Deputy Sheriff John "Jack" O'Harra

John "Jack" O'Harra

Deputy Sheriff Jack O'Harra was shot and killed while attempting to arrest members of a horse thief gang.

The United States Marshals Office enlisted the aid of deputies to transport a suspected member of the horse thief gang from Miles City, Montana, to Deadwood, South Dakota. The gang planned to rescue the prisoner, and Deputy O'Harra, with two other officers, set on the trail to track down the gang heading westward.

A gunfight ensued at Stoneville, currently known as Alzada, Montana, where Deputy O'Harra was mortally wounded. A member of the gang was killed. Three escaped but were killed by cowboys in the area. Another was killed the next day. One was injured, captured, and while recovering in the hospital in Spearfish, he was hanged. The leader of the gang was killed in Mexico years later. The prisoner was safely transported to prison.

Deputy O'Harra was survived by his wife and children.

He is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery at Spearfish, Lawrence County, South Dakota.