In the town of Bainbridge, Georgia, on a Sunday in late October of 1905, the course of several lives would be irrevocably altered. Martin Crawford Stegall, the 45-year-old male Sheriff of Decatur County, found himself in the line of fire while attempting to apprehend a murder suspect. The events of that day, which began with a shooting on Broad Street, would culminate in a tragic and violent end for both the Sheriff and his assailant.
The day's turmoil began when a man shot and killed a woman on Broad Street. Sheriff Stegall, being nearby, immediately responded to the scene to arrest the perpetrator. As he approached the suspect, in an unforeseen act of violence, the man turned his gun on the Sheriff and fired a single shot that struck him in the chest. Even as he fell, mortally wounded, Sheriff Stegall managed to draw his own weapon and shoot the suspect in the shoulder. The gunman was captured shortly thereafter.
Later that night, the community's grief and anger boiled over. A mob, reportedly consisting of more than 300 men, descended upon the county jail where the suspect was being held. They overwhelmed the authorities, took the suspect from his cell, and dragged him to the Flint River Bridge. There, under the cover of darkness, they enacted their own form of justice, hanging him.
Sheriff Martin Crawford Stegall was survived by his wife and their six children. His death left a profound void in his family and the community he had sworn to protect. He was laid to rest in Oak City Cemetery in Bainbridge, his name etched into the local history as a lawman who made the ultimate sacrifice.
