Individual Details
Oscar L. FURR
(March, 1865 - 1950)
He may be the Lee Furr list as a servant in the 1880 census.
OSCAR FURR MAY DIE
But Frank Krause Was Not Badly Wounded Escape of the Three Assailants.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind., Feb. 25 In a desperate encounter with three suspicious characters two Muncie policemen were shot to-night, one of whom probably will die. The assailants escaped, but the entire police force is now scouring the country north of the city. The victims are:
OSCAR FURR, bullet possibly in lung.
FRANK KRAUSE, shot in leg.
At 9:30 o'clock Patrolmen Oscar Furr and Frank Krause were sent to the Illingworth stoneyard to investigate a report of three men prowling about the place. Furr opened the door of the tool shop and flashed his light in. At the same instant there was a shot. Furr fired and then fell wounded by the second shot from the dark toolhouse. Krause, who was on the other side, ran to Furr's assistance. As he ran he was shot in the leg, but his high boot prevented a bad wound. Krause turned and opened fire on the three men, who were running out Wheeling avenue across White river bridge. The men escaped into the country unhurt. Patrolman Furr was taken to the hospital. The ball entered just below the left shoulder and is thought to have penetrated a lung. It has not been found, owing to his weakened condition. The police believe the assailants were professional crooks, who were in the shop to get tools with which to commit a robbery in the city tonight. They have no clews to the would-be murderers.
Search for Would-Be Murders.
The Indianapolis police were notified of the Muncie shooting late last night, and all trains and interurban cars from that city were watched closely. No trace of the men could be found.
The Indianapolis Journal, February 26, 1904
MEN ABANDONED THEIR RIGS NEAR HAGERSTOWN
Only Clew Developed Yesterday Regarding Assailants of a Muncie Policeman.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind., Feb. 26. The only clew that the police obtained to-day of the men who shot down Policeman Oscar Furr, as he opened the door of the Illingworth tool shop last night, was the finding of an abandoned horse and road wagon near Hagerstown. Tracks of three men led into a thicket rear by. The rig was identified as that stolen last night from the barn of Frank Hughes, a farmer east of Muncie. The three men are believed to have boarded the train at Hagerstown and made their way to Cincinnati. The police there have been notified. It is thought the men are Cincinnati crooks, who came here to do a big job of robbery and were frustrated at the start. Patrolman Furr rested well to-day, but remains in a very serious condition. He has hardly bled at all from the wound. The bullet has not yet been removed. It will be a few days before his chances of recovery can be determined.
The Indianapolis Journal, February 27, 1904
Patrolman Furr May Recover.
Muncie, Ind., March 5. The police commissioners have offered a reward of $100 for the arrest and conviction of the burglars who shot patrolman Oscar Furr. Meanwhile an unexpected rally has been made by the wounded man, and his chances for recovery are slightly improved.
The Daily Palladium, Richmond, Indiana, March 5, 1904
Will Be Sent to Colorado.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind., June 1. Patrolman Oscar Furr, who was shot while trying to arrest an unknown man in the dark last winter, and whose life hung in the balance for several weeks, will be sent in a few days to Colorado for his health, the money for the trip being raised by his fellow-officers. Yesterday an operation was performed to remove an abscess, but the bullet probably will remain in his body until he dies.
The Indianapolis Journal, June 2, 1904
Oscar Furr, a Muncie policeman, has, he believes, the champion rabbit dog of the State. When he goes hunting he does not take a gun, his sole "weapon" being this Aerdale dog. It can catch any rabbit that jumps, according to the policeman. One day last week Furr and the dog went into the country and Furr stopped at a farmhouse to talk with the farmer. While the two were conversing the dog disappeared and, search as they would for the valuable animal, he could not be found. A little while later they heard a joyful yelping and, looking out, saw the Aerdale coming toward the house with a rabbit in his mouth. Depositing the rabbit, the intelligent dog proceeded again to the woods and while Furr sat on the doorstep at the farmer's house his dog brought to him thirty-eight rabbits that he had killed, alone, in the woods and fields. Putting the rabbits in his game bags, Furr came back to town and distributed them among his friends on the police force.
The Plymouth Tribune, Plymouth, Indiana, December 3, 1908
OSCAR FURR MAY DIE
But Frank Krause Was Not Badly Wounded Escape of the Three Assailants.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind., Feb. 25 In a desperate encounter with three suspicious characters two Muncie policemen were shot to-night, one of whom probably will die. The assailants escaped, but the entire police force is now scouring the country north of the city. The victims are:
OSCAR FURR, bullet possibly in lung.
FRANK KRAUSE, shot in leg.
