Chief of Police Manley Jackson

Manley Jackson

Chief of Police Manley Jackson was shot and killed along Highway 79 (modern-day Route 115) two miles north of Pocahontas.

Chief Jackson was serving as a Night Marshal and was writing down the license plate of a suspicious car when members of the Barker-Karpis Gang kidnaped him. He was driven to a nearby quarry and was allowed to get out and walk a little way before he was shot four times and killed. His body was found the following day.

Initially, a local man confessed to killing Chief Jackson and implicated a sheriff and another citizen. They were prosecuted, but the sheriff was exonerated. Later, the confessor admitted that he had wanted revenge against the sheriff and falsely claimed that he had killed Chief Jackson at the sheriff's request.

An autobiography by one of the leaders of the Barker-Kipnes Gang detailed the murder of Chief Manley by members of the gang. The suspect was eventually shot and killed by FBI agents.

Chief Jackson had served with the Pocahontas Police Department for one year. Survivors include his wife and two children.

The Barker-Karpis Gang committed violent crimes throughout the American Midwest in the late 1920s and mid-1930s. Members and associates of the gang were responsible for the murders of at least ten law enforcement officers.

Please click here to view all the law enforcement officers killed by the Barker-Karpis Gang.