Chief of Police Samuel Taylor

Samuel Taylor

Chief Samuel Taylor succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained two weeks earlier.

Early on the evening of November 12, 1905, an intoxicated man fired three shots through the door of a residence in Barnesboro, slightly wounding an occupant of that residence. Chief Taylor located the suspect at a home nearby, and deputized a citizen to help him arrest the suspect.

At first, the suspect agreed to accompany Chief Taylor and the citizen back to Barnesboro. They had only walked about 100 yards toward town when the suspect pulled a revolver from his boot. He shot Chief Taylor once in the face, then fired four more shots before fleeing.

Chief Taylor was taken to a local doctor who had him taken to a hospital in Philadelphia where he was operated on. At first it seemed as if he would recover from his wound, but his condition worsened and he died on November 27, 1905.

In 1910 local newspapers reported the suspect was still at large. It is not known if he was ever apprehended.

Chief Taylor had served as a police officer in Barnesboro for 2 years. He was survived by his wife and six daughters.