Chief Deputy John J. Bryant

John J. Bryant

Chief Deputy Bryant was shot and killed when a sudden burst of gunfire erupted at a labor disturbance outside the Samoset Cotton Mill in Talladega. More than a dozen other officers and workers were wounded. The Alabama National Guard had to be sent in to restore order and they arrested five suspects.

One of the suspects was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison on November 14, 1936. He was released on bond as his appeals were heard. He began his sentence in 1938 and was pardoned a few weeks later by Governor Bibb Graves.

Chief Deputy Bryant had served with the agency for 3.5 years.