David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in World War II.

This is the story of David Marshall 'Marsh' Williams, the real life inventor of the world famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in WWII. It all started when Marsh, who was one to do things his way, was caught distilling moonshine, and was accused and convicted of shooting a federal officer in the process. This at first placed him in the chain gang which labeled him as a hard case. Later, to make room for those more deserving, he was moved to a prison farm, where he came under the direction of Captain H.T. Peoples. The Captain was a mild mannered warden, who did not shy from discipline when necessary, but also believed that given the opportunity, most men will respond to good. Believing that Marsh was just such a person, the Captain gave him every opportunity to reform, so much so, that he eventually allowed Marsh to work in the tool shop on his spare time to develop and build by hand, a working rifle, inside the prison farm itself.—Bill Walch <[email protected]>

Marshall Williams works hard to make ends meet and to care for his family. He's tired however of working for 40 cents an hour and when the opportunity presents itself, he goes into the moonshine business. Williams is handy at anything mechanical and learned about boilers while in the Navy so it's almost a natural for him. In the early 1920s however, distilling liquor is illegal and when his still is raided by the police there is an exchange of gunfire, the end result being that a lawman was killed. Although he wasn't the only one shooting, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. While in prison, he starts to work on a repeating rifle with a short piston, an innovation that would prove to be the foundation of the M1 carbine. After getting early parole, he had a successful career further refining his invention and developing several new manufacturing techniques in arms production.—garykmcd