In the quiet hills of Bell County, Kentucky, a dedicated lawman named Edward Neece met a tragic end. The 38-year-old male Deputy Sheriff was killed by gunfire on a Sunday morning, November 7, 1912, while attempting to serve a warrant near Brownet's Creek, just outside of Pineville. He left behind his pregnant wife and a two-year-old daughter.
The warrant was for a 40-year-old man accused of selling illegal liquor.
In the course of his duty, Deputy Neece was fatally shot by the very man he sought to bring to justice. The suspect managed to evade capture for several months following the shooting, but law enforcement eventually caught up with him. He was subsequently tried and convicted of manslaughter for the death of the deputy.
The convicted man was sentenced to ten years in prison and began serving his time in 1915. However, his story did not end within the prison walls. On June 5, 1921, he successfully escaped from a prison road camp. His freedom was short-lived. Nearly two months later, a posse tracked him to his home in Pineville, where he was shot and killed, bringing a violent end to the chapter that began with the death of Deputy Edward Neece.
