Independence County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas
End of Watch: Thursday, September 15, 1904
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: September 15, 1904
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Executed in 1904
Sheriff Jefferson Morgan was shot and killed by an escaped convict while attempting to question the man on Main Street in Batesville.
The suspect had escaped from the Izard County Jail three years earlier and had fled to Iowa. The man returned to Arkansas to visit family but was recognized by citizens and the sheriff was alerted.
The sheriff located the man coming out of the City Hotel and asked him who he was. The suspect immediately began to run, pulled out a .38 caliber handgun, and shot Sheriff Morgan. A citizen who witnessed the shooting grabbed the sheriff's gun and he, along with other citizens, began to chase the suspect. The suspect became cornered in a barn and the citizens began shooting inside and threatened to burn it down.
The suspect surrendered and was charged with Sheriff Morgan's murder. He was found guilty and hung for the crime on November 25th, 1904.
Sheriff Morgan had served with the Independence County Sheriff's Department for two years and was survived by his wife.