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Hershel Deaton

Case from Wise, VA dated Nov 27, 1927

Victim Details

Name

Hershel Deaton

Gender

Male

Race

White / Caucasian

City

Wise

State

VA

Date Of Death

1927-11-27

Age At Death

35

First Name

Hershel

Last Name

Deaton

Last Updated

07/09/2026

Case Description

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In the late autumn of 1927, in Wise, Virginia, the life of a 35-year-old white male named Hershel Deaton came to a violent and tragic end. On the night of November 27th, Deaton, a mine foreman, was shot and killed in Jenkins, Kentucky, a town just across the state line. The circumstances surrounding his death quickly escalated, setting in motion a grim series of events that would culminate in further tragedy.

Following Deaton's death, law enforcement officers arrested Leonard Woods, an Af ...

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Links to Additional Sources (3)

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Front Royal Record 6 December 1927 — Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive

The Mountain Eagle -: The Way We Were - The Mountain Eagle

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Forum Posts (3)

Has anyone else looked into the role of Susan Armister and Anna Mae Emery in this case? It seems lik... ...Read More
10/13/2024

I've been reading about Hershel Deaton's murder and the tragic aftermath, and it's impossible not to... ...Read More
03/23/2023

Does anyone else find it chilling how quickly a situation can spiral out of control? I was reading a... ...Read More
03/09/2023

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