Roll of Honor
Incident
Location: Oklahoma Incident Date: Tuesday, January 18, 1921 Weapon: Gun; Unknown type Offender: Paroled in 1923
Special Officer Frank Cornelius was shot and killed in Oklahoma City by two men who attempted to rob him at gunpoint.
While patrolling at the 100 block of West Noble Avenue (present-day 2nd Street), two men approached him and told him to hold his hands up. When the subjects became distracted by a passing car, he drew his weapon, and a shootout ensued in which he was fatally wounded.
Officer Cornelius was taken to University Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds two days later.
Two suspects, 18 and 19, were apprehended in Sulpher two months later and charged with murder. On March 30, 1921, they were convicted of Officer Cornelius' murder and sentenced to life. Both were paroled on May 4, 1923.
Officer Cornelius had served in WWI and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre. He had served with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Police Department for a year and had previously served as a night policeman in Norman, Oklahoma.
He is buried in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. His brother, Investigator Oliver Holmes Cornelius, died in the line of duty on February 20, 1950.
Survivors
He was survived by two brothers and one sister.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-RR-80078422- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
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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.
Special Officer Cornelius gave the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Topeka 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
L. Frank Cornelius served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Special Officer L. Frank Cornelius 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 97,759 officers honored here.
In KS, 237 of 335 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.7% of this state's fallen. That is 70.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Police Department, 24 of 32 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. L. Frank Cornelius's cause is highlighted.
How L. Frank Cornelius Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. L. Frank Cornelius is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. L. Frank Cornelius was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Military Service
L. Frank Cornelius served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Visit L. Frank Cornelius’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
31 officers from Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
