For several months during 1915, Detective Matthews was detailed to ride a freight train leaving Cincinnati shortly before 1 a.m. and to arrest stowaways and thieves that were commonly boarding and/or breaking into train cars. Each day, he would ride the train and get off at Erlanger. This was dangerous work in 1915. During the previous 15 months, five law enforcement officers had lost their lives in or near Greater Cincinnati railroad yards: Cleveland Kemp in the Silver Grove yards below Newport; Elija Boileau in the Camp Washington yards in Cincinnati; Lester Johnson in the Silver Grove yards; James O’Neil in the Sedamsville yards in Cincinnati; and Martin O’Hearn near the railroad yards in Covington.
Discover more from The Greater Cincinnati Police Museum
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
