Petersburg High Constable's Office, Virginia
End of Watch: Wednesday, July 20, 1881
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Fall
Date of Incident: July 18, 1881
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
High Constable John Minetree succumbed to injuries sustained three days earlier when he fell from a buggy on Cedar Street.
He and a magistrate were conducting official business when the accident occurred. The horse pulling the buggy got spooked by an object in the street and jumped to the side, causing Constable Minetree to be thrown to the ground. He struck his head on the ground, causing him to suffer a head injury. He slipped into a coma and his condition worsened until he passed away.
Constable Minetree had been elected to the position of High Constable the previous year and had been in office almost 13 months. He had previously served as a gauger for the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Internal Revenue. He was survived by his wife and six children.