Washington May Bennett was the son of Gus and Lula Bennett. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Washington Taylor May. His mother Lula died in childbirth when Washington was two years old.
Washington was a 1933 graduate of Georgia Tech, where he played on the Freshman football team and was a Beta Theta Phi. He joined the Marshall County Alabama Sheriff's department prior to World War 2, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, John S. Bennett, who served as Marshall County Sheriff from 1880 to 1884.
During the war he served in the US Coast Guard Reserve. He married Jane Evans in August 1941, and the couple had two children, Sarah Lou Bennett and William Evans Bennett.
After the war he returned to the Sheriff's department as Chief Deputy Sheriff.
In the spring of 1951 Washington was killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant at the home of farmer/bootlegger Aubrey Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was involved in a violent feud with neighboring farmers and had recently been in a fight with a man named D. C. Dean, of Gadsen. Dean pressed charges against Kilpatrick. The Marshall County Sheriff called Kilpatrick and asked him to come into town to face the charges. He refused.
Boaz Chief of Police Leonard Floyd, Marshall County Sheriff E.M “Zeke” Boyles, Chief Deputy Sheriff Washington Bennett, and Deputy Sheriff James Lang drove out to Kilpatrick’s remote mountain home to serve the warrant. Along the way they picked up Kilpatrick’s 14 year old son, Billy, and had him in the patrol car.
Accounts differ as to what happened when they arrived. Billy Kilpatrick claimed the officers fired first. The surviving police officer, James Lang, claimed it was an ambush. Deputy Lang was in the house when the gunfight began and was shot by an undetermined gunman. The officers returned fire and Aubrey Kilpatrick was quickly killed. Shortly thereafter Aubrey’s 16 year old son, James, emerged from the house with his father’s rifle and shot Chief of Police Floyd, Sheriff Boyles, and Deputy Bennett.
Chief Floyd and Sheriff Boyles died at the scene, but Deputy Bennett, mortally wounded in the throat, was able to drive critically wounded Deputy Lang four miles back to Boaz. Deputy Lang survived, but Deputy Bennett died later at a hospital in Gadsden and was hailed a hero.
James Kilpatrick went through five trials before ultimately being sentenced to a 10 year prison term. He served four years and was released. He died in 2009 without any further criminal record.
Washington's widow Jane eventually remarried to a man named Gallagher. She sold the final 79 acres of land that had been Benjamin Bennett's cotton plantation in 1962 to L.C. Couch, the local TVA manager.
Washington was a 1933 graduate of Georgia Tech, where he played on the Freshman football team and was a Beta Theta Phi. He joined the Marshall County Alabama Sheriff's department prior to World War 2, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, John S. Bennett, who served as Marshall County Sheriff from 1880 to 1884.
During the war he served in the US Coast Guard Reserve. He married Jane Evans in August 1941, and the couple had two children, Sarah Lou Bennett and William Evans Bennett.
After the war he returned to the Sheriff's department as Chief Deputy Sheriff.
In the spring of 1951 Washington was killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant at the home of farmer/bootlegger Aubrey Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was involved in a violent feud with neighboring farmers and had recently been in a fight with a man named D. C. Dean, of Gadsen. Dean pressed charges against Kilpatrick. The Marshall County Sheriff called Kilpatrick and asked him to come into town to face the charges. He refused.
Boaz Chief of Police Leonard Floyd, Marshall County Sheriff E.M “Zeke” Boyles, Chief Deputy Sheriff Washington Bennett, and Deputy Sheriff James Lang drove out to Kilpatrick’s remote mountain home to serve the warrant. Along the way they picked up Kilpatrick’s 14 year old son, Billy, and had him in the patrol car.
Accounts differ as to what happened when they arrived. Billy Kilpatrick claimed the officers fired first. The surviving police officer, James Lang, claimed it was an ambush. Deputy Lang was in the house when the gunfight began and was shot by an undetermined gunman. The officers returned fire and Aubrey Kilpatrick was quickly killed. Shortly thereafter Aubrey’s 16 year old son, James, emerged from the house with his father’s rifle and shot Chief of Police Floyd, Sheriff Boyles, and Deputy Bennett.
Chief Floyd and Sheriff Boyles died at the scene, but Deputy Bennett, mortally wounded in the throat, was able to drive critically wounded Deputy Lang four miles back to Boaz. Deputy Lang survived, but Deputy Bennett died later at a hospital in Gadsden and was hailed a hero.
James Kilpatrick went through five trials before ultimately being sentenced to a 10 year prison term. He served four years and was released. He died in 2009 without any further criminal record.
Washington's widow Jane eventually remarried to a man named Gallagher. She sold the final 79 acres of land that had been Benjamin Bennett's cotton plantation in 1962 to L.C. Couch, the local TVA manager.
