Police Officer John W. Kamphouse

John W. Kamphouse

Police Officer John Kamphouse was shot and killed by train car thieves in the Proviso yards in Chicago, Illinois.

Officer Kamphouse had left a note for Officer Robert Spielman, brother of Officer Edward Spielman, killed in the line of duty on April 9th, 1912, that dangerous-looking men had been in the rail yards on his shift. Officer Kamphouse was last seen preparing to make his final rounds before going home but failed to report for work the following day.

After Officer Kamphouse's wife reported that he had never come home from work the previous evening, a search was begun. An hour later, a railroad employee found Officer Kamphouse dead of a single gunshot wound to the head on the north side of the yard.

Officer Kamphouse had served with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Police Department for two years and previously served as a marshal in Maywood, Illinois, for 15 years. He was survived by his wife and son. Officer Kamphouse was a brother-in-law of Officer Edward Spielman, who was shot and killed less than 200 feet away in the same yards six months earlier.