Union-Ouachita County Louisiana Archives News.....MARION AREA TRAGEDY June 13, 1964 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Gina Brown rootsgirl36@gmail.com January 24, 2020, 8:59 pm MONROE MORNING WORLD - June 13, 1964 June 13, 1964 MARION AREA TRAGEDY 2 Union Parish Deputies, Killer Died in Gun Play Farmerville - A middle-aged backwoods bachelor Friday shot to death two unarmed veteran Union Parish deputy Sheriffs before being gunned down himself by a rookie deputy who had brought along his revolver as an afterthought. The three lawmen had to the one-room shanty inhabited by Heard Nolan, 55, six miles southeast of Marion to question Nolan about the theft of six pounds of butter and six onions from the Linville High School. Marion is located about 16 miles north of here. The deputies slain by Nolan were Chief Deputy George Miller Edwards, 77 and Aylmer G. Taylor, 43 LEAVE OFFICE Asst. Dist. Atty. James T. Spencer said that the sheriff's office here to go to Nolan's house to question him, Glen Barron, 30, the newcomer to the sheriff's staff had already started for the car and, turning, said, "I guess I better take my gun along" Spencer said the three deputies, carrying a search warrant, were greeted at the door by Nolan, who was told why they there. Nolan told them the only way they'd search his house was if he was dead and in hell, Spencer said. As he said that, he pulled out one of these little old out-law 22-caliber pistols. Spencer continued that Edwards, who had served as Union Parish Sheriff for 10 years and has been associated with the sheriff's department as a deputy since 1928 had both arms raised, with his hands resting on the door facings, perring into the room, and then, The first shot went right through Georges heart. Edwards clutched his chest "You boys better take him" he shouted Deputy Taylor, Spencer said "Wheeled to get him and Nolan got him (Taylor). Deputy Barron dropped to his knees and fired three times" and fatally wounded Nolan in the head, Spencer said Spencer said that Nolan lived for a while after being shot, but that be never regained consiousness, and did not make any statement at all. A coroner's jury was convened by acting coroner Dr. J.B. Booth where three bodies lay in the yard. It consisted of Thad Kennedy, Ollie Newsom, Dick Miller, Joe Miller, and Sid Patrick. The jury found that the two deputies were slain by Nolan and that Nolan was justifiably killed by Barron, acting in the line of duty. The shooting occured at mid-morning. Taylor had served as a deputy for four years under Jurd Stewart, who has been succeeded by Dennis Long. Edwards had been retained by the sheriff's department to aid in training new deputies. "Two good men dead because of a sack of onions and six pounds of butter," commented one man at the sheriffs office here as the shooting was discussed. Dr. Booth conducted autopsies at the scene of the shooting. He said that Edwards was shot in the doorway, Taylor in the yard. Edwards had dealings with Nolan in his previous tenure as a lawman, deputies said, "but who would have thought he (Nolan) would do a thing like this." Fingerprints had been found at the scene of the Thursday night burglary at the Linville High School, and the deputies had contacted Carl Miller, a Farmerville lawman, to relay a message that they needed fingerprinting materials. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/union/newspapers/marionar12nnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/lafiles/ File size: 3.8 Kb