Back in the late 70's, early 80's a couple of my relatives were poaching on a big land owners Bain Henderson's property in Wilcox Co. No doubt they were being stupid. As soon as they got up in the treestand, they heard someone scream, "Alright you Son of a Bitches come outta there"! They climb down and go over to the truck. There stood the game warden, 2 black policeman and 2 of Hendersons sons. They had beaten the metal on the truck to a pulp with a baseball bat, flattened tires, busted windows and stole a 22 rifle and a crown royal bag full of quarters. There wasnt a whole lot said once they got back to the truck. My relative told the officers that yes we are poaching, write me a ticket or take me to jail but what are you going to do about what the sons did my truck? All of the officers that were there said "we aint seen nothing". They loaded my 2 relatives up took them back to the state park where they were staying. The cop did let them stop at a convient store for beer before dropping them off at Roland Cooper SP. My relatives truck had to be towed back to Birmingham for all repairs. Cost him around $2000. My relative that owned the truck called the prosecutor and asked him about pressing charges for damages done to his truck and the prosecutor replied, " Sir, if you ever plan on coming back to Wilcox County, I would recommend you not pursue any charges against Mr. BH." My relative clearly understood what that meant and that was the end of it. Not to say they were not in the wrong because clearly they were. But from what it appeared, those LEO were all in the landowners back pockets. It was also rumored that the landowner had killed a couple poachers after their incident. Apparently Wilcox Co is like one of those one horse towns you see on TV.

It takes a special kind of stupid to poach on any Henderson property in Wilcox Co. From other stories I've heard I'd say they got off light.

I hunted for years with Fred Henderson, Bains oldest son, before his untimely death in a truck wreck. I had keys to all the Henderson land in Wilcox with permission to hunt it anytime I wanted, just call and let him know I was going.

No doubt they were stupid. And I would say that it worked because they never stepped foot on his property again.

Lets just say nothing good happens after dark in Wilcox County. Being a landowner there just makes you have to deal with all the crap. Crooked aint the word...

Here's a link to a news article about Bain Henderson's trial hearing for killing Herman Wayne Adams, a Midfield man who was on his property:


Court hearing marked by judge/DA wrangling: Tuscaloosa News December 16, 1981

link to article *** click here ***

I remember reading about the incident in our Bham papers at the time it happened.


Here's Mr. Henderson's Obituary:

looks like he murdered the guy in cold blood. Was he aquitted or found guilty?

found not guilty....

Jury aquits wealthy landowner: Gadsden Times April, 1982


**** click here ****


Children testify in murder trial:

**** here ****


Authorities crack down on illegal deer hunting:

*** here ****

Slaying victim drunk:

*** here ***

Wilcox man indicted:

*** here ***

As to no supprise, the same mentioned relatives were regular night hunters in Wilcox county. They were good at it, though and never got caught. Shoot a bunch of deer at night. Go back the next day and pull over on side of the road where they shot. Throw the hood up on the truck or let air out of a tire. One guy stays with and appears to be working on the truck while the others track or drag the deer. Def not saying I agree with their actions but they did have it down to a science. As wrong as it was, they did not shoot deer only to cut the head gear off. If they killed it and recovered it, they cleaned it and ate it. Same mentioned guys grew up and are very much within the law nowadays.

Sounds to me like T and T H. collected long overdue club fee. 2000 worth of truck damage is small price for their club dues...meat hunting yeah i bet

Not T & TH.. Your right too... They shot them all, big and small. But like I said, at least they had the decensey to eat what they killedrather than cutting the head off and leaving it on side of the road like we have all seen before. And you know what they say about karma. It did finally catch up to them.

You probably hunted Bains part, not Jimmy's. they split the place up I think in the late 60's. I hunted on Jimmy's tracts all through the 70s and we did a lot of the crop control shootings for several years in the 80s. Between the Hendersons, Martins and Childers they had some of the very best hunting land in the south.

yes, Bains land, sorry. I turkey hunted Ralph and Miss Olivia Martins tract off Hwy 41 going up to Selma. I hunted next to Roy Childers place in the 70's, actually both sides of it, and hog hunted there in the 90's. Childers place in the early 70's was an amazing place.

Little Ralph might be one of my favorites. There was a GW down there back then that was tall and skinny and would write his mamma a ticket if need be. He was dry as hell, but I always liked him. He always came over to the Childers when we had to drive deer for all the members.

I spent a lot of time with Mr. Bain fooling with cows and horses.

He was NOT a man to 'F' with, though!

Say what you want, if people would take care of their business the way he did.....there would be a lot less crime.

There could be a couple of asterisks in that quote.

My granddaddy has been gone now for many years, so unfortunately there are stories that I will never hear about Lummy Jenkins. I understand he kept law and order in Wilcox County back in his day.

I carried "little" Ralph on one of his first turkey hunts over on the Hwy 41 property, David Gaston called it the Gene Watts Place(I think). I talked to Ralph many years later when I got the Governors award for Conservation Office of The Year at a banquet in Montgomery.

Danny, I saw Mr Bain knock a big black man horizontal(and out) in front of the Bassmaster Inn in Camden on spring morning. Put his hands on Mr Bain when he shouldn't of....

Word I got was Mr Bain took the rap for his WIFE having killed the man they caught night hunting. In front of his wife and small children I might add.

My sources say he/she/they got off not by having Wilcox law enforcement in his pocket but by having one of the best defense lawyers in the history of this part of the world, Wyman Gilmore.

While we're on the subject of Millers Ferry gossip, anyone else know the story of the man whose wife tried to have him killed? He's been mentioned in this thread.

The last comment is the closet to the truth but it wasn't in front of kids! Also Mr Bain and the guy were In a fight with mr Bain getting the worst end of it! Don't break into people property and get into a fight and not expect bad things happen. I'm not saying he/she was in the right but it was far from cold blooded murder. 4 generations of my grand parents were Sheriffs in Wilcox county and we have always been close friends with the Henderson's but all this crap about anyone having the Sheriff In their back pocket is crap! now today that might be different but when my grand father was in office that wasn't the case! So all I'm trying to get across just because the county is ran by a bunch of crooks today doesn't mean that was the case years ago!