John A. Crane

Denison Police Dept. — Denison, TX

Felonious

End of Watch September 12, 1907

Age 37

The Vigil Panel 21 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Around 1:00 a.m. Officer John A. Crane responded to a disturbance. George Puryear, 19, was complaining that he had been robbed at a bawdy house by one of the women. Puryear and another man from the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) had been in town all day and were drinking heavily. As Officer Crane walked up to the scene, Puryear, who was on horseback, turned in his saddle and fired at Officer Crane. The bullet struck Crane in the leg above his knee. Puryear fled to the Indian Territory where he was shot and killed by a posse of officers from Denison, Sherman and Grayson County, Texas.

Crane recovered slowly and eventually returned to work on light duty as a police clerk. In May 1907 he became bedridden from the wound and had to leave the department. He died on September 12, 1907 from the effects of the wound. He was survived by his wife and two children. He was buried in Fairview Cemetery, formerly Maple Grove Cemetery, in Denison, Grayson County.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-414151E3
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.
Officer Crane served with the Denison Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Denison community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Crane.

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

Agency

Department Denison Police Dept.

Location Denison, TX

Platform Identity dpd.grayson.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 12, 1907

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Unknown weapon

Offender killed by another officer

Officer John A. Crane 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Denison Police Dept., 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Denison Police Dept.

of 5 officers

100% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,463

of 2,421 officers

60.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious