Thomas Henry Rather, Night Policemen 

City of Westville 

On the evening of Friday, February 25, 1927, Adair County officers were conducting a search for prohibition violators. About 8:45 P.M., Officer Tom Rather and Deputy Sheriff J.W. Duke approached a car parked near the ball park in Westville occupied by two men and a woman, Marion Jewell, Jack Robbins and Mrs. Oma Kirk. As Officer Rather began questioning Jewell, the man got out of the car and shot Rather once in the right side of the chest. The officer died half an hour later after naming Jewell as the man who shot him.  

Jewell escaped from the scene but was captured at 9 P.M. the next night. Rather and other officers had confiscated illegal liquor from Jewell’s home and arrested him two months earlier. Jewell admitted the murder to the County Attorney.