At 9:30 o'clock Patrolmen Oscar Furr and Frank Krause were sent to the Illingworth stoneyard to investigate a report of three men prowling about the place. Furr opened the door of the tool shop and flashed his light in. At the same instant there was a shot. Furr fired and then fell wounded by the second shot from the dark toolhouse. Krause, who was on the other side, ran to Furr's assistance. As he ran he was shot in the leg, but his high boot prevented a bad wound. Krause turned and opened fire on the three men, who were running out Wheeling avenue across White river bridge. The men escaped into the country unhurt. Patrolman Furr was taken to the hospital. The ball entered just below the left shoulder and is thought to have penetrated a lung. It has not been found, owing to his weakened condition. The police believe the assailants were professional crooks, who were in the shop to get tools with which to commit a robbery in the city tonight. They have no clews to the would-be murderers.
Search for Would-Be Murders.
The Indianapolis police were notified of the Muncie shooting late last night, and all trains and interurban cars from that city were watched closely. No trace of the men could be found.
The Indianapolis Journal, February 26, 1904
MEN ABANDONED THEIR RIGS NEAR HAGERSTOWN
Only Clew Developed Yesterday Regarding Assailants of a Muncie Policeman.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind., Feb. 26. The only clew that the police obtained to-day of the men who shot down Policeman Oscar Furr, as he opened the door of the Illingworth tool shop last night, was the finding of an abandoned horse and road wagon near Hagerstown. Tracks of three men led into a thicket rear by. The rig was identified as that stolen last night from the barn of Frank Hughes, a farmer east of Muncie. The three men are believed to have boarded the train at Hagerstown and made their way to Cincinnati. The police there have been notified. It is thought the men are Cincinnati crooks, who came here to do a big job of robbery and were frustrated at the start. Patrolman Furr rested well to-day, but remains in a very serious condition. He has hardly bled at all from the wound. The bullet has not yet been removed. It will be a few days before his chances of recovery can be determined.
The Indianapolis Journal, February 27, 1904
Patrolman Furr May Recover.
Muncie, Ind., March 5. The police commissioners have offered a reward of $100 for the arrest and conviction of the burglars who shot patrolman Oscar Furr. Meanwhile an unexpected rally has been made by the wounded man, and his chances for recovery are slightly improved.
The Daily Palladium, Richmond, Indiana, March 5, 1904
Will Be Sent to Colorado.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind., June 1. Patrolman Oscar Furr, who was shot while trying to arrest an unknown man in the dark last winter, and whose life hung in the balance for several weeks, will be sent in a few days to Colorado for his health, the money for the trip being raised by his fellow-officers. Yesterday an operation was performed to remove an abscess, but the bullet probably will remain in his body until he dies.
The Indianapolis Journal, June 2, 1904
Oscar Furr, a Muncie policeman, has, he believes, the champion rabbit dog of the State. When he goes hunting he does not take a gun, his sole "weapon" being this Aerdale dog. It can catch any rabbit that jumps, according to the policeman. One day last week Furr and the dog went into the country and Furr stopped at a farmhouse to talk with the farmer. While the two were conversing the dog disappeared and, search as they would for the valuable animal, he could not be found. A little while later they heard a joyful yelping and, looking out, saw the Aerdale coming toward the house with a rabbit in his mouth. Depositing the rabbit, the intelligent dog proceeded again to the woods and while Furr sat on the doorstep at the farmer's house his dog brought to him thirty-eight rabbits that he had killed, alone, in the woods and fields. Putting the rabbits in his game bags, Furr came back to town and distributed them among his friends on the police force.
The Plymouth Tribune, Plymouth, Indiana, December 3, 1908
Events
| Birth | March, 1865 | Virginia | |||
| Marriage | April 12, 1891 | Delaware County, IN - Dora Catherine MERCER |  | ||
| Occupation | 1930 | police officer - Muncie, Delaware County, IN | |||
| Death | 1950 | ||||
| Burial | Tomlinson Cemetery, Muncie, Delaware County, IN | |
Families
| Spouse | Dora Catherine MERCER (1871 - 1952) |
| Child | Loren Lester FURR (1892 - 1965) |
| Child | Raymond Lee "Ray" FURR (1894 - 1954) |
| Father | Harrison FURR (1801 - 1891) |
| Mother | Margaret Frances JOHNSON (1833 - ) |
| Sibling | Bell FURR (1862 - 1936) |
| Sibling | Gibson FURR (1863 - ) |
| Sibling | Jacob Harvey FURR (1867 - 1953) |
Endnotes
1. Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2005.
2. findagrave.com.