Jailer Alfred "Alf" Henry

Alfred "Alf" Henry

Jailer Alf Henry was dragged into a cell and beaten to death by two prisoners at the jail on Dixon Street in West Plains.

Jailer Henry had gone to the jail to feed the prisoners around 8:00 a.m. When he did not return home at the accustomed time, his wife became anxious and sent a neighbor in search of him. His body was found on the jail floor. The prisoners had escaped.

One of the prisoners was captured a short time later and was sentenced to three and a half years. The second prisoner, an escaped convict from the Tennessee Penitentiary, was apprehended four days later in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas. He admitted that he caused the death of Jailer Henry. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 91 years in prison on February 8, 1900. He was released on July 3, 1917.

Jailer Henry also served as a deputy sheriff with the Howell County Sheriff's Office. He was survived by his wife and two children.