Barber County Sheriff's Office, Kansas
End of Watch: Saturday, March 21, 1908
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 19, 1908
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Sheriff Enos "Bud" McCracken succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained two days earlier when he was shot as he and the Kiowa city marshal were attempting to arrest a man on a warrant for selling whiskey. The man fled into an outhouse and, as Sheriff McCracken attempted to talk him into surrendering, shot through the outhouse door. The shot struck Sheriff McCracken, mortally wounding him. The sheriff and the marshal both returned fire into the outhouse but did not strike the suspect.
As the suspect attempted to flee from the outhouse the marshal shot him in the leg, inflecting a serious wound. The wound developed into gangrene and he died four days later.
Sheriff McCracken had only served as Sheriff for 2 years. He was survived by his wife and eight children. His eighth child was born only two days before he was shot.