Sheriff Tom A. Courtney

Tom A. Courtney

Sheriff Tom Courtney and Undersheriff Orson Burmeister were shot and killed at a railroad camp near the Snowden Bridge in Roosevelt County.

The camp had been set up by the Union Bridge & Construction Company during the construction of the Snowden Bridge by the Great Northern Railroad. One of the workers assaulted the owner of the shack he was staying in, prompting the victim to swear out a warrant. Sheriff Courtney and Undersheriff Burmeister went to Mondak, deputized a citizen, and then went to the camp to arrest the man.

As they entered the company office to inquire about the suspect's whereabouts, they were surprised by the suspect who was already inside. He disarmed the deputized citizen then stepped outside and fatally shot Sheriff Courtney and Undersheriff Burmeister. The man fled but was apprehended by a posse and placed in the jail at Mondak. The local residents broke down the jail doors and lynched him.

Sheriff Courtney had served with the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office for only four months. He was survived by his father. He is buried in Antelope Catholic Cemetery in Sheridan County, Montana.