Deputy Sheriff James Robert "Bud" Allison

James Robert "Bud" Allison

Deputy Sheriff Bud Allison was shot and killed during a gun battle with Ku Klux Klan members outside an automobile garage in Herrin, Illinois.

Deputy Allison, two deputies, and their sheriff were attempting to seize an automobile, used for hauling bootleg liquor, from a local garage that also served as the headquarters for the local Ku Klux Klan. Feeling was running high after the acquittal of two men for the murder of a local klansman. As the officers entered the garage, gunfire erupted. Deputy Allison, four klansmen, and an innocent bystander were killed.

Deputy Allison had served with the Williamson County Sheriff's Department for six months. He was survived by his children.