"This is one of the two accounts that I have found concerning the murder of Sumpter Alexander Wilcox.  Read this closely and I believe you will come to the same conclusion that I did.  He was murdered.  The following is information given to me by Ruby Wilcox Braun, my Aunt and Sumpter's sister. Uncle Sumpter was planning to get married and for some time he had been saving his money to  build a house for his soon to be bride.  According to Grandmother he had saved $500.00, she had been holding the money for him.  The weekend before the murder Grandmother gave Uncle Sumpter the $500.00.  It is believed by the family that it was because of this money that Uncle Sumpter was murdered.  He had the money with him to purchase items for the house he was going to build.  This was his last week of work, he was to marry Miss Flossie Martin on Sunday."    Jean Anderson-Wiles 

Published in Holmes County Advertiser, Bonifay, Florida, Friday, March 25, 1921 Account of the Killing of Sumpter Wilcox 

The following account of the killing of Sumpter A. Wilcox by G. H. Dixon last Thursday, was taken from the Milton Gazette of March 18th: 

About eight thirty o'clock last Thursday night G. Holland Dixon shot and killed Sumpter A. Wilcox, in their room at the L. & N. drawbridge tender, Frank Matthews; house on the band of the blackwater river. Immediately following the shooting Dixon came down town and hunted up Sheriff Mitchell, and gave himself up, telling the Sheriff that he had killed a man down at the draw bridge house, in self defense. The Sheriff notified the coroner, Judge L. M. Rhoda, and immediately summoned a coroners jury, who together with a number of citizens went to the house where the killing had been perpetrated. The coroner's jury was empanelled and sworn in, with D. R. Rad, foreman, Mr. W. C. Rhoades, clerk, and C. R. Lane, N. L. Faulk, Fred Allen and W. F. Monroe constituting the other members. On entering the room the body of the dead man was found lying face upward, his head and shoulders over a small upturned bench that had evidently been used as a seat and possibly a table, his foot extended between the foot of the bed. After viewing the body and noting the position of the same and the arrangement of the disarranged furniture, the body was removed to the floor and a thorough physical examination of it made by the jury, assisted by Drs. Rufus and James Thames. It was found that three shots had entered the body, one striking just over the right eye and ranging around the skull fracturing the same and coming out over the right ear. One entering slightly above the left nipple and passing through the body making its exit from the back slightly to the left of the spinal column and about in line with the lower ribs. Another shot was fired into the rear of the neck and ranged downward, being located just under the skin in the back. The shot was fired at such close range that the flesh around the wound was badly powder burned. Another shot evidently went wild, passing through the two walls of the partition which separated the room where the trouble occurred, into the room occupied by Mr. Matthews and family. The bullet from this shot was not located, evidently passing out at the open door with which it was in line. Of the other three bullets, one was found within a few inches of each other in the mouth of the fireplace, one having struck a side wall of the room, glanced to the end wall and rebounded struck in the fireplace. The other bullet found in the same locality is believed to be the one that passed through the body and found lodgment on the floor of the fireplace. An examination of the effects of the room was made, and a quart bottle, possibly one third full of shinny was found behind Dixon's trunk while a smaller one a little over half full was found in his trunk, also an empty whiskey flask. Wilcox's grips displayed nothing more interesting than changes of clothing, writing material and several withered roses in a stationery box. An examination of the contents of the dead man's pockets showed about eighty-five cents in change, a leather bill folder with $34.00 in bills, several receipts, apparently for lodge dues, a couple of letters from the L. & N. Railroad office relative to his priority over other applicants for position, a pocket knife, a few keys and a well worn small New Testament. Following this examination the body of the murdered man was turned over to the undertaker for care, and the jury proceeded to Judge Rhoda's office, where they examined the man who did the shooting, taking his testimony in the case. The statement of G. H. Dixon in the above case was substantially as follows, he saying: "I killed