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| Federal Prohibition Agent Stafford E. Beckett
United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
U.S. Government
End of Watch: Monday, March 21, 1921 Biographical Info
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Monday, March 21, 1921
Incident Location: Texas
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: acquitted Federal officers received a tip that a load of 23 cases of liquor was to be sent across the border to the Neil Shearman hog ranch in the lower valley about 5 miles from El Paso. On the night of March 21, 1921, Prohibition Agents Stafford E. Beckett, Charles A. “Arch” Wood, J.F. Parker and W.C. Guinn approached the ranch and stopped a car driven by C.P. Shearman, his father, but found no liquor. The lawmen and Shearman went to the ranch house in their cars. Shearman started for the house, but came back for his gun. The officers let him get his gun, a shotgun, out of his car. They started towards the house with Shearman in the lead when a volley of shots rang out. Agents Beckett and Wood were mortally wounded. The remaining officers returned fire. When the agents were able to enter the house, the gunmen were gone in the darkness.
C.P. Shearman, 63, and sons, Neil, 40, John, 25, and Allen, 22 (an invalid), were indicted and charged with the murders. The Shearman’s alleged the federal officers fired first. There was a mistrial in June 1921. In September 1921, C.P., Neil and John Shearman were re-indicted for having resisted federal officers, but they were found not guilty. On April 24, 1922, U.S. District Court Judge Duval West dismissed the indictment against the Shearman’s who were charged with resisting a federal officer on the ground that it failed to state on what authority prohibition agents invaded the Shearman Ranch.
Beckett, 31, was survived by his wife of ten years, Rose Arfaten Beckett; an eight year old son, Robert; a six year old daughter, Dorothy; and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Willard F. Beckett. He is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in El Paso, Texas.
Beckett began his federal service in March 1916 as a temporary Mounted Watchman in El Paso with the U.S. Immigration Service, which at the time was a part of the Department of Labor. He was promoted to Immigrant Inspector in December 1918. Beckett enlisted as a Texas Ranger in Company B on October 4, 1919. He returned to federal service with the Border Department as a Federal Prohibition Agent a year prior to his death. Related Line of Duty Deaths | |
