George Greenville Smart, City Marshal

Marietta 

Shortly after 4:30 P.M. Thursday, August 31, 1922, City Marshal Smart (45) and Love County Deputy Sheriff Stafford returned from a trip to the country looking for some stolen tires taken off of a Ford car. The officers went to the Marietta Drug Store on Main Street, bought a drink, walked to the corner of the Post Office, sat down on the stair steps and engaged in conversation with Mr. O. E. English. For some reason Marshal Smart had left his gun in the drug store. In a short time, about 5:30 P.M., John Kelly, a prominent young businessman, walked up to Marshal Smart and said he wanted to talk to him. The two men walked west from the stairway to the west side of the door of the post office before they engaged in conversation. The next thing any witnesses saw was the two men were on the side walk in a struggle when a gun was fired and Marshal Smart was struck in the left groin, severing a large artery. The gun was a Smith and Wesson .38 special. Marshal Smart was taken to his home where he died within the hour at about 6:15 P.M. John Kelly immediately gave himself up to authorities and was placed in jail and held without bail. Kelly testified at his bail hearing the next day that the trouble was over some negative remarks that Marshal Smart had allegedly made about Kelly’s grocery firm’s stand on union labor. Many of Kelly’s customers were railroad union workers. Marshal Smart was survived by his wife and three daughters.