Wilcox in self defense." He stated that he been at work on the bridge about a year; that Wilcox had come there Tuesday of this week; that he had asked to room with him and was told he might do so for a few days until he could get himself a room; that they were working together tending the bridge; that during the day, Thursday, Wilcox had urged him, Dixon, to get some whiskey, but that he had told him he did not want to drink; that he could not drink while on the job and hold his place, and he was afraid to get it anyway, as Sheriff Mitchell would smell it if he did and get them into trouble. That Wilcox persisted and finally borrowed $10.00 from him and later returned with two bottles of shinny. That they had taken a few drinks together during the afternoon he, Dixon, taking two, while the other man took several, Later that evening Wilcox asked Dixon to loan him his knife, which he did. While sitting in the room together, Wilcox asked me to show him "those pictures" referring to some overseas pictures of females which he had in his trunk; that he Dixon, went to his trunk and stooping over raised the lid, when he saw Wilcox coming at him with the borrowed knife in his hand, cursing him and declaring that: Now I have got you just where I want you and am going to cut your throat." Realizing his danger, Dixon grabbed a heavy .38 revolver lying in the till of his trunk and began warding off the blows aimed at him by Wilcox and pumping lead into him at the same him. Dixon says he also began calling for Mr. Matthews and that the and Wilcox clinched and were in a clinch over the foot of the bed when Matthews came into the room that the extended his to Matthews, handing him the revolver and throwing Wilcox from, sprang over him and ran out of the room.. He stated that he did not know whether he had hit Wilcox or not, and that he and Mr. Matthews went back into the room, when he saw blood in Wilcox's face. He then came down town and hunted up the sheriff and gave himself up. That the did not want to kill Wilcox, but that he was forced to do so to save his own life. The knife in question which was an ordinary sized pocket knife, was lying open on the foot of the bed when the jury entered the room, and no blood stains of any sort were found on it. Dixon born no evidence of the scuffle except the woolen shirt which he wore was cut or torn from the cuff opening up the sleeve about six inches, which Dixon claims was cut in the fray. Both men were single, apparently around twenty-five years old. Both had been reared in the Bonifay neighborhood, although Dixon claimed Caryville as his home. Wilcox; people live about eight miles northeast of Bonifay, his father being Alex. Wilcox and he having one brother named Frank. Wilcox was a ex-service man, Dixon admitted in the examination that he bad been convicted of violating the prohibition law in Holmes county, but was not guilty, and he had been arrested on a forgery charge in Chipley, but was not convicted. Following the examination of Dixon who was returned to the custody of the sheriff, the coroners jury adjourned until three o'clock this afternoon when other evidence will be considered.Report of Coroner's Jury The Corner's jury, sitting in the inquest on the case of S. A. Wilcox, shot to death at the bridge-keeper's house in Milton, Thursday night, reassembled Friday afternoon at three o'clock and after hearing a number of witnesses, returned their verdict to the coroner, the finding being that S. A Wilcox was killed by one or more wounds inflicted upon him be being shot with a revolver in the hands of G. H. Dixon. While nothing new of general interest was brought to light in the testimony taken Friday afternoon that was not published in the Gazette of the 18th several points of value in developing the chain of evidence was cleared up. Mr. Dixon's father from Caryville, was here Saturday looking after his son's interest and arranging for bond for him.-Milton Gazette, March 22.

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"Our Wilcox family never believed Dixon's account; Sumpter's death was always referred to as a murder. Dixon was a menace, previously in trouble with the law. Sumpter was a decent man from a Christian home with his bible packed in his possessions. He had received an honorable discharge from serving in the military (World War I) and was engaged to be married. According to the article, only $34 surfaced--what became of the $500 he had saved? We later learned that Dixon lost his limbs from a job mishap. I wonder if Dixon reflected on the evil he committed and if the saying, "What goes around, comes around" resonated in his thoughts."  Susan Hallford-Crowe