Weldon N. Wilson, Officer

Wetumka Police Department

Officer Wilson, 22, and Hughes County Deputy Sheriff Mitchell Compier were conducting undercover prohibition investigations when on April 10, 1926, they made a whiskey purchase from Roswell Hamilton, 30. The officers arrested Hamilton as soon as he sold them the whiskey and took a .38 pistol off of him. The officers were transporting Hamilton to jail by car with Deputy Compier driving, Hamilton in the passenger’s seat and Officer Wilson standing on the right side running board. Hamilton later related that Wilson had been poking him in the side with his gun trying to get Hamilton to tell where he got the whiskey they bought. Following one of the pokes Hamilton brushed the gun away and it accidentally went off twice. One bullet struck Hamilton in the arm and the other struck Compier. Hamilton then took the gun away from Wilson and shot him twice fatally. Hamilton then shot Compier to death before he could draw his weapon.