On June 6, 1903, Deputy Jack Faul Williams was shot and killed during a jailbreak at the Valley County jail in Glasgow, Montana. The escape began about 4:00 PM when inmates overpowered Jailer Dillard and Undersheriff Harry Rutter in the cell block. One prisoner seized a Winchester rifle from the kitchen and another armed himself with a Colt .45, reportedly taken from Rutter.

As Williams returned from an errand and opened the jail door, the armed inmates lay in wait. He turned to flee and was shot in the back with the Colt .45; the wound was mortal. A man identified only as Pierce is believed to have fired the fatal shot. Some escapees were later captured or killed, but Pierce was not apprehended for Williams’ murder and was later suspected in another killing in North Dakota.

Does anyone have more information about Pierce or the prisoners involved in the 1903 Glasgow jailbreak?