Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Saturday, March 31, 1934
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: 22 years
Badge Number: 710
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 21, 1932
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Not available
Policeman Clowry died of a wound he received on November 21st, 1932, when he was shot in the head by bandits he caught robbing a building and loan at Richmond Street and Indiana Avenue.
Patrolman Matthew Clowry was detailed to guard a meeting of the Commonwealth Building and Loan Association on the evening of November 21, 1932.
Shortly before nine o’clock, three masked and armed men burst through the doorway and shouted “Hands up!” Looking straight at the barrels of two revolvers and a sawed off shot gun, only ten feet away, Patrolman Clowry disregarded the call and reached for his own revolver. At the same instant two of the bandits shot point blank at his head and both a revolver bullet and the charge from the gun struck the front of his cap and inflicted a bad scalp wound above his right eye.
Stunned by the shot, the patrolman fell, and although semi-conscious while another bandit stood over him, he tried to pull his gun on the gang as they ran from the building with the stolen cash. He succeeded in shooting once at the five bandits as they left in an automobile and then went to a Police Signal Box to report the hold-up, at which point he collapsed from wounds and loss of blood. The suspects were later captured because of a description given by Policeman Clowry.
Policeman Clowry had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 22 years. He was survived by his wife and four children.