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Newburyport Police Officers Finally Honored
(08/03/07)

In 1991 the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was unveiled in Washington D.C.. The memorial was built entirely with private donations after congress donated the land to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund.

Today, on Judiciary Square, right above the Metro’s red line, stands two, massive semi-circular walls engraved with the names of every law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as far back as before our nation was officially established.

Each year in May, thousands of police officers, family members of fallen officers, and dignitaries from around the country gather at the memorial for a candle light vigil, where the names of officers killed the previous year are honored, having been etched into the walls of the memorial only weeks before, and a candle light vigil is held in their memory.

This past May three names from Newburyport were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC. thanks to the diligent work of city Marshal (equivalent to a police chief) Thomas Howard.

Howard began to wonder if any Newburyport police officers had lost their lives in the line of duty while he was attending a memorial service in Boston two years ago for police officers who had been killed in the line of duty here in Massachusetts.

“I was at the memorial in Boston,” Howard told The Valley Patriot, “and while I was standing there I began to wonder if there just might be Newburyport police officers who were killed in the line of duty years ago that nobody knows about.”

Until the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) was established in 1984, there had never been a national record of police officers killed in the line of duty, and Marshal Howard knew that every year the sacrifices of police officers who gave their lives long ago while protecting the public are discovered all over the country and added to the memorial walls.

“Each year, we honor the police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty from the previous year,” said Craig Floyd, executive director of the NLEOMF. “But we also discover, through the hard work and research of police departments all over the nation, that there are police officers who were killed in the line of duty long ago, who have unfortunately been forgotten are also added to the walls of the memorial.”

When Marshal Howard returned from the Boston he asked detective inspector Brian Brunault to do some research at the local library and anywhere else he could to see if Newburyport had fallen officers who had not yet been honored.

“It wasn’t easy,” Howard said. “we had to track down old town records, search microfilm of old newspapers at the library, and go through police department records.  It was a lot of work but I really believe that someone who gave their life for this community should be remembered. If there was even one police officer who lost his life while serving the town of Newburyport, I wanted to make sure they were.”

Much to his amazement, Marshal Howard, a 30 year veteran of the force, and detective inspector Brian Brunault discovered three police officers who were killed in the line of duty. Howard coiled as much information on the officers and turned them over to the offices of the NLEOMF.

Three Officers Honored  

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Newburyport Police department webpage

Captain Pat Creeden was killed in the line of duty on December 26, 1905. According to the information unearthed by the Newburyport police, Creeden received information that two guys who had been involved in an arrest were leaving town on a pull-train. An officer went to the train depot and saw the suspects. As the train pulled away, one of the suspects got off while Captain Creeden was getting on the other side. That’s when Creeden stumbled off the train and fell off a bridge onto roadway underneath.

Captain Charles Wells was a 38 year veteran of the force and was 64 years old when he died. Ironically, Wells was promoted to captain as the result of the death of Captain Creeden and served 15 years before he, too, was died in the line of duty. Wells died on January 15, 1920.

“At approximately 4:10 am, Captain Charles W. Wells, along with other Newburyport Police Officers, procured a sleigh to respond to a house fire. Upon arrival the Captain hurried to facilitate the work of the fireman and to save property. Captain Wells collapsed and was taken to a nearby home where a Physician was summoned. The Captain died of an apparent heart attack before the doctor arrived.

Newburyport police officer John Page, Jr. was killed in the line of duty on July 2, 1927 at 2:15 in the afternoon.

“Officer Page was riding a Police Motorcycle on State St. near Stone’s Garage when he collided with an Essex Touring car. Officer Page was transported to Anna Jaques Hospital for treatment of his injuries. While he was waiting for a blood transfusion the Officer developed a sudden hemorrhage and died.”  

Tom Duggan is the president of Valley Patriot, Inc., a former Lawrence School Committeeman, and hosts the Paying Attention! Radio Program on WCAP, 980AM, every Saturday afternoon from noon-2pm. He is also a police survior (1990). You can email your comments to Tdugjr@aol.com .

 *Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The August 2007 Edition of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
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