In 1924, a 14-year-old boy from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, became the center of a grim and puzzling murder case after his grandmother was found dead and her body hidden.
William Cavalier, who liked to call himself “Cowboy,” claimed he was one of the best young marksmen in the anthracite region. He proudly spoke of his shooting ability, yet insisted he had never meant to make his grandmother his target.
His explanation only deepened the mystery. Cavalier said he had fired just two bullets, but seven were found in the woman’s body.
Police were left trying to understand whether the killing had been deliberate, accidental, or the result of a boy’s dangerous fantasy shaped by the Western films he loved so much. Cavalier reportedly never missed a moving picture that showed cowboy dramas, and the nickname he embraced seemed to belong more to the screen than to the terrible reality now surrounding him.
As the authorities waited for answers, the coroner postponed the inquest, hoping more facts would come to light.
Meanwhile, those who encountered the boy found themselves unsettled by him. He had won some sympathy, yet he was only beginning to grasp the horror of what he had done.
Slayer of Grandmother Proud of Marksmanship
POTTSVILLE, Pa. — Declaring that he is the best marksman of his age in the anthracite region, but denying that he ever intended to make his grandmother a target, William Cavalier, 14 years old, remains a mystery to the police. He insists that he killed his grandmother with only two bullets and did not explain why seven bullets were found in her body. With a view of clearing up the mystery, Coroner Knight has postponed his inquest until next week.
Cavalier has won the sympathy of those around him and is just beginning to realize the enormity of the crime he committed when he killed the aged woman and hid her body.
He rejoices in the title of “Cowboy” and says he never missed a moving picture showing Western dramas.
Source: The Washington Times. Washington, D.C. September 15, 1924.
