"The Utah Peace Officer Downed Officer Memorial"



Detective Green B. Hamby
Salt Lake City Police Department
Date of death: February 8, 1921
Cause: Gunshot wound



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At 4 a.m. on February 8, 1921, Officers C. W. Rosenkrantz and Morris Riley responded to the Stewart Hotel at 223 South State on a report that the skylight on the J.C. Penney store next door had been broken out. The arriving officers saw a bandit run into the hotel. Riley went for reinforcements and Rosenkrantz went inside to confront the man. During the confrontation, Rosenkrantz was disarmed, beaten unconcious, tied up and left in a room of the hotel. Riley returned with assistance and found his partner tied up in the room. Rosenkrantz had been robbed of $7.00 from his pockets. The group of officers began a search for suspects. Sergeant Nephi P. Pierce captured Oscar Blanney and found a .38 revolver in his pocket. He turned this prisoner over to other officers and sought to arrest Henry Evans in his room. Evans produced a gun and attempted to shoot Sergeant Pierce, narrowly missing him with several shots. Evans escaped out a window and was captured shortly by other officers. Walter "Dopey" Smith was arrested by Officer Brigham Honey at the Belmont Hotel. Another suspect, Tom "Blackie" Burns, eluded capture and fled the area.

At 10:45 a.m., having developed enough information that Burns was holed up in the Nord Hotel at 59 1/2 East 200 South, Chief of Police Joseph Burbidge, Chief of Detectives Riley Beckstead, Detective Clifford Patten and Detective Green B. Hamby approached the second floor room where Burns was hiding. Hamby kicked open the door and was immediately shot in the head by Burns, who then exited the room firing wildly at the other officers. Chief Beckstead was wounded in the shoulder. Detective Patten returned fire, striking Burns in the left side. Burns continued down the hall firing his weapon. Chief Burbidge returned fire, hitting Burns in the chest. This shot took effect and Burns fell to the floor. Detective Hamby died in the hallway where he fell. Burns survived for one hour before he died at the hospital.

In the investigation which followed, officers recovered a cache of American Express money orders stolen in a robbery in Diamondville, Wyoming and a quantity of explosives. The arrested men confessed to several robberies, burglaries and assorted other crimes. They further claimed that Burns had committed another murder during their crime spree. The climate around the jail was heated following the incident and there was talk of lynching the ruffians. Chief Burbidge ordered the men taken to the State Prison for their own safety. Three days following the shooting of Detective Hamby, all three defendants - Oscar Blanney, Walt Smith and Henry Evans - entered pleas of "guilty" to Robbery. They were sentenced forthwith to the State Penetentiary.

Green B. Hamby was born February 14, 1871 and had served as Chief of Police in Boise, Idaho for a number of years prior to joining the Salt Lake City Police Department on May 1, 1916. Hamby had been a detective only 8 months prior to his death. Hamby and his wife lived at 367 Devon Court (120 West 400 South) with their three children. William Hamby, a son, was a Police Patrolman as the time of his father's murder.

Ironically, two of the officers involved in the capture of this gang would later be killed in the line of duty. Sergeant Nephi Pierce was shot to death on November 28, 1922 and Officer Brigham H. Honey was shot and killed February 15, 1924.

Source: SLC Police PMAA / Museum Oct99