jackson West, Federate Jackson West, Rose Mary West Troxell, Jeremiah “Jerry” West, and Tabitha Lucinda West Barbe.
West married Lucinda “Lucy” Strunk (1869-1934), the daughter of Isham Strunk (1817-1892) and Elizabeth King (1819-1896) of McCreary County, Ky., on Oct. 12, 1882. They lived in the Winfield area. Their children included Mary Jane West Daugherty (1888-1964), Martha Belle West Justice (1890-1930), Amanda Ollie West Hamby (1892-1932), Thomas Graden West (1894-1932), David Culture West (1897-1920), Jerrie Blain West (1900-1937), and Ester West Boyatt (1902-1977).
Census records show that West had moved to Winfield prior to his marriage.
Professional Life
West apparently served in the U.S. military, though records are scarce. He was later elected sheriff of Scott County about 1904. It appears that he served one term as sheriff.
West was sheriff at the time that Frank Williams was murdered at the Robbins Brick Yard in 1905. Three men — Luther Wilson, Arthur Wilson, and Jule Henderson — were charged in his death, which was apparently motivated by their termination from the company. The three suspects were black men, and Williams was a white man. West had to twice help the suspects escape lynch mobs — first by getting them from Robbins to Huntsville after their initial arrest, and later by getting them from Huntsville to Knoxville, Tenn.
The latter incident occurred when West was at Robbins and learned that a mob was forming, including friends of Williams from his native Roane County who had boarded a train to Robbins. West walked nine miles to Huntsville, spread several different rumors about where he intended to take the prisoners, and left the jail with them as the mob was four miles away from Huntsville. He deputized another man, Joe Hughett, to help him. They walked through the night, sticking to the woods and off the beaten path, and arrived at the railroad depot in Pioneer, Tenn., the following morning. From there, he transported them by rail to the Knox County Jail in Knoxville, Tenn.
The murder of Frank Williams forever changed Scott County’s racial demographic. According to the historian Esther Sharp Sanderson, black people living in Scott County were given two weeks to settle their affairs and get out. Census records show that the black population of the county went from more than 300 in 1900 to fewer than 80 in 1910 and fewer than 10 in 1920.
A newspaper article in the Knoxville Sentinel, published Feb. 4, 1905, stated that “Sheriff West is the sort of man who knows his duty and is willing to discharge it at all hazards. He served as an enlisted man in the Fourth Tennessee regiment in the United States and Cuba, and showed himself a true soldier. His conduct in safely escorting his prisoners to jail in the face of difficulties deserves ‘honorable mention’ in the reports.”
Death
West was shot from an ambush near his home on Aug. 28, 1909. He was buried at New Light Cemetery in Winfield.
He was one of two former sheriffs of Scott County assassinated in a 13-month period. Frank Hughett was killed from ambush near Smokey Junction in September 1910.
Ewell Phillips was charged in West’s death. He was West’s neighbor. He denied firing the shot, but said he knew who did it.
Phillips was eventually convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was pardoned by Gov. Rye on April 25, 1918.