On a fateful day in the autumn of 1911, a violent confrontation unfolded near Dumas, Arkansas, forever marking the life of Sheriff William D. Preston. The 44-year-old male lawman of Desha County met his untimely end on September 26th while attempting to serve arrest warrants on two brothers, Lee and Charles Malpass Jr. These men were reportedly seen in the area heavily armed, and Sheriff Preston assembled a posse to take them into custody. Accompanying Preston was Deputy Sheriff Barney Stiel of Pulaski County, who was in the area visiting his sister.
The events leading to the deadly shootout began when the posse approached a small workshop near the Malpass family home where the brothers had gathered after being warned of the lawmen's approach. As Sheriff Preston made his way towards the cabin, one of the Malpass brothers opened fire, striking the sheriff and killing him instantly. In the immediate and chaotic aftermath, Deputy Stiel engaged the suspect, returning fire and killing the man who had just murdered his sheriff. However, the second brother then turned his weapon on Stiel, fatally shooting him. The remaining members of the posse shot and killed the second Malpass brother.
The violence did not conclude with the deaths of Sheriff Preston, Deputy Stiel, and the two Malpass brothers. The suspects' father, Charles Malpass Sr., arrived at the scene and began firing a rifle at the deputies. The lawmen returned fire, seriously wounding him. The next morning, a mob of around 100 men gathered and forcibly removed the elder Malpass from the local jail. This mob then took him to a water tank on the Iron Mountain Railroad and lynched him, a grim end to a tragic series of events.
