In the heat of a Georgia summer in 1920, Federal Prohibition Agent William Daniel Dorsey, a 42-year-old man, met a violent end. On June 13th, he and his partner, Agent Ed Carpenter, were investigating a suspected illegal distillery in White County. The property belonged to a man named John Farmer, and the agents were there to execute a federal search warrant.
Their search led them to a shed, and inside, hidden in the loft, they discovered the very still they were looking for. However, this discovery would prove to be fatal. As the agents uncovered the illicit operation, John Farmer armed himself with a Winchester rifle and opened fire on them. Agent Dorsey was struck and killed, earning the unfortunate distinction of being the first known Prohibition Agent to die in the line of duty.
Agent Carpenter was also seriously wounded in the ambush, but he managed to return fire, injuring Farmer. Despite his injuries, Carpenter survived the encounter. John Farmer was arrested and subsequently charged with the murder of Agent William Daniel Dorsey. Four months after the deadly shooting, Farmer was convicted of the crime. Agent Dorsey was survived by his wife, Nellie Rogers Dorsey, and their three children. He is buried at the Concord Baptist Church Cemetery in Hall County, Georgia.
