ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Monday was Veterans Day, and the day typically is a reminder of military soldiers who have served their country.
Saturday, the Seward County Sheriff’s office took the time to honor a past local law enforcement officer, the only officer in fact to die in the line of duty in the county’s history.
The sheriff’s office hosted a flag dedication ceremony for Sheriff Samuel Dunn, and after welcoming some of Dunn’s family to the event, current Sheriff Gene Ward said there are several versions of the events that led to Dunn’s killing on Jan. 5, 1892, in the canyons of the Cimarron River near what was then the city of Springfield.
“This confusion of Sheriff Dunn’s date of death is the reason the stone was removed from the monument in Topeka,” he said.
As a gift, Ward said that stone would be given to the family after Saturday’s service, adding it was in the late 1800s when Seward County first came to be, and those early days were anything but peaceful and orderly.
“The early days of Seward County’s existence were some of the most turbulent and violent days that ever took place in our county’s history with lawlessness and violence being the common occurrence,” he said. The population of those days was very small, and so was the number of law enforcement officers.”
Because of this, Ward said maintaining law and order often proved difficult.
“Being a law enforcement officer in those days was every bit as dangerous if not more so than it is today,” he said. “In fact, the only law enforcement officer ever to be killed in Seward County in the line of duty was lost during those turbulent times.”
Ward said much of that deadly violence erupted over feuds over which of Seward County’s communities would be the county seat and some unpopular policies made by leaders of the day.
“One such moment of senseless violence occurred in January of 1892, when the death threat was made against Judge Theodorus Botkin,” he said.
Botkin, Ward said, had made many unpopular court decisions, and his unpopularity was no secret in both Seward County and neighboring Stevens County.
“With the death threat in mind, the sheriff of Seward County, Samuel Dunn, realized steps had to be taken to protect the judge,” he said. “In fact, while investigating the threats, Sheriff Dunn learned of a plan by some fellow Springfield residents to assassinate Judge Botkin as he rode horseback toward Springfield. Sheriff Dunn learned the murder was set to take place on Homestead Road in Seward County where the road crossed the Cimarron River.”
As a result, Sheriff Dunn and his deputies staked out that location and tried to intercept the would-be assassins.
“Just before dawn on Jan. 5, 1892, a mob of approximately 30 to 60 assassins arrived at the scene and spotted two of the Sheriff Dunn’s deputies,” Ward said. “Mistaking them for Judge Botkin and a possible companion, the assassins fired several shots. All the shots missed the target, and Sheriff Dunn arose from cover and ordered the mob to drop the weapons.”
As Dunn gave the order to surrender, several more shots were fired by the assassins, and he fell mortally wounded, having received two bullets to the chest.
“Immediately following the murder, the entire mob was to able to escape under cover of relative darkness,” Ward said. “Two companies from the National Guard arrived in Seward County in the town of Springfield two days later.”
The National Guard soldiers would secure the peace and investigate Sheriff Dunn’s assassination.
“To this day, Sheriff Dunn’s murder remains unsolved,” Ward said. “Today, 132 years after his death, we recognize this ultimate sacrifice Sheriff Dunn had made. This selfless act of Sheriff Dunn was made in order to protect the lives of others and keep the peace in Seward County.”
Ward finished by thanking everyone in attendance, especially those from Dunn’s family.
“I would like to thank everyone for being here today as we dedicate this flag pole to Sheriff Samuel Dunn,” he said. “I would also like to say a special ‘thank you’ to Rodney Dunn, his wife, Emily, and daughter, Grace, for traveling so far to be with us here today and accepting this gift.”
