On March 27, 1900, the community of Boonville, Missouri, was shaken by the violent death of Assistant City Marshal William Hennecke, a 45-year-old male who had served with the local police department for seven years. The incident began when Hennecke, accompanied by Officer Jones, proceeded to the home of a suspect believed to be responsible for a recent burglary at a local cigar store. The suspect, identified as Ellsworth Evans, was also under investigation for a series of other burglaries in the area. The officers located Evans and took him into custody without immediate incident, intending to escort him to the city jail for processing.
As the officers walked their prisoner toward the station, Evans made a seemingly innocuous request, asking if he could place a deck of playing cards into his pocket. When Officer Jones reached out to take the cards or assist him, Evans seized the moment to retrieve a hidden revolver he had concealed on his person. The suspect fired quickly, his first shot grazing Officer Jones across the cheek. He then turned the weapon on Marshal Hennecke, firing a round that struck the lawman in the right lung.
Despite the severity of his wound, Hennecke was transported to a nearby store where medical aid could be summoned. However, the injury proved catastrophic, and he succumbed to the gunshot wound approximately twenty minutes after the shooting. The sudden violence left the department mourning a dedicated officer and the town in shock over the brazen attack on its law enforcement.
Ellsworth Evans was successfully apprehended and subsequently faced the legal consequences of his actions. He was charged with the murder of Marshal Hennecke, a crime for which he was found guilty in a court of law. Following his conviction, Evans was sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on April 12, 1901, when he was executed by hanging, closing the final chapter on the tragic event that claimed the life of the Assistant City Marshal.
