On the night of September 7, 1900, Marshal Salathiel Coffee Aulgur, known to many in the community simply as 'Sail,' was performing his duties in Marshall, Missouri. Aulgur, a 63-year-old male who had served in law enforcement for eight years, discovered a crime in progress at the Chicago and Alton Railroad depot. Three individuals were in the process of robbing the station's ticket clerk when the marshal arrived on the scene.
Marshal Aulgur approached the suspects from behind and
commanded them to surrender and raise their hands. Rather than complying with the officer's orders, one of the three suspects immediately turned and opened fire with a gun. The gunshot struck Marshal Aulgur, causing fatal injuries that ended his life and his service to the city of Marshall.
Following the shooting, law enforcement officials apprehended three suspects believed to be responsible for the robbery and the murder of the marshal. Authorities filed murder charges against the group, and legal proceedings commenced. The first suspect to face trial was ultimately acquitted of the charges by the court. As a result of this acquittal, the charges against the remaining two suspects were subsequently dropped, leaving the death of Marshal Aulgur legally unresolved in terms of a conviction.
