Elk-Butler County KS Archives News.....ELK COUNTY SHERIFF SHOOTS AND KILLS MAN September 12, 1929
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L Morgan blueduck3248@totelcsi.com July 21, 2007, 1:51 pm

Howard Courant September 12, 1929
J. D. Ellsworth of Latham, With 15 Gallons of Alcohol, Resists Arrest.

Sheriff W. P. Brown of Elk County, working under a straight tip, took Bate 
Hamar and Harry Leckliter, his deputies, and headed off J. D. Ellsworth, 
suspected of being a booze transporter.  It was a short time after dusk, 
Sunday evening, about 8 o'clock and they stopped Ellsworth's car on the public 
road 12 miles northwest of Howard.  Leckliter covered the suspect with his 
revolver and told him to consider himself under arrest.  Instead of 
sticking 'em up, Ellsworth, reached for Leckliter's gun, pushing it to one 
side and with the other hand apparently reached for his own gun.  The sheriff 
who was on the other side of the car, believing that Ellsworth would quickly 
began shooting fired point blank at his body, and the man fell forward in the 
car.  The men took charge of his pistol, a 38-calibre, large frame gun, and 
also found about 15 gallons of alcohol and some other liquor in the car.

Ellsworth who was shot through the body was brought to Howard and examined by 
Drs. DePew and Grimmell.  They gave him first aid treatment and advised that 
he be taken to the Wichita hospital.  He appeared to be suffering a good deal, 
and didn't talk much.  He died soon after reaching the hospital.  The body was 
brought to Howard on advice of the sheriff at Wichita, but was later sent back 
to Wichita.

Not much is known of Ellsworth, but he is believed to be about 50  years old, 
and lived at Latham.  He has been in trouble with the law, and is believed to 
have been regularly in the booze-running business.  The El Dorado paper says 
he lived with his mother, but had a wife and two daughters.

Regrettable as the affair is, everybody believes Sheriff Brown acted entirely 
with his reasonable rights, and that had he not fired, Ellsworth would have 
begun using his own gun, and that he might have killed one or more of the 
officers.  A man with an auto load of booze and a big loaded revolver is not a 
safe man for an official to parley with.

No inquest has as yet been held.

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