13. In 1917, he was sent to prison again… for killing a relative
On December 13th 1917, Leadbelly made his way to a dance in Texas, still under the name of Walter Boyd. As was his custom, the bluesman was armed. At the party, Leadbelly ran into Will Stafford, one of his relatives, but details of what happened next are extremely sketchy. Some say that others were taunting Stafford about a woman, or that the two relatives entered a heated argument over the same lady. All accounts agree that Stafford pulled a gun, and the quick-thinking Leadbelly shot him through the forehead. Leadbelly maintained his innocence, but was sentenced to 30 years’ incarceration.
It’s hard to determine exactly what happened that night, let alone whether Leadbelly was actually guilty of the murder. But there are a few elements that ring true with what we know of his biography. A drunken brawl; firearms; an assailant who acted first and thought later. And, of course, the importance of women to the disagreement. As Leadbelly himself lamented in Fannin Street, women were often to be his downfall: ‘My mama told me/ “Women in Shreveport, son/ Gonna be the death of you”‘. Either way, Leadbelly was sent to Imperial Farm (now Central Unit), Sugar Land, Texas.