20-05-2025
Burnside honors four late town marshals in memorial ceremony
Despite adverse conditions — a lack of electricity and water in the city following Friday's tornado — Burnside officials came together on Saturday to honor four of the community's officers of the law who made the greatest possible sacrifice in the line of duty.
The Burnside Fallen Officer Memorial Ceremony went on as planned this past weekend, with families of those being honored coming in from all over the country — not just Kentucky, but Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and even California and Florida. An estimated 200 people were present at Cole Park for the ceremony.
Four town marshals — a position that eventually evolved into Burnside Chief of Police — who were killed as a result of their service to the community were honored, with their names being placed on the monument at the Burnside Memorial Garden at Cole Park.
Burnside Police Chief Mike Hill told the Commonwealth Journal that his department had a recruit in the police academy that was doing a history project, and asked Hill questions about when Burnside's Police Department was established and other details. This led Hill to do his own research to find those answers, and in the process, learned about the four men who will be honored Saturday.
When Burnside created its Memorial Garden in 2023, Hill decided that he'd like to utilize it to honor the four marshals he learned about who died as a result of their service to the city. In particular, that's because they're already permanently honored in the police academy at Eastern Kentucky University and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C., but hadn't yet been recognized in Burnside itself.
A number of speakers participated in the event, including Hill and Burnside Mayor Robert Lawson, who read a proclamation declaring that week — May 11-17 — as National Police Week in the City of Burnside, and Saturday, May 17 as Police Day. He also recognized a moment of silence for those whose lives were lost as a result of Friday's tornado in the area.
Speaking to those in attendance about the recognition of the four marshals, Lawson said, "I want to say thank you to the families. That is the ultimate sacrifice, is giving your life."
Also speaking were retired police chief Eddie Glover, who talked about the kind of dangers law officers face every day, noting that almost 100 officers per year are lost to violence, and that doesn't include those who take their own lives due to the stresses of the job; former mayor Jim Brooks, who spoke abut the stories he heard from his family over the years about one of those marshals, John Coomer; Brandon Becker, city councilor and chair of the Burnside Historical Society, who talked about how safe he feels in a community like Burnside and how its the police that provide that safety; and tourism commissioner Jerrica Flynn, who spoke about the role law officers play assisting her in her job.
"There's a type of authenticity that you can't market, that I can't create on a campaign," she said. "... (T)hese fallen officers ... are a prime example of what you can do for your community when you are so ingrained in what you do and what you love. It's almost magical to see that type of love for others and their place of being. So for me as a tourism director, these guys make my job easy. ... That authenticity of true love for their community and that warm hospitality, it's just so easy to convey to other people and have them come back and visit again and again."
JOHN COOMER
On August 18, 1913, an alleged moonshiner shot and killed a Burnside Councilman, John Fitzgerald, and wounded the town marshal, John Coomer, in a pistol duel. The shooter had been to Somerset with a friend earlier that day and appeared to be drunk when he stepped off the train at Burnside. Marshal Coomer arrested Tarter and was about to take him to jail when the prisoner drew his pistol and shot Coomer in the neck, causing a severe flesh wound. He also shot a town councilman after running off toward the Burnside Ferry.
On October 1, 1913, Marshal Coomer died as a result of the gunshot to his neck. However, his death certificate says his cause of death is "unknown." It was reported that Marshal Coomer made a deathbed request that the shooter, identified as a Josh Tarter, not be charged with his murder. Eventually, Tarter was apprehended and convicted of killing the councilman and sentenced to five years in prison; however, he was not charged with murdering Marshal Coomer due to the reported request the marshal made before he died.
HIRAM GREGORY
Burnside City Marshal Hiram Gregory was shot on April 23, 1926 while attempting to arrest a Burnside barber identified as Ed Gibson for public drunkenness. The August 23, 2002, edition of the Commonwealth Journal said that two shots entered Gregory's left arm, just below the arm pit and another in the left side below his heart. He was also shot in the forehead. Gregory died at a local hospital about six hours after he was shot.
It was reported that Marshal Gregory told officers on his deathbed that Gibson was the one responsible for his wounds. He said that he received a complaint at around seven in the morning in front of the Burnside Post Office. He said he didn't see Gibson walk up near where he was standing until he was there shooting him. Marshal Gregory went on to tell officers that Gibson had threatened to kill him more than once. Gibson was arrested and charged with the Marshal's murder. During his trial Gibson denied shooting the marshal, but he was found guilty of murder by a Lincoln County jury and sentenced to life in prison.
