Night Watchman

John W. Craig

Sturgis Police Department — Sturgis, MI
Felonious
End of Watch September 26, 1899
Age 55
Gender Male

Incident

Night Watchman John Craig was shot and killed while arresting two robbery suspects near Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad station in Sturgis.

The suspects were in a boxcar on a siding and opened fire on him, shooting him before he could return fire. He died almost instantly. Despite posses being formed, the suspects were never caught.

Night Watchman Craig was survived by his wife and child.

Survivors

Night Watchman Craig was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

127 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Night Watchman Craig served with the Sturgis Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Sturgis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Sturgis, MI
Platform Identity spd.stjoseph.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 26, 1899
Age 55
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

The Sacrifice · Felonious

John is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1899, 90 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 66th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

John was 55. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

September holds 9.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun; unknown type, in 9.5% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

Where

Night Watchman John W. Craig

Sturgis Police Department · End of Watch September 26, 1899

Where the Name Is Cut

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Sturgis Police Department are honored on badge.nw.

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