Charles Edwin Short

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service — Washington, DC

Felonious

End of Watch August 23, 1891

Age 27

The Vigil Panel 11 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 312

Incident

Deputy Marshal Charles Edwin Short, better known as Ed, was shot and killed while returning to a prisoner to Wichita, Kansas. Marshal Short was holding the man in a railroad baggage car in order to protect other passengers in case there was an escape attempt. The marshal gave one of the railroad workers a pistol in order to guard the suspect as the marshal went onto the platform of the train to watch for the suspect's gang. When the railroad worker put the revolver down to get a drink of water, the suspect grabbed it, opened the railroad car door, and shot Marshal Short in the chest. Although mortally wounded, Marshal Short returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect. The suspect was a member of the Dalton Gang, which also killed four lawmen in 1892 and 1893; the leaders of the Dalton Gang were related to the Younger gang, which killed seven lawmen between 1866 and 1892. Marshal Short, a widower, was survived by his mother. He is buried in Osgood Cemetery, Ripley County, Indiana.

Survivors

Marshal Short, a widower, was survived by his mother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FED-574A6BC0
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

135 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Short 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

Department United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service

Location Washington, DC

Platform Identity usms.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 23, 1891

Age 27

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

Offender Shot and killed

Deputy U.S. Marshal Charles Edwin Short 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.

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service

251

of 313 officers

80.2% Felonious

DC — Statewide

754

of 1,419 officers

53.1% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious