Sheriff Montgomery G. Haston

Montgomery G. Haston

Sheriff Montgomery Haston was shot and killed on Spencer's main street, one block from the jail, by the father of a political opponent.

He was speaking to several people when the man parked on the street, retrieved a shotgun from his car, and then opened fire without warning. Sheriff Haston's brother and brother-in-law were able to subdue the man, who was then arrested and charged with murder. The man, 69, was the father of Sheriff Haston's opponent in the upcoming election. There was already ill feelings between the two over timber rights on a piece of land both claimed. The man was convicted of murder and sentenced to life.

Sheriff Haston was survived by his wife, 1-year-old daughter, mother, two brothers, and three sisters.