In the summer of 1907, the life of Murray County Sheriff Benjamin Cleveland Keith was cut short in a fatal encounter with a wanted fugitive. At the age of 33, the male sheriff was a respected lawman in the community of Chatsworth, Georgia. The incident that led to his untimely death unfolded when he confronted a man who was sought for the murder of a boy in the neighboring Fannin County.
On Tuesday, July 23, 1907, Sheriff Keith located the fugitive and, in an act of duty, ordered the man
to surrender. Instead of complying, the suspect opened fire, striking Sheriff Keith in the abdomen. Despite the grave injury he sustained, the sheriff managed to arrest the shooter and transport him to the jail in Spring Place. His dedication to his duty was evident as he ensured the capture of a dangerous criminal even while critically wounded.
Following the arrest, Sheriff Keith's condition took a turn for the worse. The gunshot wound proved to be fatal, and he succumbed to his injuries five days later, on Sunday, July 28, 1907. His death was a significant loss to the community he served and left behind a wife and three children. The man responsible for his murder, who was 31 years old at the time, was subsequently convicted in at least two separate trials and sentenced to death. However, just before the scheduled execution, the governor commuted his sentence to life in prison. In a turn of events that added another layer to the tragedy, Sheriff Keith's killer escaped from prison on Christmas Day in 1923.
