Town Marshal John T. Skaggs, a 30-year-old male, met an untimely and violent end on Thursday, October 20, 1910. His death occurred not in his hometown of Clarkson, Kentucky, but in Henderson, while he was in the process of transporting a prisoner. The individual in his custody had been apprehended the week prior for the theft of a horse in Leitchfield and was being returned to the Henderson County Jail.
The fatal encounter unfolded as Marshal Skaggs escorted the 18-year-old prisoner
through Henderson's central park. In a sudden turn of events, the prisoner produced a pistol, the origins of which remain unknown, and shot the marshal. The assailant immediately fled the scene, leaving the mortally wounded officer behind. In the aftermath of the shooting, the young man who had been in Skaggs's charge was not at large for long. He was rearrested the following week after a pursuit in Daviess County.
During the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings, the teenage suspect attempted to deflect blame for the marshal's death. He concocted a story about an unknown man who allegedly approached them from behind and fired the fatal shot. However, this narrative did not hold up in court. On February 8, 1911, the prisoner was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for the death of Town Marshal John T. Skaggs. The fallen marshal was survived by his wife and daughter and was laid to rest at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