Washington May Bennett was the son of Gus and Lula Bennett. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Washington Taylor May. His mother Lula died in childbirth when Washington was two years old.
Washington was a 1933 graduate of Georgia Tech, where he played on the Freshman football team and was a Beta Theta Phi. He joined the Marshall County Alabama Sheriff's department prior to World War 2, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, John S. Bennett, who served as Marshall County Sheriff from 1880 to 1884.
During the war he served in the US Coast Guard Reserve. He married Jane Evans in August 1941, and the couple had two children, Sarah Lou Bennett and William Evans Bennett.
After the war he returned to the Sheriff's department as Chief Deputy Sheriff.
In the spring of 1951 Washington was killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant at the home of farmer/bootlegger Aubrey Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was involved in a violent feud with neighboring farmers and had recently been in a fight with a man named D. C. Dean, of Gadsen. Dean pressed charges against Kilpatrick. The Marshall County Sheriff called Kilpatrick and asked him to come into town to face the charges. He refused.
Boaz Chief of Police Leonard Floyd, Marshall County Sheriff E.M “Zeke” Boyles, Chief Deputy Sheriff Washington Bennett, and Deputy Sheriff James Lang drove out to Kilpatrick’s remote mountain home to serve the warrant. Along the way they picked up Kilpatrick’s 14 year old son, Billy, and had him in the patrol car.
Accounts differ as to what happened when they arrived. Billy Kilpatrick claimed the officers fired first. The surviving police officer, James Lang, claimed it was an ambush. Deputy Lang was in the house when the gunfight began and was shot by an undetermined gunman. The officers returned fire and Aubrey Kilpatrick was quickly killed. Shortly thereafter Aubrey’s 16 year old son, James, emerged from the house with his father’s rifle and shot Chief of Police Floyd, Sheriff Boyles, and Deputy Bennett.
Chief Floyd and Sheriff Boyles died at the scene, but Deputy Bennett, mortally wounded in the throat, was able to drive critically wounded Deputy Lang four miles back to Boaz. Deputy Lang survived, but Deputy Bennett died later at a hospital in Gadsden and was hailed a hero.
James Kilpatrick went through five trials before ultimately being sentenced to a 10 year prison term. He served four years and was released. He died in 2009 without any further criminal record.
Washington's widow Jane eventually remarried to a man named Gallagher. She sold the final 79 acres of land that had been Benjamin Bennett's cotton plantation in 1962 to L.C. Couch, the local TVA manager.
Washington was a 1933 graduate of Georgia Tech, where he played on the Freshman football team and was a Beta Theta Phi. He joined the Marshall County Alabama Sheriff's department prior to World War 2, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, John S. Bennett, who served as Marshall County Sheriff from 1880 to 1884.
During the war he served in the US Coast Guard Reserve. He married Jane Evans in August 1941, and the couple had two children, Sarah Lou Bennett and William Evans Bennett.
After the war he returned to the Sheriff's department as Chief Deputy Sheriff.
In the spring of 1951 Washington was killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant at the home of farmer/bootlegger Aubrey Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was involved in a violent feud with neighboring farmers and had recently been in a fight with a man named D. C. Dean, of Gadsen. Dean pressed charges against Kilpatrick. The Marshall County Sheriff called Kilpatrick and asked him to come into town to face the charges. He refused.
Boaz Chief of Police Leonard Floyd, Marshall County Sheriff E.M “Zeke” Boyles, Chief Deputy Sheriff Washington Bennett, and Deputy Sheriff James Lang drove out to Kilpatrick’s remote mountain home to serve the warrant. Along the way they picked up Kilpatrick’s 14 year old son, Billy, and had him in the patrol car.
Accounts differ as to what happened when they arrived. Billy Kilpatrick claimed the officers fired first. The surviving police officer, James Lang, claimed it was an ambush. Deputy Lang was in the house when the gunfight began and was shot by an undetermined gunman. The officers returned fire and Aubrey Kilpatrick was quickly killed. Shortly thereafter Aubrey’s 16 year old son, James, emerged from the house with his father’s rifle and shot Chief of Police Floyd, Sheriff Boyles, and Deputy Bennett.
Chief Floyd and Sheriff Boyles died at the scene, but Deputy Bennett, mortally wounded in the throat, was able to drive critically wounded Deputy Lang four miles back to Boaz. Deputy Lang survived, but Deputy Bennett died later at a hospital in Gadsden and was hailed a hero.
James Kilpatrick went through five trials before ultimately being sentenced to a 10 year prison term. He served four years and was released. He died in 2009 without any further criminal record.
Washington's widow Jane eventually remarried to a man named Gallagher. She sold the final 79 acres of land that had been Benjamin Bennett's cotton plantation in 1962 to L.C. Couch, the local TVA manager.
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