Special Prohibition Officer Samuel McDowell "Mack" Watts

Samuel McDowell "Mack" Watts

Special Prohibition Officer Mack Watts was shot and killed while he and several officers with the Buena Vista Police Department raided a still in Wilmoth Hollow, just south of Buena Vista in Rockbridge County.

As they walked up a trail toward the still site they encountered the operators, a father and son, and called out to them. The men started to flee and the son fired a shotgun toward the officers. Officer Watts was struck by the blast and suffered fatal wounds.

The two subjects were arrested a short time later. The man who shot Officer Watts was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. A friend of the man was convicted of being an accessory and sentenced to three years.

Officer Watts had served as a fee officer for the Virginia Department of Prohibition Enforcement for several years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.