CHARLIE WRIGHT
Marshal Charlie Wright was appointed to office after Hiram Gregory was shot and killed six months prior. According to historical records and news articles, on November 15, 1926, Marshal Charlie Wright was shot while attempting to arrest a bootlegger identified as Ike Guffey.
At the time of the shooting, Marshal Wright was on patrol when he encountered Guffey, who was wanted for a previous offense. Wright attempted to arrest Guffey, but Guffey pulled out a gun and shot Wright in the chest. Wright was rushed to a hospital in Somerset, but he died from his injuries the following day.
After the shooting, a manhunt was launched to capture Guffey, who was eventually arrested and charged with murder. During his trial, Guffey claimed that he had acted in self-defense because Wright had been abusive and had tried to shoot him first. However, this claim was disputed by eyewitnesses, and Guffey was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
GEORGE PRENTICE SOUTHWOOD
Marshal Southwood was shot and killed in the line of duty shortly before noon on September 30, 1948, by a man in a black pickup truck at the construction site of the new U.S. 27 bridge which was being built at the time. The man had been arrested previously by Southwood for public intoxication and there was no doubt a history between the men. A work stoppage was occurring at the site due to a pay dispute. There were reports of gambling at the site and Prentice was called in to investigate those reports. The killer was a local constable who was drunk at the time and onsite as well.
Southwood engaged in a verbal altercation with the constable after observing alcohol in his vehicle. He ordered the constable who was the driver and his passenger out of the vehicle. The passenger was the driver's son-in-law. The son-in-law was a worker at the site. The passenger followed orders but the driver did not. During the altercation that followed, Southwood was shot twice with a .38 caliber pistol, once in the head and once in the heart, by the intoxicated man. Construction workers rushed to the scene to try to aid Southwood.
The shooter fled south on U.S. 27, and after an exhaustive search across three counties that lasted 19 hours, an arrest was made. A long and large trial would follow, and the shooter would receive a life sentence. Years later, however, against the family's wishes, he would be released while ill.
The stories of the four men were read by Hill at the ceremony, and all current and former officers of the law or their family representatives present were given tokens of appreciation. In addition, a member of the family of each fallen marshal was presented with an American flag hand-folded there on site by Burnside police officers.
Following the ceremony, the family members spoke to the Commonwealth Journal about the opportunity afforded to them for remembrance and recognition on Saturday.
Gregory accepts flag
Lewis Gregory, great-grandson of late Burnside Town Marshal Hiram Gregory, accepts an American flag as a gift at Saturday's Memorial Ceremony in Burnside's Cole Park.
Lewis Gregory, from Greenwood, Indiana, great-grandson of Hiram Gregory, said, "It was really a remarkable honor. ... It is very intensely meaningful for me that all of these good people came together to honor him. I never met him, I wish I had. ... The sacrifice that people in law enforcement (were) giving back then, and even now, is astounding. I served as a judge for 28 years, (and) other legal positions through the years, and I have a lot of respect for police officers."
"It was a proud moment, for my whole family really," said Joe Canada of Cincinnati, great-great-grandson of Coomer. "(They shared) a lot of history I didn't know about."
Eddie Wright, great-grandson of Charlie Wright, said, "I'm glad that his service is recognized. It was a long time ago; he died before he knew any of his grandkids. I think the first one was born in 1928. He served in the Spanish-American War; my great-grandmother was the last ... beneficiary of the war benefits from that. She was the last Spanish-American War widow, so to speak. It's good to see that they still recognize him after all this time. It happened almost 100 years ago. It's just a legacy."
"This means the world to me and my family, honoring our ancestor and honoring the thee other gentlemen (to serve as town marshal)," said Cincinnati's Wade Southwood, great-great-grandson of Prentice Southwood. "It means the world that they're being remembered and memorialized, and also just a general celebration (of) law enforcement ... and what they do for their communities and for this nation."
Southwood police car
Wade Southwood brought the car that his great-great-grandfather, former Burnside Town Marshal Prentice Southwood, was driving the day he was killed in 1948.
Wade Southwood also spoke briefly during the event to the crowd, and brought with him a unique vehicle — Marshal Southwood's own police car, the car he was driving the day he was shot. The car has gone down through several families and is now in Wade Southwood's possession, said Hill.
The chief was appreciative that the long-planned event was able to go forward, even considering the difficulties caused by Friday's tornado in southern Pulaski County.
"There (are) a lot of people who gave up their time to come here (and) travel," said Hill. "... I think it was awesome that we got to hold this event due to all the extra circumstances going on, that people still would come and share this experience with us."
