St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana
End of Watch Monday, July 17, 1916
Add to My HeroesMarion Louis Swords
Sheriff Marion Swords was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a fugitive near Opelousas, Louisiana. Two deputized civilians who were assisting Sheriff Swords were seriously wounded.
The suspect was convicted of Sheriff Swords' murder and sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging on October 19, 1917.
Sheriff Swords had served with the agency for 16 years. He was survived by his wife and four children.
Bio
- Age 59
- Tour 16 years
- Badge Not available
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Rifle; .44 caliber
- Offender Executed in 1917
Most Recent Reflection
View all 15 ReflectionsFamily lore holds that Sheriff Swords was a lively fellow with creative notions of law enforcement. Reportedly he once used bbq to persuade a miscreant to come down from a pecan tree where he was "hiding" out. A drinking man, he regarded laws against "blind tigering" as foolish and made it a practice to ignore them. But when a real bad man, such as Eli Carriere who shot him, was afoot, the Sheriff was relentless. A hundred years later we're proud of him.
David Swords
Great grandson
August 31, 2023
