Sheriff Thomas Wilson Napier

Thomas Wilson Napier

Sheriff Thomas Napier was shot and killed as he and the Stanford town marshal attempted to arrest a man who had fired his pistol into the ground during a night of drinking.

As the officers attempted to arrest him on Main Street, the man turned and shot Sheriff Napier in the abdomen and shoulder, mortally wounding him and wounding the town marshal.

The suspect fled the scene and avoided capture despite a massive manhunt for him. He was eventually arrested in December 1877.

Sheriff Napier had been elected sheriff in 1868 and had previously served as superintendent of the Lincoln County Poorhouse. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American War and served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was survived by several siblings, nieces, and nephews.