In the winter of 1891, the life of 25-year-old Constable Will Dalton of the Rogers Police Department was cut tragically short. On Tuesday, January 20th, he, along with three other officers, ventured to a residence near Garfield, Arkansas. Their purpose was to serve a warrant and apprehend two brothers, aged 20 and 25, who were wanted in Lawrence County, Missouri. The brothers were sought for the severe beating of a justice of the peace, an act of retaliation after they were arrested for disrupting a church service.
The attempt to bring the fugitives to justice turned into a deadly confrontation. A gun battle erupted at the residence, and in the exchange of fire, Constable Dalton was fatally shot. The weapon that ended his life was a Winchester rifle. Another officer involved in the attempt, Officer Edgar Wright of the Pierce City Police Department in Missouri, was also grievously wounded during the shootout and succumbed to his injuries two days later. The violent encounter left two lawmen dead and a community in mourning. Constable Dalton was survived by his wife and two children.
In the aftermath of the deadly shootout, a posse was formed to track down the two brothers. The pursuit led to one of the brothers being shot and killed. The other brother's attempt to flee was thwarted when he inadvertently jumped into a boxcar that was occupied by three members of the posse. One account suggests he surrendered, while another indicates he was shot in the back with buckshot as he tried to escape. After his capture, the surviving suspect was taken into custody but managed to escape from jail on July 11, 1891. He remained at large for nearly two years until he was recaptured on April 5, 1893, in Decatur, Illinois, and extradited back to Arkansas. Now 24, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, his story did not end in a prison cell. On July 11, 1893, he escaped from his guards at a sand pit in Saline County. He then made his way towards Little Rock and attempted to swim across the Arkansas River. His body was later discovered lodged in a drift just above the city.
