In the autumn of 1909, the community of Lawrence, Kansas, was disturbed by a series of events that culminated in the tragic death of one of its own peacekeepers. T. Wilson Pringle, a dedicated male police officer for the city of Lawrence, found his life cut short in the line of duty. The incident that would lead to his untimely demise began to unfold on Monday, October 11, 1909.
Officer Pringle was actively investigating a recent burglary at a second-hand shop on Massachusetts Street where two revolvers were stolen.
Acting on a tip, Officer Pringle went to a residence at 1201 Haskell Avenue, a place frequented by the suspect, 17-year-old Earl Bullock. Pringle’s first attempt to locate Bullock at the house was unsuccessful. Later that evening, while off-duty and visiting with his wife and three children at a friend's house next door, Pringle saw a taxi deliver Bullock to the residence. As Pringle approached the house to apprehend the suspect, he was met with sudden and fatal violence. Bullock, emerging from the house, raised one of the stolen revolvers and fired a single shot that struck Officer Pringle in the neck, the bullet lodging near his spine.
Following the shooting, Bullock managed to escape, setting off a multi-week manhunt. Pringle was rushed to Simmon's Hospital in Lawrence, where he fought for his life for five days. Despite the efforts of his doctors, Officer Wilson Pringle succumbed to his wound on Saturday, October 16, 1909. His death marked the second time a Lawrence police officer had been killed in the line of duty.
The man responsible for Pringle's death, Earl Bullock, continued a short-lived crime spree. Despondent over a broken engagement, Bullock had also committed an armed robbery of the State Bank of Eudora prior to his encounter with Pringle. After fleeing Lawrence, he traveled as far as Florida before returning to Kansas. On November 12, Bullock and an accomplice robbed the same Eudora bank again. This time, however, their escape was thwarted by a posse of enraged local residents and farmers. Cornered near the Kansas River, and with his capture imminent, Earl Bullock turned a gun on himself, ending his own life. He died the following day.
