Killed in the line of duty 130 years ago today

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Police Department remembers the loss of one its own: Marshal Andrew H. Burt, killed in the line of duty August 25, 1883.

A deranged man murdered Marshal Burt in downtown Salt Lake City. Accompanied by the city water master, Burt was searching for a suspect who had earlier threatened the life of a local merchant. When they located the suspect at 200 S. Main, the suspect shot Marshal Burt with a .45-70 caliber rifle.

Despite his own wounds, the city water master managed to disarm the suspect. Officers took the man to the city jail where a large mob soon gathered. The mob stormed the jail and lynched the suspect, dragging his body through the streets behind a team of horses.

Marshal Burt, 54, was married and the father of a large number of children. He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

The Salt Lake City Police History Project, with support from The Walker Center, installed a bronze plaque honoring Marshal Burt at the site where he was killed in the line of duty. To support this program or learn more about our Fallen Officers, visit www.slcpd.com/newsroom/fallen.

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