In the late spring of 1902 in Baltimore, Maryland, a dispute over a mere fifty cents set in motion a tragic chain of events that would end in the death of a young police officer. On the evening of Monday, May 19th, Patrolman Charles J. Donohue of the Northwestern Police District was called to 1332 Whatcoat Street to intervene in a domestic argument.
Mary Jones had accused her common-law husband, John Prewvines, who also went by the alias Charles Wilson, of taking fifty cents from her under false pretenses.
At 27 years old and with only nine months of service with the Baltimore City Police Department, Officer Donohue entered the residence to make an arrest. As he moved into a rear room of the house, Prewvines allegedly struck him over the head with a beer bottle. In the ensuing struggle, the dazed officer attempted to draw his service revolver, but Prewvines managed to wrestle it away from him. Now armed with the officer's own weapon, Prewvines shot Donohue in the head. The bullet lodged at the base of his brain, and he was taken to the Maryland Homeopathic Hospital in a critical condition from which he would not recover. Charles J. Donohue, a male, succumbed to his injuries on May 20, 1902. He was survived by his wife.
Following the shooting, John Prewvines fled the scene, sparking a search by the authorities. He was later apprehended, and for the murder of Officer Charles J. Donohue, he was tried and convicted. Justice was carried out on September 19, 1902, when John Prewvines was executed for his crime.
