My Carbines, Old and New - with a twist

[Sleeplessnashadow]

Yeah, I know, he didn't invent the carbine let alone do it in prison. But I find it somewhat comical that Clarkson typically gets all the credit for the Winchester .224 entry for the light rifle trials that chose the Armalite design.

Being a retired cop I got fed up with all the "Carbine Williams" bravado and decided to make Williams a special needs project to document what his real involvement was in killing the deputy sheriff that landed him in prison, what he really did in prison, and what he really did afterwards.

The research took me to the NC Museum of History, NC State Archives, Fayetteville Court House, the Williams homestead, the MGM Collection by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science, Special Collections, Margaret Herrick Library, Beverly Hills, ... along with the Cody Museum and their McCracken Research Library in Cody, WY.

When the American Rifleman issue with Canfield's article on the G30 hit the mail boxes, I was literally doing a photo shoot of the G30 and parts at the NC Museum of History.

The end result was a heck of an experience and the six web pages I have on Williams with what I found, including downloads of copies of many of the documents.

http://www.uscarbinecal30.com/Williams.html

Check the 4th page for what he did during his time at Winchester. I was able to shoot a limited number of pics of a few of the prototypes and carbines. Would have liked to have done a photo spread at Cody and the NC Museum of History as it only needs to be done once but they have the rules they do for a very good reason. And their own photographers who are rightfully territorial about their means of income.

My main goal at Cody was to get pics of the carbine prototypes and others concocted by Williams to show people which carbine he did invent. That carbine prototype and the rifle that preceded it were the design Clarkson came up with for the Winchester .224.

The Winchester G30 Rifle

NC Museum of History


Pic I shot with their permission

The Williams .30 Carbine Prototype

McCracken Research Library


On display at Cody Museum, pic I took

A Williams prototype for a .30 Carbine for sporting use

Cody Museum


Pic I took. This one is in their vault and not on display. More pics on the website.
Very educational research project.

And yes, there was ample proof beyond a reasonable doubt and unto a moral certainty Williams was the one who murdered Deputy Alfred Pate of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. The hung jury was a sanity trial, not a criminal trial that would have followed. 11-1 for sanity. Retrial on sanity was set to go when Williams wisely took the guilty plea for the jail term instead of going for the death penalty. Check out the documents on my web pages. I was also able to locate a couple family descendants of the deputy and shared what I found with them.

Though you may or may not know me for my websites, I would much rather be doing these kind of research projects and photo shoots. But to not share them would let all the work and history die with me. Which would negate the value of all the work I did.

Jim

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[Seaspriter]

I would much rather be doing these kind of research projects and photo shoots. But to not share them would let all the work and history die with me. Which would negate the value of all the work I did.

Thanks so much Jim. Your commitment and standards of excellence are laudable. I appreciate your insights and thoroughness - the mark of a true professional. Historical accuracy is the only way to bust the myths (def: half-truth linked to a half-lie, peddled as the whole truth). Personally I'd love to know more about the pics (above). Sounds like quite a back-story to be told.

Robert

[RichardX]

Sleeplessnashadow thanks for all your detailed research. I was very interested in the back story on David Williams, however when I started to read the information I was stunned to find out that Mr. Williams mother's maiden name was that of my grandmother. When I checked our families records, there it was, Laura Kornegay was his mother and the cousin of Geneva Kornegay, my grandmother.
Also an interesting point, completely off topic for this forum Laura's brother was married to James Williams sister Bessie on the same day Laura and James were married. Perhaps a double barreled shotgun wedding

Thanks,
RichardX

[Sleeplessnashadow]

Robert,

The pictures above were an evolution in designs that are explained chronologically on the page devoted to Williams at Winchester. http://www.uscarbines.com/williams5.html

Below is a Winchester G30 designed by Williams after being given the project started by Jonathan Edmund Browning, half brother of John and Matt Browning. This rifle design was the reason Winchester jumped in on the light rifle competition for what would become the M1 Carbine. This one is on display at the Cody Museum.

Attachment 65517

One design Williams did come up that was used by others (among them, Clarkson) in their two Winchester prototypes that became the M1 Carbine.

Attachment 65516

A carbine part design Williams has never really gotten recognition for...

Attachment 65518

What got me started on Williams as a special project were the stories he told and others edited and printed regarding his involvement in the murder that landed him in prison. I had come across a post written by the deputy's niece as a follow on to his obituary. What she posted motivated me into this project.

I was well aware of the story of Williams in War Baby I. I wanted to present it from the perspective of showing what he really did do. Not to boost the man's image or ruin the man's image, he did that successfully on his own. I wanted to show evidence to document history as it was, not as the myths that are still being told. With evidence that speaks for itself.

Williams was not a man I would have personally cared for. But history is what history was and my personal opinion of the man was/is not something relevant to that history. He was his own worst enemy and paid for it in many ways I chose to leave out as they were also not relevant to this history.

Jim