Constable J. T. Kemp

J. T. Kemp

Constable J.T. Kemp was shot and killed as he and several other officers attempted to arrest a man wanted on a warrant.

The man had threatened two others with an axe several days earlier as they were working in nearby woods. One of the victims obtained a warrant. Constable Kemp and the other officers went to the man's home 13 miles west of Brooksville and two miles from the Winston County line.

When they arrived at the home the man's wife ran out of the house. Constable Kemp and another officer entered the one-room home and were immediately fired upon by the man who was hiding in an attached shed. The shot struck Constable Kemp in the face, killing him.

The man was shot and wounded by a citizen as he fled the scene. He was arrested the following day and turned over to deputies. As the deputies attempted to take him to the county jail they were halted by a mob of citizens forcibly removed the prisoner from their custody and shot him to death.