Roll of Honor
John S. "Speed" Hamilton
Incident
Location: Kentucky Incident Date: Saturday, April 23, 1892 Weapon: Rifle; Winchester Offender: Not available
Deputy Marshal Hamilton succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained five days earlier near Ling's Creek in Owsley County, Kentucky. He was shot from ambush by four men in revenge for several recent moonshining arrests he had made in the county.
A young boy who was traveling with Deputy Marshal Hamilton was wounded in the arm.
Deputy Marshal Hamilton was survived by his wife and four children.
Survivors
Deputy Marshal Hamilton was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
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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
134 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Hamilton served with the United States Department of Justice.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy U.S. Marshal John S. "Speed" Hamilton 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 DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, 251 of 313 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John S. "Speed" Hamilton's cause is highlighted.
How John S. "Speed" Hamilton Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John S. "Speed" Hamilton is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John S. "Speed" Hamilton was killed by rifle; winchester.
Others Who Wore This Badge
312 officers from United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
