By Auggie Brown
Glasgow News 1
One hundred years ago Glasgow Town Marshal Harry Collins was shot and killed while responding to a call. It was Sunday, July 18, 1926. The killing came in the middle of a violent spree that also left brothers Louis and Dick Vance dead and stunned Barren County.
According to a contemporaneous report in the Glasgow Times dated July 22, 1926, local bootlegger Arthur McAlister went to the home of Dick Vance for a Sunday gathering at the old Chapman place about a mile north of town. A supply of home brew was reportedly in the barn where family and neighbors had gathered.
Witnesses told the newspaper that McAlister argued with Louis Vance, became enraged and opened fire. Louis was shot and killed at close range, and his brother Dick, who had not joined in the argument, was also shot in the head and chest and died the next morning without regaining consciousness.
The Glasgow Times reported that after the initial shooting, McAlister repositioned Louis’ body, crossed his arms and fired another shot into him as he lay on the ground and washed the face of Dick Vance. McAlister then tried and failed to escape in a car before threatening others at the scene and heading toward the Jacksonville Road area.
From there, the paper said, McAlister went to the home of Joe Thomas on Jacksonville Road, near what is now the area of L. Rogers Wells Boulevard and Lexington Drive. He entered the house and took up a position behind a partition between the front and back rooms, waiting for law enforcement to arrive.
Deputy Sheriff Jim Matthews and Town Marshal Collins went to the Thomas home as they searched for the gunman. Thomas and his wife reportedly ran out to the roadside and warned the officers that McAlister planned to kill the first man who came through the door.
Despite the warning, Collins went inside, pistol in hand. The Glasgow Times account states that he was immediately shot in the neck with a .32-caliber revolver, the bullet cutting his jugular vein, and he died within seconds as Matthews helped him to the roadside.
Deputy Matthews returned to town and organized a posse of up to 150 armed men to comb the woods and fields for McAlister. The newspaper reported that bloodhounds were brought in but could not follow the trail because so many men were in the search party.
Former Sheriff W.H. Barlow and city night-watchman Lacey Doyle eventually spotted McAlister at his home on Knob Road, about a mile and a half northwest of Glasgow. They arrested him, taking a knife from his pocket and a shotgun from his hands; the pistol used in the killings had already been discarded.
McAlister claimed in statements reported at the time that he acted in self-defense and could face the electric chair with a clear conscience. He was later convicted of murdering Louis Vance and Marshal Collins and was sentenced to two life terms with the possibility of parole after eight years.
Historical accounts say McAlister died at the state penitentiary in La Grange in 1940. Collins, Louis and Dick Vance, and McAlister are all buried in Glasgow Municipal Cemetery, tying the century-old tragedy to a place many local families still visit today.
Collins, who had served as town marshal for about seven years, was remembered in 1926 news coverage as an exceptionally fearless and industrious officer. The Glasgow Times wrote that his death was an irreparable loss for the city and for local law enforcement.
Key Facts
• July 18 marks 100 years since Glasgow Town Marshal Harry Collins was killed on duty in 1926
• Local bandman and bootlegger Arthur McAlister shot brothers Louis and Dick Vance at a Sunday gathering before ambushing Collins
• Collins was shot in the neck inside the Jacksonville Road home of Joe Thomas after a warning that McAlister was waiting to kill
• A large posse searched for McAlister before former Sheriff W.H. Barlow and night-watchman Lacey Doyle captured him near his Knob Road home
• McAlister was convicted of murdering Collins and Louis Vance and sentenced to two life terms with possible parole after eight years
• McAlister died in the state penitentiary at La Grange in 1940; Collins, the Vance brothers and McAlister are buried in Glasgow Municipal Cemetery
