Marshal William Sprinkle was shot and fatally wounded while performing a prisoner escort.

On Saturday, February 27, 1892 at about 5:30 pm, Marshal Sprinkle arrested Amos Miller who had earlier been arrested for disturbing the peace and for this occurrence for carrying a concealed weapon. Miller was not able to post bond and was ordered incarcerated in the city jail. As Marshal Sprinkle was escorting Miller to the jail, another man by the name of Murphy had slipped a gun into Miller's hand from behind. Miller presented the gun and demanded his gun back from Marshal Sprinkle. Marshal Sprinkle returned the gun to Miller. Miller then demanded the Marshal's gun as well. Alderman Toole and A.F. Cooper exited their office at the Cooper and Jorndt's Roller Mills armed with revolvers to assist Marshal Sprinkle. They ordered Murphy to drop his gun. Murphy turned and fired wounding Toole in the hand, shooting off his finger, and killing Cooper with a wound to the heart. Marshal Sprinkle drew his weapon and fired at Murphy. A gun battle ensued and Marshal Sprinkle was mortally wounded. One bullet grazed his side and the second shattered his leg between his knee and thigh. Marshal Sprinkle was taken home to die. He died two days later on Monday, February 29th.

Miller and Murphy fled and were pursued by a crowd from the main area of town. Murphy had been wounded in the gun battle and was unable to run, shot and killed himself before the crowd could overtake him. Miller who had been wounded in the wrist was later captured in Campbell, Missouri and returned and held in the Stoddard County Jail in Bloomfield, Missouri. At 10:30 pm on March 2nd, Miller was abducted from the Stoddard County jail by four masked men and taken to a a lynch mob 3/4 of a mile outside Bloomfield where he was hanged. He body was cut down by the coroner at 9:00 am the following morning.

The Epitaph on Marshal William Sprinkle's Tombstone:
Here lies an honest man
Who lived for his fellowman
And died upholding the law

Marshall Sprinkle was survived by his wife, Nancy. Interred: Dexter Cemetery.