In the quiet setting of Howard Township, Arkansas, a dedicated public servant named Charles F. Pate met a tragic and untimely end. While carrying out his duties as a Constable, he was involved in a fatal encounter that stemmed from an attempt to serve a warrant. The incident unfolded near the train station in Menifee, a moment that would forever alter the course of several lives.
On the afternoon of April 4, 1893, Constable Pate located the subject of a warrant he had obtained the previous day. As he approached the man, who was walking along the railroad tracks, he called out to him. The man, armed with a Winchester rifle, responded not with words, but with violence. He raised his weapon and fired at the constable. As Pate turned to find cover, a second shot struck him in the back. The grave nature of his injuries was immediately apparent, and he was taken to his home. Despite any efforts to save him, Constable Charles F. Pate succumbed to his wounds in the early morning hours of the following day.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the suspect fled the area, prompting the formation of a posse to track him down. The man was successfully apprehended and taken into custody. However, the course of justice took a dark turn when an angry mob forcibly removed him from the jail. In an act of vigilante justice, the man accused of killing Constable Pate was lynched. This violent conclusion to the tragic event left a somber mark on the community, ending one life in the line of duty and another at the hands of a furious crowd.
