Officer John McCloud
Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 November 1884, page 4
BURGLAR'S BULLETS
Officer James Edgar, of the Newport police force, was shot and seriously wounded in Newport yesterday morning about fifteen minutes to four o'clock. Edgar, in company with his partner, Officer John McCloud, who patrol what is known as the "Third Ward" beast in Newport, made when their usual rounds yesterday morning. When they arrived at the corner of Dayton and Ringgold streets, they heard a peculiar noise, and walked up toward Monmouth street to investigate it.
When they arrived at the north east corner of Monmouth and Ringgold streets, on which is situated the grocery of John B Lock, a brother of the Chief of Police of Newport, they stopped. Officer McCloud peeped in the store and discovered burglars at work. Grabbing his partner by the arm, he said; "John there are men in the grocery." The burglars however, had discovered them and were preparing to escape by the back way. The officers soon discovered their plan and hastened to the back part of the store to head them off. The officers could not get at the back part of the premises owing to a high fence. They both mounted some salt barrels that were lying alongside of the fence and fired two shots.
The burglars then retreated toward a fence that separates the premises of Mr. Lock from a vacant lot. Officer McCloud hastened around on Dayton street and just as he arrived at the high fence he heard two of the rascals coming toward him. He waited at the fence and pulled his pistol and just at that moment one of the burglars put his nose over the fence, and the officer fired, and is confident that he hit his man, as he heard both men drop on the other side and run back.
The officer went back to head them off again, but the burglars had made their exit by some chance and managed to get on Dayton street, where they were discovered by the officers. the battle of the bullets began. Officer Edgar fired five shots and McCloud emptied his revolver. When Officer Edgar fired the burglars were on the opposite side of the street and they immediately returned the fire, which was kept up steadily for a period of about three or four minutes, the shots begin fired in rapid succession. Finally one of the burglars started up Ringgold street and officer Edgar fired at him. This is the one that probably shot the officer.
Officer McCloud started after the two men, who went down Dayton street toward Harris. They were firing at him, and he shot in the direction of the flash of their pistols, as it was simply a matter of impossibility to see a man more than ten feet off, owing to the intense fog. had it been otherwise the result would have been different. Officer McCloud had crossed to the sidewalk, with a view to hitting one of them with a chance shot, when he heard Officer Edgar call him. He asked Edgar if he had one of them, when the officer replied: "No Jack, I am afraid they have got me. I am shot." The burglar question was then dropped and McCloud hastened to the assistance of his partner, who was leaning against a tree box.
Mr. Lock, who had heard the firing asked the officers if they needed any help. McCloud told him to come down that Edgar was shot. The officer and Mr. Lock carried him over to the dispensary of Dr. Lock, where the wounded man was laid on a sofa. Dr. Lock and Dr. Davis were soon at the side of the wounded man, who at that hour was apparently suffering great pain. They had examined the wound and found that the ball had penetrated the bowels.
Both officers did all in their power to discharge their duty in capturing the burglars, but the weather was against them. Previous to the robbery at Lock's, the grocery of Thomas Weston, on Madison and Saratoga streets, was relieved of a lot of cigars, tobacco and a small amount of money. The cigars were found in an ash barrel yesterday morning where they were left. The silver stolen from Lock's grocery were found in an adjoining yard, where it was dropped by the villains during the battle.