Wilmington Police Department, Delaware
End of Watch: Sunday, May 11, 1924
Age: 67
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: May 11, 1924
Weapon Used: Blunt object; Rock
Suspect Info: Released after 10 years
Police Matron Mary Davis was beaten to death by a female prisoner in the Wilmington Jail, at the intersection of 10th Street and French Street, during an escape attempt.
The prisoner was the only female prisoner in the cellblock and had been placed in jail for threatening her husband with a gun. While in her cell, the woman broke the sink's water pipe and was using it to break away the cell's wall in her attempt to escape.
When Matron Davis saw the water coming from the cell she opened the door and went in to fix what she thought was a plumbing problem. When she entered the prisoner picked up a piece of rock from the wall and beat Matron Davis to death. The prisoner was re-captured and served 10 years for another murder.
Matron Davis had served with the Wilmington Police Department for 14 years. She is the second known female law enforcement officer to ever be killed in the line of duty. She was survived by her four children and is buried in Mount Salem Cemetery, Wilmington, Delaware.