Sheriff Louis J. Miesner

Sheriff Miesner was shot and killed by a prisoner during an escape attempt. Another prisoner told the suspect where he could find a machine gun that was hidden behind a door. The suspect opened fire on Sheriff Miesner in a stairwell killing him instantly. He then ran out of the jail.

Two days later the suspect walked out of a Henry County farm field and surrendered to officers who had been pursuing him. He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on April 17, 1945.

The prisoner who told the suspect where to find the machine gun was also convicted of Sheriff Miesner's murder. He had planned the escape which was to include him. He was sentenced to life in prison on April 10, 1945. On June 23, 1952, he and three other inmates escaped from prison. He was captured near Warsaw, Missouri four days later.