W. W. Tartt
Agency patch
Constable

W. W. Tartt

Felonious
End of Watch February 8, 1915
Age 28
The Vigil Panel 29 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable W.W. Tartt was shot and killed at Melber by a man that he and another constable attempted to arrest for breaking into a house. The suspect was arrested minutes later.

Three nights later a mob of more that 50 men seized the suspect from the county jail at Maysville, hanged him from a tree on the court house lawn, and riddled his body with bullets.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-19291C1A
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Constable Tartt served with the Graves County Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Mayfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Tartt.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Mayfield, KY
Platform Identity gcco.graves.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 8, 1915
Age 28
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Lynched

Constable W. W. Tartt 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 KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 22.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Graves County Constable's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
KY — Statewide
755
of 983 officers
76.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. W. W. Tartt's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How W. W. Tartt Compares

Age at End of Watch
28
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Lynched

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. W. W. Tartt is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. W. W. Tartt was killed by gun; unknown type.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518