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Incident Details

Cause of Death:
Gunfire
Date/Time of Incident:
Sunday, June 14, 1914
12:10 am
Incident to Death Duration:
Same day
Incident Location:
Lincoln Avenue near Riley Street, Evansville
Incident County:
Vanderburgh
Incident Township:
Pigeon
Weapon Used:
.32-caliber handgun
Suspect Disposition:
Executed in 1914

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Evansville Police Department

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Patrolman John V. Cain Jr.

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Patrolman
John V. Cain Jr.
Evansville Police Department
Sunday, June 14, 1914

Panel 48W, Line 22
Panel L31, Line 9

   Patrolman John Cain was shot and killed while he and another officer attempted to disperse a crowd at a nearby saloon.

   One of the people in the crowd, a parolee from the Indiana State Prison, opened fire, striking Patrolman Cain.

   The 34-year-old suspect had recently been released from prison for assault and battery with intent to kill. He was suffering from tuberculosis and was sent home to die.

   One of his last acts at the penitentiary was helping to construct the electric chair and liked to boast that he was the first person to sit in it.

   He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. On October 16, 1914 at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, he was the third person to be executed by electrocution in the state.

   Patrolman Cain was survived by his wife and 9- and 14-year-old daughters.


Personal Details

Age: 47
Law Enforcement Service:
14 years
Burial Place:
Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Evansville