Chief of Police William Thomas Tully

William Thomas Tully

Chief William Tully died on August 27th, 1918, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident that occurred the day before.

On August 26th, 1918, Chief Tully and other officers raided a home in the city's Mount Washington section and arrested 15 people who were at an illegal poker game. The suspects were placed in a patrol wagon and were en route to the police station. As the vehicle was proceeding down Stefan Hill Road the driver realized that he was losing control of the overloaded wagon due to the excessive weight.

The driver decided to steer the vehicle towards the side of the road, it tipped on its side and went into a ditch. Chief Tully, who was standing on the driver's side running board, was crushed under the falling vehicle. In spite of efforts to lift the wagon from the chief, he sustained serious injuries and died several hours later.

He had been chief of police for only seven months but he had already broken up several criminal gangs that infested the city. He had also provided valuable assistance to county detectives in capturing a number of wanted criminals.

Chief Tully was survived by his wife.