Pittsburgh Night Watch, Pennsylvania
End of Watch Thursday, April 21, 1853
Add to My HeroesSamuel H. Ferguson
Night Watchman Samuel Ferguson was stabbed to death in Butler County, Pennsylvania, while he and another officer attempted to serve a warrant on a subject wanted for stealing gas by tapping into a gas line.
The officers went to the man's home in Clearfield Township on Freeport Road to serve the warrant but were told by his wife that he was not home. Upon searching the home they located the subject and told him he was under arrest. He initially refused to be taken but then agreed and asked if he could change his shirt. The officers followed him into another room where he suddenly grabbed a bowie knife and a revolver and attacked the officers, stabbing them both several times.
Night Watchman Ferguson collapsed and died as the officers retreated to safety. The subject fled the scene but was later arrested in Buffalo, New York, and charged with murder. His wife was also arrested and charged with assisting her husband. In November 1853, the subject was found guilty of murder and his wife was acquitted during the trial.
Shortly after the trial the subject managed to escape the Butler County Jail by sawing away at the bars of a window that led to an old jail yard. The subject along with his wife who disappeared shortly afterward were never seen again.
Night Watchman Ferguson had served with the Pittsburgh Night Watch for two and a half years and was survived by his wife and 14 children.
Bio
- Age 50
- Tour 2 years, 6 months
- Badge Not available
Incident Details
- Cause Stabbed
- Weapon Edged weapon; Knife
- Offender Never captured
Most Recent Reflection
View all 6 ReflectionsNo passage of time can ever erase your service and sacrifice. Rest in peace always.
Detective Cpl/3 Steven Rizzo
Delaware State Police (Retired)
April 21, 2021
Recent LODD Deaths

Police Officer Gonzalo Carrasco, Jr.
Selma Police Department, CA
EOW: January 31, 2023

Master Patrol Officer Clarence "CJ" Williams
Cairo Police Department, GA
EOW: January 28, 2023

Supervisory Officer Jacqueline Montanaro
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, US
EOW: January 14, 2023

Police Officer Carl Douglas Kimball
St. Francisville Police Department, LA
EOW: January 12, 2023

Deputy Sheriff Darnell Calhoun
Riverside County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: January 13, 2023

Court Services Officer Curtis Matthew Worland
Alaska State Troopers, AK
EOW: December 13, 2022

Chief of Police Justin McIntire
Brackenridge Borough Police Department, PA
EOW: January 2, 2023

Deputy Sheriff Isaiah Cordero
Riverside County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: December 29, 2022

Corporal Ray Charles Hamilton
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: December 24, 2022