Deputy Sheriff James Benjamin Ramsey

James Benjamin Ramsey

Deputy Sheriff James Ramsey succumbed to gunshot wounds he received when he was shot while raiding a liquor still on a farm in Ashland.

Deputy Ramsey, the sheriff, and two officers were searching a barn when the man shot Deputy Ramsey before fleeing. Deputy Ramsey was taken to his home, where he died from his wounds five days later.

The suspect was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The Alabama Supreme Court granted him a new trial, and he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 17 years. In 1923, he was awarded a third trial, convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to one year.

Deputy Ramsey had served with the Clay County Sheriff's Office for seven months and previously served with the Ashland Police Department for at least two years. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, and four siblings.