Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Henry Pratt was shot and killed while attempting to arrest horse thieves.
Deputy Pratt led a posse consisting of three law enforcement officers from Pekin to Circleville, Illinois, to serve warrants for solicitation to commit a larceny on two known gang members. Arriving just at dusk on East Street in the small village, the posse encountered the gang walking from a saloon. When ordered to halt, the two wanted men started a running shootout. One suspect jumped over a split-rail fence, turned and rested his shotgun on the top rail and shot Deputy Pratt at point-blank range with the shotgun. A second shot wounded another deputy and during the confusion of trying to stop the bleeding on the wounded deputies, members of the gang escaped.
More than 500 men immediately formed posses and rounded up the gang, taking them to the jail in Pekin. During the night, more than 300 men attacked the jail and after a deadly struggle, hauled the suspect's brother out onto the jailhouse lawn and hanged him from the limb of an oak tree. Only the intervention of a city marshal stopped the mob from lynching the rest of the gang. All members of the gang were convicted and sentenced to prison terms. The suspect who fired the fatal shot was sentenced to 25 years in prison and served 18 years before being paroled.
Deputy Pratt had served with the Tazewell County Sheriff's Department for three years. He also served with the Union Army during the Civil War for three years as a corporal with the 11th Illinois Cavalry Regiment in Tennessee and Mississippi, including the 1862 Battle of Shiloh.
Deputy Pratt was survived by his brother, the sheriff of Tazewell County.
Survivors
Deputy Pratt was survived by his brother, the sheriff of Tazewell County.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-840528E2- 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
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.
Deputy Sheriff Pratt gave the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Pekin 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
Henry Pratt served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Henry Pratt 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%.
At Tazewell County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry Pratt's cause is highlighted.
How Henry Pratt Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry Pratt is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Tazewell County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
