The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-30
T leader For Tom Wilson
Recalls Strange Case Of
Man Of Same Name
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU
THE AGE-HERALD 5
nnpfpnp,arv Ala Nav %


The case of Bill Wilson of Blount
coenty. who serve nearly four years
ef life sentence for crime which
no one committed. was brought into
the case of Tom Wilson of Limestone
county, sentenced to be hanged June
& when Governor Brandon today was
ugyed to commute Tom Wilson's sem
tcnce to life Imprisonment William
J Robinett of Village Springs urged
the governor to commute the SEN
tence and recited the developments
in Bill Wilson's case in support of
h ) contention that the death penalty
should not be exacted.
Bill Wilson was convicted in Blount
county for the murder of his wife.
...onths after the woman disappeared
human bones were found not far
ION the Wilson home Wilson was
arrested. charged with tine murder
and the bones presented a s evidence
chat the crime had been committed.
I he jury sentenced him to life i'm
i"isonment
An investigation made by the
smithsonian institution showed that
the bones were of an Indian, who
probably had been dead scores of
sears. The governor was urged to
.-rant a parole on the strength of this
.tatement. but declined.
After Wilson had served nearly
cour years. the woman walked into
her home town in Blount county and
announced that she had disappeared
With another person. Wilson was
granted full pardon and the legis-
.ature made an appropriation as com
pensation for the service he rendered
the state while a convict. The money
was invested in farm in Blount
county.
Urges CommutatiOn.
Mr.. Robinett told Governor Bran
don that the circumstances of the
case convicted Bill Wilson. but later
were proved incorrect. He said Tom
Wilson should be given life sem
tence because of the uncertainty sur
rounding the killing of Kirby Cole.
for whose death Tom Wilson was
given the death penalty by the jury.
However, records in the governors
office do not indicate that the two
cases are parallel. Circumstantial ev-
idence only was submitted against
Bill Wilson. In the case of Tom Will
son. June Inmon, who was in the au-
tomobile al the time Cole was killed.
testified that Tom Wilson was the
person who fired the shot. June In
mon, star witness for the state. APP
peared at the office of Governor
Brandon Tuesday in behalf of the
prosecution. lnmon told the COVER
nor that Wilson was the slayer of
Cole; he had driven the car in which
Cole was shot, and Wilson had shot
Cole while seated in the rear seat of
his (nmons) automobile.
O O O
Solicitor Opposes Move.
With lnmon were Solicitor Fred
Wall who conducted the prosecution,
located Wilson in Jail at Carroll
ton. Ill.
and Detective r. T. Ewing, the man
who returned Wilson to Alabama fol-
lowing the killing. Detective Ewing
Solicitor Wall repeated his state
ment by letter to the governor that
efforts to secure clemency for Wilson
are being commereialized in jefferson
county. Members of the prison
aware of the facts in the case. are
fighting execution of Wilson's SEN
tence. He told the governor of men
who had been approached to write
letters urging clemency for Wilson
Governor Brandon manifested much
interest in the statements of lnmon
and Solicitor Wall. but advised them
he would take no action prior to con-
sideration of the case by the pardon
board.
A hearing will be conducted before
the pardon board some time Wednes-
day, Attorney General Harwell q.
Davis announced.