On the afternoon of August 16, 1924, a team of law enforcement officers descended upon a residence in Joplin, Missouri, bringing a violent end to the life of 54-year-old male Roy Daugherty, a notorious figure from the Old West known by the alias 'Arkansas Tom Jones.' Daugherty, who had once ridden with the infamous Wild Bunch and Doolin Gang, had been tracked to the city following a bank robbery in Asbury, Missouri.
Authorities received a tip that the career outlaw was hiding at a home located at 1420 West Ninth Street, the residence of a local acquaintance.
Joplin Police Detectives William Gibson, Leonard 'Len' Van Deventer, Tom DeGraff, and Jess Laster, accompanied by Police Chief Verna Hine, approached the house to apprehend the fugitive. The operation did not go according to plan; as the officers surrounded the property, they encountered Daugherty, who was armed and refused to surrender. When the detectives breached the home, a gunfight ensued. Detective Van Deventer fired the fatal shot, striking Daugherty in the chest near his heart. The outlaw reportedly staggered and collapsed onto a bed, dying at the scene while a young child, who had been in the house, clung to his leg in the chaos.
The death of Daugherty marked the conclusion of a decades-long criminal saga that began in Barry County, Missouri. He had previously served prison time for his role in the 1893 Battle of Ingalls in Oklahoma, where three deputy marshals were killed. After being paroled and attempting a straight life, he returned to crime, leading to the final confrontation in Joplin. Following the shooting, thousands of curious onlookers visited the local mortuary to view the body of the last surviving member of the Doolin Gang. There were no arrests made in connection with his death, as the shooting was committed by law enforcement officers in the line of duty while attempting to serve a warrant for the Asbury bank robbery.
