Elwell "Bill" Turner was known as many things: county deputy, liquor-law enforcer, World War II veteran, baseball enthusiast and a longtime employee at Sanford's Miller-Boles Funeral Home.
But Turner, who at the age of 91 died Thursday morning at his Sanford home, might be known to many as the hero who helped bag a wanted man accused of killing a deputy in June 1959.
Original copies of The Herald detail how Turner, identified then as a county deputy, wounded a wanted man on the run from a roving posse of angry, gun-carrying locals allied with law enforcement. The wanted man was accused of the ambush and shooting death of Lee deputy Julian Lee Powers Jr., the last deputy killed in the line of duty for the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
Sanford City Councilman Jimmy Haire, a history enthusiast, said he talked recently about the manhunt with Turner, who pointed out for Haire the location in a wooded area off of Swann Station Road where he spotted the wanted gunman.
According to the June 9, 1959, edition of The Herald, Turner and the man traded shots, but Turner's shot struck the man in the side. The injured gunman gave up moments later.
In the decades that followed, Turner led a well-known career busting liquor stills, serving as a funeral home associate and even running for office as Lee County sheriff.
Friends and acquaintances confirmed that Turner died Thursday after a battle with cancer.
"He was just a great guy," Haire said. "He was like the 'dean of politics.' At 90 years old, he was involved in it."
Turner, a South Carolina native, was the son of the late J.M. Turner and Hattie Cade Turner, and husband to the late Ella Lee Turner.
His affiliations in his decades in Lee County included the local VFW, American Legion, Elks Lodge, Moose Lodge, Sanford Exchange Club and Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church.
Turner's work with the Exchange Club included concession stand duty at the city's Seventh Street baseball field, which would later be named Elwell Turner Field for the baseball lover.
David Holder Jr., whose father served as Lee sheriff at the time of the 1959 manhunt, said Turner served as a deputy when the office included only a pair of deputies armed with their own home-furnished guns.
"He was just an easygoing man," Holder said. "He didn't get excited about things. He understood that keeping the peace was his main objective."
Meanwhile, Haire, a former Herald photographer, told how years later Turner — then an ABC officer — would phone the newspaper to tip Haire off to an impending bust on a local liquor still.
Locals violating the alcohol regulations knew Turner was on the case, Haire said.
Lee Setzer, a senior funeral associate with Miller-Boles and friend to Turner, said Turner carried his easygoing nature into his many years with the local funeral home.
In that time, Setzer said Turner earned a reputation as a beloved barbecue cook and a clean-cut man.
"If I gave out the best-dressed award, Bill would have always gotten it," Setzer said. "He was just real neat."
Setzer added that Turner was also regarded as a professional and a dedicated worker, even during his last days battling cancer. Setzer said Turner worked his final day at the funeral home just two weeks ago.
"His health had been failing," Setzer said. "But he never complained."
Turner's funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church with burial following in Buffalo Cemetery. Miller-Boles is handling the funeral arrangements.
1 comment:
God bless him & his family,& thank you Lord for giveing us such a good man who did his job above & beyond hi calling.
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