Roll of Honor
Incident
Around 1:00 a.m. Officer John A. Crane responded to a disturbance. George Puryear, 19, was complaining that he had been robbed at a bawdy house by one of the women. Puryear and another man from the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) had been in town all day and were drinking heavily. As Officer Crane walked up to the scene, Puryear, who was on horseback, turned in his saddle and fired at Officer Crane. The bullet struck Crane in the leg above his knee. Puryear fled to the Indian Territory where he was shot and killed by a posse of officers from Denison, Sherman and Grayson County, Texas.
Crane recovered slowly and eventually returned to work on light duty as a police clerk. In May 1907 he became bedridden from the wound and had to leave the department. He died on September 12, 1907 from the effects of the wound. He was survived by his wife and two children. He was buried in Fairview Cemetery, formerly Maple Grove Cemetery, in Denison, Grayson County.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-414151E3- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Crane served with the Denison Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Denison community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Crane.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer John A. Crane is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Denison Police Department, 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John A. Crane's cause is highlighted.
How John A. Crane Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John A. Crane is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John A. Crane was killed by unknown weapon.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Denison Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
