Willis "Zonk" Foster
- Title
- Willis "Zonk" Foster
- Description
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Willis Foster is the only Greer police officer to die in the line of duty, on July 2, 1904.
There is a great deal of confusion over the details of his life (and death). His name was Willis Foster, with middle initial of T or S. He is incorrectly listed on memorial monuments in Washington, DC and Columbia, SC as "William," as well as on a plaque at the Greer Heritage Museum. He went by a nickname, which is listed as "Zonk" on the Washington monument and as "Sonk" on the GHM plaque. He had three children, though he is sometimes listed as having two; and he died on July 2, 1904, though the Washington monument lists his death incorrectly as January 1, 1904. - birthday
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Oct. 18, 1867
July 2, 1904 - Biographical Text
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Willis Foster was a night patrol police officer during a time when Greer was battling "false tigers" (illegal liquor operations). One evening he saw suspicious activity, chased it, and was shot; he died immediately.
We have a photograph of Willis taken on the day of his death. At the time, only the police chief was provided with a uniform. Willis saved up enough money to have a uniform made for himself. When he got it in hand, he went to C. W. Drace's photo studio (located at what is now 110 East Poinsett Street) and had a full-length photo taken of himself to give his wife as a gift. That night, he was killed.
Willis Foster was married to Mattie Jane Foster. She died January 30, 1941; at that time she lived at 31 S. Main.
For the best summary of Willis Foster's life and death, read the chapter on him in "Forgotten Heroes," linked in the bibliography. - Bibliography
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"Forgotten Heroes: Police Officers Killed in Greenville County" by Dr. William Wilbanks. Turner Publishing Company, 1997.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Forgotten_Heroes/biZPlqjw-kUC?hl=en&gbpv=1
That book has a bibliography, which includes:
– Greenville News, July 3,4,6,7,8,9 1904; May 9,10,11,12,13,14 1905; December 9, 1905; January 31, 1941
– Greenville Mountaineer, April 10, 1897
– Chester County (TN) Independent, October 14, 1993
– Greer Citizen, centennial 1976 edition, September 18, 1996
– 1900 census of Greers, S.C. (E.D. 21, Sheet 3, Line 85)
– 1910 census of Greers, S.C. (E.D. 8, Sheet 11)
– Greenville County criminal court case #6390
Other related records, all available on the Library of Congress web site:
– Yorkville Enquirer (Yorkville, S.C.), July 5, 1904
– Yorkville Enquirer (Yorkville, S.C.), July 8, 1904
– Lexington Dispatch (Lexington, S.C.), July 13, 1904
– Abbeville Press and Banner (Abbeville, S.C.), May 17, 1905
– Keowee Courier (Pickens Court House, S.C.), May 17, 1905
– County Record (Kingstree, S.C.), May 18, 1905
– Bamberg Herald (Bamberg, S.C.), September 28, 1905
– Lexington dispatch (Lexington, South Carolina), May 27, 1908, reported on the death of Boyce Stone, one of the accused. The article says flatly, “Stone is the man who shot and killed Policeman Foster, at Greer, several years ago.”
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