John W. Morley

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department — Baltimore, MD

Accident

End of Watch April 16, 1922

Age 37

The Vigil Panel 42 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 21

Incident

Location: Pennsylvania Weapon: Train Offender: Unidentified

Lieutenant John Morley was killed in a train collision after a string of rail cars he was protecting was intentionally set free during a coal mine strike in High House, Pennsylvania.

He and a Pennsylvania State Police trooper were on a caboose that was attached to seven loaded coke cars. Striking miners had attempted to release coke cars at the same location on two previous nights. The cars were successfully released and traveled approximately 3-1/2 miles before crashing into a string of freight cars that were parked on the tracks at the Leckrone freight station.

Lieutenant Morley and the trooper both attempted to stop the cars using handbrakes but were unsuccessful. The trooper was critically injured as a result of the crash.

Lieutenant Morley was survived by his wife.

Survivors

Lieutenant Morley was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-609BFD4E
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.
Lieutenant Morley served with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Baltimore community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Morley.

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

Agency

Department Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department

Location Baltimore, MD

Platform Identity borpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 16, 1922

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Cause Detail Train accident

Weapon Train

Offender Unidentified

Lieutenant John W. Morley is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MD, 140 of 377 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.1% of this state's fallen. That is 6.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department, 8 of 22 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 36.4% of this agency's fallen.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Police Department

of 22 officers

36.4% Accident

MD — Statewide

140

of 377 officers

37.1% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident