Chief of Police William Robert White

William Robert White

Chief of Police William White was shot and killed from ambush by a man he had arrested for selling liquor without a license several weeks earlier.

Chief White was returning home from a visit with a friend when he was hit with a load of buckshot. He was walking along Main Street, between the Courthouse and Watts Street, when he was ambushed. After shooting Chief White, the subject hid the shotgun behind a house and ran home. He was arrested by the county sheriff a short time later at his house.

The man was convicted of first-degree murder and executed in the electric chair on May 17th, 1912.

Chief White had served as the Chief of Police with the Williamston Police Department for three years. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.