Policeman George M. House

George M. House

Policeman George House succumbed to complications of a gunshot wound sustained almost 13 years earlier after responding to a domestic disturbance call at a home at the intersection of 4th Street and Ransom Street.

On July 22, 1907, a man became enraged when his girlfriend told him she was moving to another city for work and would not return. He threatened to kill her if she continued to insist on leaving. He then left the house to retrieve his gun. After he left a neighbor called Policeman House, who responded to the scene.

After talking to the occupants of the home Policeman House sat on the front porch and waited for the boyfriend to return. The man emerged from the nearby railroad tracks and called out to his girlfriend. Policeman House began to step from the porch when the man ordered him to stop and then opened fire. Policeman House was struck in one of his lungs and the man fled. The subject later committed suicide by drowning himself.

The wound in his lung left Policeman House an invalid and he died from complications of a lung infection on May 24, 1920.

Policeman House had served in law enforcement for approximately four years. He had served with the Fort Scott Police Department for approximately one year, as a bailiff for the United States District Court of Kansas for three years, and as a bailiff at the Bourbon County Courthouse for one year. He was survived by his wife and daughter.