1929 - Jess Dills/Joe Castle Shoot-out on Main Street
It was Saturday, December 21, 1929. Christmas was only a few days away as residents of Paintsville and Johnson County crowded the stores of Paintsville looking for last minute gift ideas.
All the stores in downtown Paintsville were open, as they were each evening. It was only 6:30 P.M. when Johnson County Jailer John Marshall and Joe Castle, a former constable, stood on the steps of Paintsville Grocery Company. They watched as Jess Dills, a city police officer, walked in front of Big Sandy Drug.
A youngster, observing the tableaux, rushed into the Busy Bee Restaurant and yelled, "There's going to be trouble!"
Marshall and Castle, both of whom appeared to have been drinking, began taunting Dills.
The officer crossed the street and told the two men that they were under arrest for public intoxication. Without further warning Castle pulled a pistol and attempted to hit Dills over the head with it. Dills raised his arm, deflecting most of the blow, and backed out into the street again, pulling his gun from its holster.
As Dills pulled his revolver Castle began to fire. Both men now walked toward each other with their guns blazing. Men and women rushed into stores and crouched behind cars to get out of the line of fire. Eyewitnesses, two of whom were Sherman Rice, Jr., and K. B. Williams, confirm that the two men emptied their guns into each other. Witnesses said it sounded like war.
When the smoke from the fusillade cleared two of the participants lay in the street. Dills died where he fell, in the middle of Main Street. Castle was removed to the Golden Rule Hospital where he died at 9 O'clock Sunday morning. John Marshall was arrested by Johnson County Sheriff H. B. Adams and locked in his own jail on a charge of murder for what was believed to be his part in the shootings.
Doctors reported that Dills had six bullet wounds while Castle had three. Although Dills and Castle had only one gun each, slugs taken from Dills' body indicated that at least three pistols were fired. Two different caliber bullets were taken from Dills' body, one a .45 and two .44's. Joe Castle used a .44, while Jailer John Marshall was alleged to have carried a .45. Adding to the mystery (and confusion) is the fact that still another caliber bullet was found in the policeman's body...a .32, which pierced Dills' hand, apparently having been shot behind him. Just how many guns were fired on that fateful night in December, 1929? And who else fired at Jess Dills?
John Marshall was tried in February for the murder of Dills by a jury summoned from Pike County. After two days of deliberation the jury was hopelessly deadlocked and dismissed.
A second trial was held two weeks later, this time with a Magoffin County jury. Marshall was acquitted by this jury after another two days of deliberation and set free.
The mysteries, however, continue to surround that bloody night in December on Main Street.
