Deputy Sheriff Joseph Brannin, a 28-year-old White man, was killed in the line of duty in Melville, Montana, on November 16, 1911. His death left a widowed mother, seven brothers, and five sisters. The killing prompted an investigation that resulted in the arrest and conviction of Mel Jowell for Brannin’s murder. Jowell was described as handsome and eloquent in contemporary accounts and was seen as an unlikely hardened criminal; he was sentenced in May 1912 to 22 years at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. Walter Waymire was also charged with assisting in the murder and was involved in subsequent legal proceedings. While out after testifying at Waymire’s trial, Jowell and another inmate, S. P. McAdams, jumped from a moving train and escaped; Jowell remained at large under various aliases before being captured in Elko, Nevada, after a shootout and returned to prison.

Are there descendants or local historians who can add detail about Brannin’s service or the trial and escape saga?