Sheriff Herman Lange died the day after being shot by a subject who had shot another man the previous evening.

   The intoxicated subject shot a 62-year-old man, who later died, during an argument and then fled the scene. Sheriff Lange had arrested two other men from the house where the shooting took place and was in search of the suspect.

   As Sheriff Lange stopped upon seeing a man walking near Braysville, he was shot in the abdomen when his badge was seen by the suspect. He was able to return fire and wound the 21-year-old suspect before he fled into the darkness. Sheriff Lange was taken to Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, for surgery where he died the following day.

   On March 11, 1930, the man was captured in Perry County, Kentucky, and extradited to Indiana. He was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in a change of venue to Franklin County.

   In 1933, the governor granted clemency and commuted the offender's sentence to life in prison. This was later commuted to time served and he was paroled. After repeated requests, he was discharged from parole in 1960 by another governor.

   Sheriff Lange was survived by his wife, who was appointed as sheriff to serve the remainder of her husband's term, 14-year-old daughter, mother and three brothers.

   Mary 'Mayme' Lange was the first female to serve as a sheriff in the state of Indiana.