Charles Hartsell Smelser, a 33-year-old police officer in Hot Springs, North Carolina, tragically died on March 28, 1900. Smelser was attempting to arrest three intoxicated men who had been causing chaos in the town by shooting at citizens. When Smelser confronted one of the men and tried to place him under arrest, another man intervened and held Smelser at bay with a shotgun. During the struggle, the first man seized Smelser's service revolver and shot him in the head.
The incident did
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