The evening times., 1899-05-20
KILLED
IN THB line OF DUTY
Previous Fatalities in the His.
tory of the department.
Four Meet Death While Attempting
to Arrest Offenders.
n. Crippcn's Desperate En-
counter with Murderer George
Busch I'm November, 1889.


Armstead Taylor has aroused a great deal
of discussion regarding the number of po-
licemen who have met death in the line
of duty in this city since the organization
of the present force. 1t is claimed by some
that there have been a number of such
occurrences, but the facts as gathered from
the records do not. prove this.
Policemen in the District of Columbia
have always been brave and fearless. and
have often done deeds Of valor that sound
much like the story book. and many times
have the officers been seriously injured
while on duty, but the number of fatalities
is very small compared with the number CT
desperate characters who have been ar
rested and who have dened the law and
the police.
The first killing OF an officer Of the law
occurred in 1871, when Policeman Francis
M Doyle, of the Fourth precinct, was
fatally shot by Mrs Maria Shea, Mt her
house on Maryland Avenue southwest
Doyle, together with Policeman E. J. Du-
vail and several others, had search war
rant which authorized them to investigate
Mrs. Shea's premises for stolen property
believed by the police to be stored there
When the policemen started to enter the
house Mrs. Shea objected. and attem3teu
to put them cut. She grappled WIN Doyle
and. while they were struggling, secured
pistol in some manner, and during the
scuffie it was discharged, the ball entering
the policeman's body and killing him
almost instantly. Mrs. Shea claimed that
the revolver was accidentally discharged,
and when placed on trial the evidence
showed that she had not pointed the
weapon at Doyle, and she was acquitted.
The next fatality occurred September j.
1884, when Policeman John II. Fowler was
shot and killed by a co!ored man named
Langster, who was an inmate oil the
workhouse. Then, as now, policemen were
detailed to guard the workhouse pris-
oners while they were at work on the
streets, and Langster was in a gang und
the charge of Fowler when the murder
was committed. In some manner, Will
the policeman was off his guard Langster
secured possession OF his pistol and ran
away. Fowler pursued him and Langster
turned and fired several shots, one OF
which took effect in the policeman, killing
him almost instantly. Policeman NJ. W.
Quinlan, who was in the vicinity, heard
the shots and hurried to the scene CT the
shooting. Lansster saw him coming and
opened fire on him. None of the bullets
took effect, however, and the murderer
was ldEsH- w ltu ne NaS e4S-Su g. shS
sta,ionhouse the revolver was iound to
contain one cartridge. Langster was sur
prised that there were any shots left In
the pistol and said IL he had known such
TO be the case he would have killed Qr;n-
Ian. Langster was tried, convicted, AKA
hanged at the District jail.
Policeman Americus \. Crippen was the
next victim of the murderous law5reakCTs
| On November s. 1889, George Busch and
Osborn Bassy, both colored, became en-
gagged in fight in pcolroom in the
southwestern section of the city Busc2
invited Basey to step outside ard settle
the difficulty where no enc would inter-
fere and started out the door. Bassy fol-
lowed him and as soon as he emerged from
the doorway Busch opened fire OF Jim
with a revolver and inflicted fatal wounds.
Policeman Crippen was standing on the
next corner, and on hearing the shots bur
ried TO the scene. He caught sight OF
Busch running down the street with q
smoking revolver in his hand and started
in pursuit. Busch heard the officer coming
and ran into barroom near by. Crippen
had so gained on him that when Busch
reached one end Of the room the police
man came into the door at the other. The
murderer ran upstairs into a room over
the back part of the house and Crippen
followed him. Just as the officer reached
the head of the stairway, Busch shot him,
inficting a mortal wound.
The officer did not stop, however, but
continued into the room after the negro,
and then occurred ono of the bloodiest
battle that was ever fought in this city.
Busch seemed to have an endless supply
of y aapons and ammunition and the po-
liceman was also well armed. Pistol shot
after pistol shot rang out in the darkness
of the room. After about fifteen minutes
of desperate dueling. the sound ceased A
large crowd had collected outside of the
barroom and when the minutes passed
and neither of the men who went up stairs
came down an investigation was made
which resulted in the finding Of the bleed
ing CORPSE of the policeman, while short
distance away was lying the murderer with
his life blood rapidly ebbing away. Busch
was hurried to Freedman's Hospital in
the same wagon with his first victim and
they both died after reaching that institu-
ton. The fight created great excitement
in the vicinity of the place where it oc-
CURED and il was some time before the
neiehborhood resumed its ordinary ouie-
tude.
The last murder Of a policeman preced-
ing the killing of Sergeant Passau on
Wednesday, occurred November 81, 1891.
when Policeman Julius Slack was stab
bed to death by George Meyers. butcher.
in the backyard Of the latter's house on
Benning Road. Slack lived next door and
had Just come home from the station
house. He was about to retire when he
heard loud talking in his neighbor's yard.
He went out and demonstrated with the
person. whom he found to be Meyers.
Meyers had often been warned to be quiet
end the policeman told him II he could
not become more orderly it would be nee
essary to take him to the stationhouse.
Movers resented the officers interference
with his affairs and called him vile names.
Slack secured his club and climbed over
the fence that separated the two yards to
arrest Meyers The latter resisted and the
men had terrible struggle. Slack was
. no match for the butcher and attempted to
use his club. Meyers then grasped knife
that was lying nearby and plunged 1t into
the breast of the policeman, infiicting ia
tai injuries. Meyers was arrested and
acquitted on the ground that the police
man had no right to enter the latter's
premises without a warrant and that he
was justified in defending himself.
Arthur A. MOnroe's Funeral.
The funeral OF Arthur A. Monroe the