William Daniels (1925 – 1946), a coal miner and WWII veteran, was killed in Westfield, Alabama by Walter Vanderford, a private guard for the Tennessee Coal and Iron Railroad Company (“TCI”). Daniels was Christmas shopping with his new wife at the company store when a white woman, an employee, complained Daniels had insulted her. Called to the scene by the manager of the store, Vanderford confronted and then shot Daniels. A coroner returned a finding of justifiable homicide. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request.

William M. Daniel

John W. Vanderforth