Jeff Davis County 1914-1933
Sheriff Franklin Lee Sproul
Franklin Lee Sproul was born May 16, 1885, in Uvalde, Texas and died February 24, 1933 in Jeff Davis County, Texas.
Sheriff Sproul was shot and killed while he and two other officers attempted to arrest three youths who had just looted the ranch of a fellow sheriff. When the three officers surrounded the youths, the 19-year-old suspect shot Sheriff Sproul with a rifle he had stolen. When arrested, the suspect stated he thought he was shooting a cow.
The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to seven years. He was released on October 13, 1936.
Sheriff Sproul had been with the agency for 18 years and was survived by his wife and son.
Franklin Lee Sproul photo courtesy of Carl C. Williams collection