In the late spring of 1905, a dispute in a local restaurant set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the death of a lawman in Ironton, Missouri. On the afternoon of Thursday, May 25th, a young man named William Spaugh caused a disturbance at Rascher's restaurant, annoying customers and physically accosting one of them, William Edgar. After being ejected from the establishment, Spaugh returned to his home in Ironton.
Word of the assault reached Iron County Sheriff John W.
Polk, a 37-year-old man who had served as sheriff for three years. He proceeded to the Spaugh residence to arrest William Spaugh. Upon his arrival, he found William seated on the front porch with his younger brother, Arthur, and another young man. When Sheriff Polk, who did not have a warrant, called for William to come to the fence, William and his brother went inside the house.
Sheriff Polk then entered the front yard, stepped onto the porch, and opened the door to the house. As he crossed the threshold, he was met with a volley of four or five shots. One was a shotgun blast that caused a severe wound to his side, and he was also shot in the heart and the head. He died on the floor of the Spaugh home.
The Spaugh brothers, William and Arthur, fled immediately after the shooting. A manhunt involving search parties and bloodhounds ensued, and the brothers were located about five days later at an isolated cabin in Madison County. After a gun battle, they surrendered and were arrested for the murder of Sheriff Polk. Their mother was also taken into custody and charged with murder, accused of encouraging her sons to resist arrest.
While awaiting trial in the Iron County jail, the Spaugh brothers were the victims of mob violence. In early July, a group of men broke into the jail, overpowered the new sheriff, and shot both brothers in the legs. For their safety, the Spaughs were then moved to St. Louis. Their trials were moved to Reynolds County. William Spaugh was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to hang. His mother was initially convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to ten years in prison, but she was later granted a new trial and acquitted. Arthur Spaugh was also convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, though his sentence was later commuted to life in prison. He died of tuberculosis in prison on August 25, 1913.
