The Mysterious Death of D.D. Wilson
Written by Justin D. Lamb
On the early morning of September 26, 1908, the body of D.D. Wilson of Hardin was found dead on the street in the back of the saloon owned by John Elrod on 125 South Second Street in Paducah. The mysterious death caused a stir in the small river city.
A stone cutter by trade, Wilson was well known in the Paducah area and passed through several times a year where he would drink and party away his hard earned money. Wilson was known for his musical talents and always had a fiddle or some other musical instrument in his luggage that he would play on the streets of Paducah. On his stays in Paducah, Wilson always rented a room from John Elrod who had a boarding house on the second floor of his saloon.
On the day of his death, Wilson was seen all around the business section of Paducah near the riverfront drinking and having a good time. “He had a roll of cash worth forty dollars waving it around in front of several people,” reported the Paducah Evening News. Around noon, Wilson was seen around town drinking with his luggage with the intent to catch the six o’clock train back to Hardin. However, Wilson became far too intoxicated and missed the train. A local police officer saw Wilson and put him on street car heading for the Paducah Police Department. Once he arrived at the police station, Wilson left his luggage, fiddle, and pack of whiskey and went back to Elrod’s saloon where he gave John Elrod the wad of cash for safe keeping. According to the Paducah Evening Sun, Roy Christman, a local engineer for the railroad, reported seeing Wilson around midnight in a local restaurant creating a disturbance. This was the last time Wilson was seen alive.
Sometime between midnight and five o’clock, Wilson returned to the saloon to bed down for the evening. Early the next morning, bartenders Tyler White and John Tollison were preparing to open the saloon when one of the men opened the back door of the saloon and discovered the dead body of Wilson lying face first on the street and the door to the second floor balcony was open. The county coroner was called and the body was taken to a nearby funeral home. “Wilson was fully dressed with a plain shirt, rubber collar, plain tie, and a cheap suit,” reported the Paducah Evening Sun. When his clothes were searched, all that was found was a cheap pipe, a plug of tobacco, a nickel, and a pocket knife. His skull had been crushed by the fall and his nose was broken.
Initially foul play was suspected and all of the boarders in the saloon were questioned. All claimed to have heard no noise through the night. “The wounds on his head could have been caused by being knocked in the head and then pitched out of the window with the intention of concealing the crime. The death has caused much speculation, “reported the Paducah Evening Sun. However, Police Chief Collins believed Wilson, in a drunken state, fell out of the second floor door way unto the city street.
An inquest was ordered and without any witnesses as to what happen, the death was ruled as “unknown causes.” No indication was given as to what happen to Wilson’s money. A call was placed to Hardin, but no one claimed the body as it was discovered that Wilson was a drifter who had claimed Hardin as his home for only the last two to three years. His wife had died a few years earlier and a son was said to have lived in Calloway County, but efforts to reach him failed. It is not known where Wilson was buried and the circumstances around his mysterious death may never be known.