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<br />CS/27/01 10:39 FAX 305 593 1901 <br /> <br />DADE COUNTY PBA <br /> <br />~ 004/008 <br /> <br />RALPH G. LANGWORTHY <br />Town Marshal of Fulford <br />Killed in traffic accident on June 10, 1928 <br /> <br />THE EVENT <br /> <br />FUlford Town Marshal Ralph G. Langworthy, 36, died on June 10, <br />1928, of. injuries suffe~ed in a traffic accident on June 7 while on <br />"bootlegger patrol." He was the only officer ever killed in the <br />line of duty in FUlford which existed as a town from 1926-1931 (it <br />was actually founded and named in 1891) and was incorporated into <br />the newly created N. Miami Beach in 1931. The N. Miami Beach <br />police Dept. has "adopted" Marshal Langworthy as its only officer <br />killed in the line of duty (none have been killed in N. Miami Beach <br />since its creation in 1931). ' <br /> <br />Around 11:30PM on Thursday night, June 7, 1928, town marshal' <br />Langworthy was on patrol riding his motorcycle on the "ocean road" <br />just "north of Sunny Isles casino" when his motorcycle, collided . <br />with an automobile occupied by three men working for the "customs <br />border patrol service. " Both the motorcycle and auto were <br />"hunting for bootleggers" who were "reported to be landing a boat <br />north of Sunny Isles. ., Langworthy went to the scene after <br />receiving a report that liquor would be unloaded from a boat. