Death Classification: Line of Duty Death
Agency: Chicago Police Department
Served: 4 years, 9 months, 10 days
Unit of Assignment / Detail: District 8, 19th Precinct - Stock Yards
District of Incident (Present Day): 010 - Ogden
Cause of Death: Struck - By Train
Age at Time of Death: 23
Timeline
Date of Birth: 13 Feb 1905
Date of Appointment: 21 Oct 1889
Date of Incident: 31 Jul 1894
End of Watch: 31 Jul 1894
Date of Interment: 02 Aug 1894
Interment Details
Cemetery: Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery - Chicago, Illinois
Grave Location: Unknown
Interment Disposition: Burial
Memorial Details
Superintendent’s Honored Star Case: Panel # D-10
Gold Star Families Memorial Wall: Panel # 12
Illinois Police Officers Memorial Wall: Panel # 5, Line 5
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall: Panel # 47-W: 30
Officer Down Memorial Page: Listed
Service
Military Service: No Military Record Found
Incident & Biographic Details
Patrolman William Feeley, Star # Unknown, aged 23 years, was a 4 year, 9 month, 10 day veteran of the Chicago Police Department, assigned to District 8, 19th Precinct – Stock Yards.
On July 31, 1894, Officer Feeley was on duty and assigned to patrol the train tracks between Ashland Avenue and the Panhandle crossing. He and another officer had been detailed to patrol the tracks due to the ongoing Stockyard Riots. Officer Feeley was riding on a Chicago and Grand Trunk Railroad engine. As it approached the corner of 49th Street and Robey Street (present day Damen Avenue) Officer Feeley fell from the engine into the path of another oncoming train. With no time to move out of the way, Officer Feeley was struck and killed instantly.
Officer Feeley was waked at his residence located at No. 1533 West 47th Street (present day 1435 West 47th Street). His funeral mass was held at Visitation Catholic Church located at 941 West Garfield Boulevard (present day 843 West Garfield Boulevard). He was laid to rest on August 2, 1894 in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, 2755 West 111th Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Patrolman William Feeley, born in 1871, received his Probationary Appointment to the Chicago Police Department on October 21, 1889.
Officer Feeley was survived by his wife.
Chicago Police Department homicide file not found for this incident.
On July 17, 2018, Officer Feeley’s star was retired by Superintendent of Police Eddie T. Johnson and enshrined in the Superintendent’s Honored Star Case, located in the lobby at Chicago Police Headquarters, 3510 South Michigan Avenue.