In the small town of Warrior, Alabama, a young man named Owen Kelly, at the age of 21, was serving as the acting Town Marshal. His tenure in this role was tragically cut short on Tuesday, May 1, 1888. On that fateful day, Marshal Kelly responded to a disturbance at a local saloon where two brothers were engaged in a drunken altercation.
While attempting to arrest the intoxicated siblings, they resisted.
In the ensuing struggle, one of the brothers drew a pistol and shot Marshal Kelly in the stomach. The shooter immediately fled the scene but was apprehended a mile away from the saloon. His brother was taken into custody at the location of the incident.
Following the arrests, the sheriff attempted to transport the two brothers by train. However, a large and incensed crowd intercepted the train. The brother who had fired the fatal shot was overcome by the mob and killed. The other brother faced the justice system and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter, receiving a sentence of six years in prison. Acting Marshal Kelly had been in his role for only a week, filling in for his brother, the Town Marshal, who was out of state transporting a prisoner.
