Elk County Sheriff Shoots and Kills Man

[genealogynut]

Howard Courant
September 12, 1929

J. D. Ellsworth of Latham, With 15 Gallons of Alcohol, Resists Arrest

Sheriff W. P. Brown of Elk County, working under a straight tip, took Bate Hamar and Harry Leckliter, his deputies and headed off J. D. Ellsworth, suspected of being a booze transporter.  It was a short time after dusk, Sunday evening, about 8 o'clock and they stopped Ellsworth's car on the public road 12 miles northwest of Howard.  Leckliter covered the suspect with his revolver and told him to consider himself under arrest.  Instead of sticking 'em up, Ellsworth reached for Leckliter's gun, pushing it to one side and with the other hand apparently reached for his own gun.  The sheriff who was on the other side of the car, beliveing that Ellsworth would quickly begin shooting, fired point blank at his body, and the man fell forward in the car.  The men took charge of his pistol, a 38-calibre, large frame gun, and also found about 15 gallons of alcohol and some other liquor in the car.

Ellsworth, who was shot through the body, was brought to Howard and examined by Drs. DePew and Grimmell.  They gave him first aid treatment and advised that he be taken to the Wichita hospital.  He appeared to be suffering a good deal, and didn't talk much.  He died soon after reaching the hospital. The body was brought to Howard on advice of the sheriff at Wichita, but was later sent back to Wichita.

Not much is known of Ellsworth, but he is believed to be about 50 years old, and lived at Latham.  He has been in trouble with the law, and is believed to have been regularly in the horse-running business.  The El Dorado paper says he lived with his mother, but had a wife and two daughters.

Regrettable as the affair is, everybody believes Sheriff Brown acted entirely with his reasonable rights, and that had he not fired, Ellsworth would have begun using his own gun, and that he might have killed one or more of the officers.  A man with an auto load of booze and a big loaded revolver is not a safe man for an official to parley with.

No inquest has as yet been held.

[Buddyboy]

There must have been quite a few bootleggers in this area. My Dad even spent some time in the Independence jail for bootlegging. Grandpa told him that he got himself in there, he could get himself out.  Dad said that was the way he would handle it if I ever pulled a stunt like that. Scared me out of doing things.....or at least getting caught at them. 

[Janet Harrington]

Sheriff W. P. Brown was the grandfather or great-grandfather of one of my part-time deputies, Kenny Miller.  Kenny died about 2 years ago from a brain tumor. 

Lois, I am so glad you posted that because I had never seen that before.  I'm going to copy and paste this story to Kenny's widow, Byrdee.