In the late afternoon of March 6, 1915, the normally peaceful streets of Brunswick, Georgia, were shattered by a shocking act of violence that would come to be known as the 'Brunswick Massacre'. Among the innocent lives tragically cut short that day was that of William A. Hackett, a respected local undertaker. A resident of Brunswick since 1869, Hackett had built a reputation over his 46 years in the undertaking business for his courteous and compassionate demeanor.
The horrific events
were set in motion by Monroe Phillips, a local sawmill owner who had become despondent over a failed lumber deal. Phillips first went to the office of his lawyer, former mayor Colonel Harry F. Dunwody, located in the Dunwody Building at the corner of Gloucester and Newcastle Streets, and fatally shot him. His rampage continued within the building, where he killed two more men, George W. Asbell and L.C. Padgett.
Upon exiting the building, Phillips began firing indiscriminately at people on the street. It was during this chaotic spree that William A. Hackett was killed. The violence finally ended when a young police officer, Rexford Napoleon 'Rex' N. Deaver, confronted Phillips. Officer Deaver was mortally wounded in the exchange, but not before he managed to shoot the assailant. Phillips was then killed by two citizens who had armed themselves from a nearby hardware store. In the end, six people, including the perpetrator, lay dead, and more than thirty others were injured. As Phillips was killed at the scene, there were no arrests or trials of any suspects in connection with the massacre.
