In the late hours of a Monday night on June 18, 1906, Denver Patrolman John Spellman, a 41-year-old male, was walking his beat on 19th Street. His shift had been a typical one in a part of the city that respectable family men usually avoided after dark. For three years, he had patrolled these streets, earning a reputation as an honest and hardworking officer since joining the Denver Police Department. His journey to this point had been a long one, from his beginnings as a deputy sheriff in the booming mining town of Telluride to a position as the master of the guard at the Colorado State Penitentiary. Political changes had led him and his family to seek better opportunities in Denver.
That evening, his path fatefully crossed with three men who were causing a disturbance. After issuing a warning, Spellman moved to arrest them. As he took hold of two of the men, the third, a man named Carse, stepped back. Suddenly, Carse drew a revolver and fired three shots into Spellman's chest and abdomen. The patrolman staggered backward, collapsing near the doors of a nearby saloon. The three assailants fled in different directions into the night. Despite the quick arrival of a police ambulance, Patrolman John Spellman was already dead. An autopsy later revealed that the first bullet had pierced his heart, killing him instantly.
The investigation into Patrolman Spellman's murder was swift. Within five hours of the shooting, all three suspects were in custody. One of the men was quickly cleared of involvement and released. The other two, Turner and Carse, faced justice. Turner was acquitted of the murder charge, with evidence strongly pointing to Carse as the one who fired the fatal shots. Carse was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to ten to fifteen years in the state penitentiary.
