Daily Oklahoman, The
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
July 22, 1917, pg 24
POLICE TO HONOR
BROTHER OFFICER
Half of Force Given Leave
To Attend Joe Burnett's Funeral
Joe Burnett, Oklahoma City's oldest policeman in point of service who died Friday morning at St. Anthony's hospital, will be buried with honors this afternoon by the Oklahoma City police department; Chief Nichols has charge of the arrangements, and all members of the force
are co-operating to pay their last respects to the man who served with them fourteen years.
Uniformed patrolmen will act as pallbearers, They are patrolmen Milan, Veazey, Orgon, Wilkie, Thompson and Carter. Chief Nichols announced yesterday that he had made arrangement for leave of absence for half of the force" during the ceremonies.
The funeral procession will form at the home at 617 East Poplar at 2:35 this afternoon, and proceed to the Capitol Hill Catholic church, where the services will he held. Burial will be in
Fairlawn cemetery.
The order of the procession will be: traffic officers, detectives, uniformed patrol, motorcycle patrol. The Woodmen of the World, of which the dead man was a member, will furnish an escort, and will conduct the ceremonies at the grave. Oklahoma City livery car drivers have offered the service of nineteen cars to convey friends and relatives to the cemetery.
Burnett leaves a wife and six children. His brother, Roe Burnett, is a patrolman.
On the evening of January 13, 1904, officer Joe Burnett was walking along his beat on the south side
of First Street in front of the McCord & Collins building.
Burnett encountered O'Kelley and said, "Hello O'Kelley".
Immediately O'Kelley struck at the lawman, and produced a
revolver. O'Kelley told Burnett, "You come with me. I'll
arrest you, you son of a bitch". As O'Kelley struck at
the officer, Burnett grabbed the gun with his left hand.
The two men began to wrestle in a life and death struggle.
Several times during the struggle, O'Kelley discharged his
pistol, trying to kill Burnett, all the while, O'Kelley
repeatedly called him foul names, and said he was going to
murder him. Burnett called out for help repeatedly, as the
fierce fight continued. O'Kelley was not able to hit Burnett
with any of the rounds from his gun, but received powder burns
on one ear. Once empty of cartridges, O'Kelley used his teeth,
as weapons, to bite off both ears of the policeman.
A companion of O'Kelley's came to his aid, firing one shot at
the police officer, and then ran away. O'Kelley called out to
him to come back, saying, "we will murder this fellow".
R. E. Chapin, witnessed the fight from the rear of the
building at 325 1/2 West Main Street and telephoned police
headquarters. Chapin heard officer Burnett call out to several
men who were passing; "I am a police officer help me".
Chapin stated one of the passing men replied, "we don't
know whether you are a police officer or not," and then
ran away.
Finally, A. G. Paul, a railroad baggage man, came running
from the depot, and grabbed O'Kelley's hand, thus releasing
Burnett's gun hand. The officer immediately fired two shots, and
killed Ed O'Kelley.
It was then realized just how close Burnett came to death.
There were two bullet holes in the back of his overcoat and the
left hip pocket was torn by a bullet. Burnett's gloves were
burned and his clothing was on fire when his friends reached his
side after the conflict.
An ambulance was called and O'Kelley's body taken to the
morgue at Street and Harpers furniture store. His body had a
bullet wound in his left leg just above the knee. The shot that
killed him entered his head just back of the left temple and
came out behind the right ear.
O'Kelley's body remained at the morgue for approximately two
weeks. This was for identification purposes and for any
relatives to have the opportunity to claim the remains. A number
of persons identified the dead man as the assassin of Robert
Ford, who had killed Jesse James, including Otto Ewing. The
warden of the Colorado State Penitentiary sent a description and
photograph of O'Kelley, that left no room for doubt as to his
identification.
On January
28, 1904,
the body of Ed O'Kelley, age 46, was interned at Fairlawn
Cemetery in north Oklahoma
City. The casket was provided by the county at a cost to the
taxpayers of $12.50. Joe
Burnett continued with the Oklahoma
City Police Department, serving as a Captain and later as
assistant Chief of Police.
09-2008 Tombstone photo courtesy
Find A Grave.
Daily Oklahoman, The
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
July 23, 1917, page 1
BURNETT FUNERAL
LARGELY ATTENDED
Entire Police Department
Turns Out to Honor
Memory of Veteran.
Honoring a man who spent sixteen years of his life with the
police department, uniformed officers marched alongside members
of the Woodmen of the World yesterday afternoon at the funeral
of Joseph G. Burnett, 49 years old, who died Friday as a result
of a stroke of paralysis. Services were conducted at 2:30
o'clock at the Capitol Hill Catholic church by Rev, J. F.
McGuire.
Woodmen of the World took charge of the body at the cemetery and
conducted a short service.
Eulogizing the work of Mr. Burnett, Rev, Mr. McGuire also
paid tribute to the department, a majority of whom left their
beats to attend the administering of the last rites for the
oldest man in point of service with the Oklahoma City
department.
After the church services automobiles conveyed the officers, W.
O. W. members and others to Fairlawn cemetery. Forming at the
gate of the cemetery the officers, led by Chief Nichols, marched
in single file beside members of the Woodmen of the World, who
were led by Capt. Willis Burnett. Oklahoma City livery car
drivers furnished twenty automobiles for the officers.
Pallbearers were members of the department, wearing uniforms.
They were Harry Thompson. J. F. Milan, John McCarty; Charles
Wilkie, R. Organ and J. E. Veazey.
Services at the church and at the cemetery were among the most
impressive ever held in the city.
Friends of Mr. *Burnett and of his family sent beautiful floral
wreaths to the home. 617 East Poplar avenue, and to the
cemetery.
Also see Edward
Capehart O'Kelley;
Photo courtesy of Teafor2
Sources: The
Oklahoman; Teafor2
(photos)
... Complied and transcribed by Marti Graham, 2009.
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