Dakota Datebook: In the line of duty

April 27, 2018 — By 1918 America’s love for the automobile was insatiable, but with World War I ongoing in Europe, accessories such as new tires were hard to come by. There was also a thirst for alcohol in North Dakota. So, when Vac Barta, who farmed east of Minot, came across a fresh set of automobile tracks in a field, he suspiciously followed them thinking he would find a supply of illegal booze, but instead he found a stack of stolen tires. After he notified the police, a car was sent out and the tires were retrieved. It was then that the Minot Police decided to set up surveillance to see if anyone would return for the loot.

In the early evening of April 26, Patrick Devaney, night officer of the Minot Police Department, and Kersey Gowin, special agent of the North Dakota Attorney General’s office, were driven to the field by a man named Chauncey Jones. Upon reaching the area, they found a Ford car parked near the site of the stolen tires.

Making for a fence line that skirted the field, they cautiously approached the scene. Suddenly, two men stood up and a burst of gunfire shattered the cool night air. Devaney died instantly in a hail of bullets, but Gowin was severely wounded and staggered back to the car as more shots were fired. Learning that Devaney was dead, Jones quickly drove the wounded lawman to the hospital in Minot and altered the authorities. Kersey Gowin lingered on until 2:33 the following morning, and on this date in 1918, he succumbed to his wounds.

An investigation ensued that led to Arthur Buck, whose wife ran a suspected brothel and speakeasy in Minot. He was arrested, and it was not long after that the remainder of his gang was in jail. When Arthur Buck was convicted of killing Patrick Devaney and given a life sentence, he also confessed to killing Gowin – even though multiple guns were used at the scene. Thus relieved of any murder charges, the other gang members received minor prison sentences.

The names Patrick Devaney and Kersey Gowin are enshrined on the North Dakota Peace Officers Memorial at the State Capitol Grounds along with 57 of their fellow officers who died in the line of duty.

On March 11, 1920, Arthur Buck escaped from the penitentiary and was never seen again.

“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from the North Dakota Humanities Council. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org.