Constable Samuel Lock Memorialized at 100-Year Anniversary Event
More than 100 descendants of Constable Locke are expected to attend March 7 event in Leiper’s Fork, Tenn.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On March 7, 2025, descendants of Constable Samuel Claybrook Locke and distinguished members of the Williamson Co. community will gather to celebrate the life and legacy of Locke on the 100th anniversary of his unfortunate fate. In 1925, Locke assisted federal officers in the discovery and destruction of 73 illegal stills in Williamson Co. in his short 3-month-stint as a prohibition officer before he was assassinated by local bootleggers.
More than 100 of Constable Locke’s descendants are expected to attend the memorial event in a festive celebration of his admirable life at Hillsboro-Leiper’s Fork Community Center, followed by a graveside candlelight service at Hillsboro-Leiper’s Fork Cemetery. Gov. Bill Lee has marked the occasion as a Day of Recognition for Samuel Claybrook Locke.
Dignitaries including Tenn. State Rep. Lee Reeves, Commissioner of the Tenn. Department of Safety and Homeland Security Jeff Long, Williamson Co. Mayor Rogers Anderson and Williamson Co. Sheriff Jeff Hughes will be in attendance to make remarks at the memorial service, and an excerpt from Sen. Jack Johnson’s sponsored resolution SJR62 will be shared.
The family will gather for the both a historical presentation at the Hillsboro-Leiper’s Fork Community Center with Williamson Co. historian Rick Warwick and Williamson Co. resident Silas Jones prior to the service and a celebration reception following at Leiper’s Fork Distillery, which is owned and operated by Constable Locke’s great-great-great nephew Lee Kennedy.
The event is free to attend and open to the public, however pre-registration is required. For more information about Constable Locke or to RSVP to attend the March 7 events, visit www.constablelocke.com.
ABOUT CONSTABLE SAMUEL CLAYBROOK LOCKE
On the night of March 7, 1925, Federal Revenue officer Sam Locke was murdered while opening the gate at his driveway on Hillsboro Road in Franklin, Tenn. Three months before his death, Locke had resigned as deputy under Sherriff W.W. Crockett for lack of support in his efforts to uphold the law. His enthusiasm in destroying moonshine stills across the county angered one of Franklin’s infamous bootleggers, who hired Jim Kelton and Frank Cain to eliminate the troublesome Locke. In a two-week span after his death, the “Flying Squadron,” a group of federal prohibition field agents, investigated Locke’s death leading to more than 30 arrests including Kelton and Cain who were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The bootleggers John Truett and his two sons were acquitted of any involvement in the murder of Locke but were later arrested and fined for liquor trafficking. For more information about Constable Locke, visit www.constablelocke.com.
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