Roll of Honor
Incident
Marshal George Cady succumbed to gunshot wounds he suffered nearly two months earlier while escorting a group of rowdy and drunken lumberjacks out of town.
The marshal had told the lumberjacks, who were creating a disturbance in the late afternoon, to leave the town and followed them on foot to the nearby railroad depot. As they approached the depot, one of the men pulled a rifle and shot Marshal Cady, striking him in the chest.
Marshal Cady, who never carried a gun, was able to make his way to the Tremont House, a local hotel, where he collapsed. Marshal Cady survived nearly two months before he died of his wounds.
A posse located two of the lumberjacks, but not the man who allegedly shot Marshal Cady. They were jailed in Murphysboro to avoid a lynching from angry citizens seeking vengeance, but escaped while awaiting trial. One suspect was recaptured and served a long sentence at the Chester Penitentiary. The other suspect was never apprehended.
Marshal Cady had served in the Confederate Army and was survived by his wife and 4-year-old son, who later went on to serve as the Grand Tower marshal and a Jackson County deputy sheriff. He was known to often wear the vest his father wore which prominently displayed the bullet hole that took his father's life.
Survivors
Marshal Cady had served in the Confederate Army and was survived by his wife and 4-year-old son, who later went on to serve as the Grand Tower marshal and a Jackson County deputy sheriff.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-IL-17DD4005- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Marshal Cady served with the Grand Tower Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Grand Tower community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
George Horton Cady served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Marshal George Horton Cady is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George Horton Cady's cause is highlighted.
How George Horton Cady Compares
Offender Outcome
One sentenced
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. George Horton Cady is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. George Horton Cady was killed by rifle.