Bio & Incident Details
Age: Not available
Tour: Not available
Badge # Not available
Cause: Gunfire
Location: West Virginia
Incident Date: 8/17/1905
Weapon: Rifle
Suspect: Charged with murder
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Deputy Murphy was shot and killed in Logan County, West Virginia, after delivering a prisoner to the Logan County sheriff. The prisoner had been arrested in Buchanan County, Virginia, and was extradited back to West Virginia.
Deputy Murphy, the sheriff, and a third man were traveling on a railroad velocipede between Logan and Holden when a man fired a single shot from an ambush point along the tracks. The shot struck Deputy Murphy, killing him.
The suspect fled into the woods but was arrested later that night by a posse. Ironically, the posse was led by the suspect's father, who did not realize his son was the suspect. Investigation determined that the suspect intended to ambush a different group of men whom he had quarreled with earlier in the evening and that he opened fire on the lawmen in a case of mistaken identity. The suspect was charged with Deputy Murphy's murder.
