John E. Jacobson
Agency: Kansas City Police Department, MO
Officer John Jacobson, 27, was born in northern Sweden and moved to the United States when he was 3 years old. He moved to Kansas City from Gothenburg, Nebraska 10 years prior to his death. He served with the Kansas City Police Department since May 15, 1897. Officer Jacobson worked for Police Commissioner Scarritt for three years as a coachman, for three years as a conductor on the Troost Avenue cable car and was appointed to the police department on May 15th.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. on August 26, 1897, Officer Jacobson was walking his foot-beat patrol near 19th and Forest when he was shot by one of two men. It was speculated at the time that he came upon two suspects attempting to rob the W.M. McCarty carpentry shop located on the southwest corner of 19th and Forest. As he was placing the suspects under arrest, one of them pulled a .45 caliber revolver and shot Officer Jacobson twice, one round passing through his heart. Officer Jacobson fell to the sidewalk on the south side of 19th Street approximately 30 feet west of the Carpentry shop. Evidence found at the scene supported the theory that two local thieves were responsible for the murder. A $250 reward was offered by the Board of Police Commissioners for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. On September 1, 1897, Detective Thomas Hayde and Johnson County Sheriff Glover apprehended Harry Deyo five miles south of Olathe, Kansas at Deyo's brother, David Deyo's residence. Deyo and another man, Dick Reynolds were suspected of Officer Jacobson's murder. Missing goods taken in a robbery from the Emrich Brothers Drygoods store at 1003 W. 17th Street, and a .38 caliber revolver were found in Deyo's possession. Deyo received a 3-year sentence for burglary and was confined in a reform school as he was underage at the time of the offense. On November 27th he escaped from the reform school at Boonville, Missouri.
He was survived by his half brother, Oscar Tederman.
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