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Patrolman

Cornelius Barrett

Chicago Police Department — Chicago, IL
Felonious
United States flag Illinois flag
End of Watch May 31, 1885
Age 34
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 10 mo
Badge 63
The Vigil Panel 8 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 570

Incident

Patrolman Cornelius Barrett was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest a man who had taken control of a train. The suspect, who boarded the train in Kansas City, was drunk and went among passengers asking them to drink with him. When they refused he became a raving maniac, produced a pistol, and ran everyone from the car he was in. Under the idea that he was being pursued by lynchers, he shot at everyone whom he saw, seriously wounding a passenger agent. The engineer was able to get a message off of the train telling of the problem. As soon as the train reached the Polk Street Depot several officers rushed the car that the subject was in. The man jumped from the car, shot and killed Officer Barrett, and ran up 4th Street. The suspect was shot three times in the back and was critically wounded. After the subject jumped from the train a plainclothes officer was critically wounded when a citizen mistook him for the suspect and hit him in the head with a brickbat. He eventually recovered from his injury. The subject recovered from his wounds, was declared insane, and sent to the asylum in Elgin, Michigan, on July 9th, 1885. Patrolman Barrett served with the Chicago Police Department for less than three years.

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

141 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman Barrett gave the Chicago Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Chicago Police Department
Type Police Department
Location Chicago, Cook County, IL
Platform Identity cpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 31, 1885
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 10 mo
Age 34
Badge Number 63
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Cornelius is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

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Compare against
I

Time

In 1885, 62 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 121st heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Cornelius was 34. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Cornelius had served 2.8 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

May holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Chicago Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Cornelius among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Patrolman Cornelius Barrett

Chicago Police Department · End of Watch May 31, 1885

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 18-W

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