PARIS – The names of two Oxford County deputies who died nearly a century apart have been joined in a place of honor in the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

A memorial recently completed in the building’s foyer recognizes Lt. William A. Williams and Deputy Harrison Whitman, both of whom died in the line of duty.

“We thought it would be good in the hallway, where it’s very visible,” Sheriff Wayne Gallant said.

Williams died of a heart attack on Oct. 13, 1989, while transporting a prisoner from Rumford to Paris.

He had been with the department for 15 years. Gallant remembers him as a man well-known and well-respected in the community.

Whitman was shot Nov. 18, 1893, and died of his injuries. He had been assisting in an attempt to foil a burglary at the Hutchinson & Newell General Store on Paris Hill.

The murderer, Abner Thorne, was sentenced to life in prison after a trial in 1894. Thorne was released by a gubernatorial pardon in August 1901.

Both Williams and Whitman have had their names engraved on the Law Enforcement Memorial in Augusta and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The county’s memorial is a simple affair. Neat lettering reading, “In Memory Of” arches over two plaques honoring the officers’ sacrifice. A framed set of badges honoring the New York City departments involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks was also moved to the wall. An American flag stands nearby, and Gallant plans to bring in a Maine state flag as well.

The sign was painted by John Peters of Milford, Mass., a prisoner who received a trustee position during his sentence at the Oxford County Jail, which is housed in the same building as the Sheriff’s Office on Western Avenue.

Gallant said work on the memorial began in January, and was concurrent with his decision to retire County Four, which was Williams’ call number. Sheriff Alton Howe, who served the county for 18 years, retired the number in 1989, but Gallant said it somehow came back into use over the years.

The number, as well as the 904 license plate on a county cruiser, has once again been retired.

“We’re hoping that that sets the precedent,” Gallant said.