Deputy Earnest W. Thompson

Earnest W. Thompson

Deputy Earnest Thompson was shot and killed by a prisoner who was serving a 90 day sentence for bootlegging in the Ward County Jail .

A posse captured the 34-year-old suspect the next day near Minot. Three weeks later the suspect was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life. The suspect's 22-year-old brother, who slipped him the gun, was also convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life. In 1924 his sentence was reduced to 25 years.

Deputy Thompson was buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Grey Eagle, Minnesota. He was survived by two sisters and a nephew.