Norfolk and Western Railroad Police Department, Railroad Police
End of Watch: Sunday, December 6, 1914
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 6, 1914
Weapon Used: Handgun; .32 caliber
Suspect Info: Not available
Detective James Baucus was shot and killed while attempting to arrest three men in Portsmouth, Ohio, he surprised stealing coal and chickens from a box car.
As he walked the men to his guard shack one of them produced a .32 caliber handgun and shot him in the head at the Kendall Avenue crossing. The suspect then stole Detective Baucus' service weapon and flashlight before fleeing. It was reported in several Ohio papers the killer was arrested in Wheeling, West Virginia, in February of 1922, but there was never anymore information.
Detective Baucus had previously served as Chief of Police for Portsmouth, Ohio, and as an investigator for the Scioto County Sheriff's Department. He was survived by his wife and two children.