Will Banks, a son of slaves, was born in 1875 in the Crumpler community of Ashe County, NC. Because jobs were scarce in Ashe County, Will frequently traveled to West Virginia to work in the coal mines, where he earned around $5 a month. After 2 or 3 months, he would return to Ashe County and stay with his family for a few weeks, before repeating the cycle and returning to West Virginia.
On one trip home, he was approached by a young nephew, Onny McMillan, who wanted to accompany him back to West Virginia in hopes of also getting a mining job. Will consented, and loaned Onny the cost of a train ticket and that’s where this terrible tale begins.
Shortly after they arrived, Banks came home from the mine to find that Onny was gone and so too was a little bit of money from the shanty they shared. Banks stayed and worked a bit more before coming home. When Banks arrived back in North Carolina he was unsuccessful in getting Onny’s train fare back along with the money the young lad had taken from him.
Things finally came to a head on May 6th, 1905, during a revival at Cox’s Grove Church.
As many folks did in that era, Will carried a pistol in his coat pocket at all times, and he was known to have a drink of hard liquor now and again.
During the service Will was told that Onny and his father Frank were outside and wanted to talk to him. As Banks walked down the front steps of the church he could see Frank standing in the church yard with a shotgun on his shoulder. Will again brought up the debt and the money Onny had taken. The discussion became heated and Will then slapped Onny during the argument. Frank stated, “No man will hit my son without my permission!” Frank and Onny then grabbed Will and took him to the ground.
Will reached for his pistol and unloaded it into Frank…five shots rang out.
Banks jumped to his feet and ran. Hopping train after train, he headed north. During one layover he sent a simple telegram to his wife, it read: “Is he dead?” His wife sent a telegram back, “He’s dead. Keep running.” Will folded the note and put it into his pocket. Hopping trains might be easy, but not if you get caught and Banks did get stopped by a railroad enforcement officer in Indiana.
The officer searched Banks and found the note, he then immediately sent a telegram to the Ashe County Sheriff Ambrose Clark. It read: “We’ve got Will Banks, do you want him back?” The Sheriff said that he did and that he would ride the train to retrieve him, telling Banks all the while that if it was in self-defense that he would serve a little time and then be turned loose.
When the duo arrived back in Ashe County, Sheriff Clark found that the odds were stacking up against Banks having a fair trial, so much so that he ultimately resigned, slamming his silver badge down upon his desk and declaring, “I didn’t sign up for no lynchin’!”
There were five witnesses from the churchyard shooting scene and all of them spoke against Banks during the trial…but it was the testimony of just one person…a relative of the deceased, Cleve McMillan, that sealed his fate…he stated that there was premeditation. That Banks had said he’d shoot Frank if he didn’t get his money. That one bit of testimony would cost Banks his life.
In part two of our Will Banks blog, we’ll hear his final words from the gallows.
If you’d like to hear the audio version of this blog, please click below and thanks, as always, for reacting to, commenting and sharing this post!