In the winter of 1900, a violent encounter in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, resulted in the death of Constable W. D. Turner. The male constable, along with Deputy Constable Marvin Durham, was in the process of transporting an inmate from the town jail in Durhamville to the county jail in Ripley on January 9th. The inmate had been arrested earlier that day for his refusal to comply with a county health ordinance requiring vaccination.
The situation escalated when the inmate refused to pay
a fine imposed by a city judge, leading to the order for his transfer. As Constable Turner and Deputy Durham escorted the prisoner, they were ambushed approximately a mile outside of Durhamville. The assailants, who were the inmate's two brothers, opened fire on the lawmen. Both Constable Turner and Deputy Durham were shot and killed during the attack. Their bodies were later discovered in the street by Turner's wife.
In the chaotic aftermath, the inmate being transported was also shot. He and another of his brothers were subsequently lynched by a mob. The two brothers who initiated the ambush and were responsible for the deaths of the constables managed to flee the scene. Despite the public nature of the crime and the identities of the suspects being known, no arrests were ever made in connection with the murders of Constable W. D. Turner and Deputy Constable Marvin Durham.
