Matt Wann
Matthew Lemuel Wann was Sheriff of Scottsboro, Alabama, during the infamous Scottsboro Boys arrests.
He defended the accused boys from a lynch mob by first stating that he would he would kill the first person to come through the door[1], and then by mobilising the Alabama Army National Guard to protect the jail the boys were housed in.
On May 3rd, 1932[2], Sheriff Wann was later allegedly murdered for this brave act[3]. He was shot by a Harry Hambrick while serving a warrant to arrest that man[4].
References
- ^ "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy"], PBS.org, American Experience.
- ^ "Sheriff Matt Wann".
- ^ Schreiber, Catherine (19 June 2013). "The Scottsboro Boys Act: "What Was Once a Whisper is Now a Roar"".
- ^ "Scottsboro Boys Travesty - The Woodstock Whisperer". 25 March 2017.