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NAME OF SHERIFF BUSHNELL TO BE ADDED TO OFFICER MEMORIAL WALL
County
Sheriff died during Jail Construction in 1915
The name
of a former Mills County Sheriff will be added to the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. during National Police Week in May.
Elisha
William Bushnell died Aug. 31, 1915, after he fell from scaffolding in place at
the construction site of the new Mills County Jail. According to a press
release from Mills County Sheriff Mack Taylor, "Hello Jack," were the words
spoken by Bushnell as he climbed on the scaffold to inspect the workmanship of
the new jail. Bushnell apparently lost his footing and fell, hitting his
head on a brick that caused a gash above his right eye.
Bushnell
"died without a word or a moan," the release stated, at 9 a.m.
After
being researched by Taylor, the information on Bushnell's death was forwarded to
the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The Memorial Fund
notified Taylor on Feb. 7 that Bushnell's name will be added to the memorial
wall during a candlelight vigil on May 13. The names on the wall honor law
enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.
Taylor
said to his knowledge, Bushnell will be the first law enforcement officer to be
listed on the wall as a Mills County officer. Deputy Gilbert Androy, who
died in the line of duty in October 1997, is honored on the wall but was serving
as a Fremont County deputy at the time of his death.
With the
help of long-time friend Beverly Boileau, Taylor was able to determine that
Bushnell had five daughters. Three of the girls were married and two were
still living aat home at the time of his death. Ms. Boileau's research
determined that William Costello of Malvern is a great-grandson of Bushnell.
Costello provided the name of Betty Lou Jones of Prairie City, who is a
granddaughter of the sheriff. Ms. Jones told Taylor that Bushnell's last
daughter died in 1992.
According to information Taylor researched in back issues of the Mills County
Tribune and other newspapers, Bushnell was born in 1858 in Evansville, Rock
County, Wis. His family moved to Mason City, Iowa, when he was 18 years
old, and later moved to a farm near Malvern. Bushnell was a businessman in
Malvern when he was elected sheriff for the first time in 1910. Bushnell
was re-elected in 1912 and 1914. He ran unsuccessfully for the office in
1906 and 1908.
Bushnell
was "a man who easily made friends, and many who differed with him politically
were his warm personal friends," a newspaper article stated. Hundreds of
people came to Malvern for Bushnell's funeral on Sept. 5, 1915.
Deputy
A.S. Edwards was appointed sheriff by the county board of supervisors following
Bushnell's death
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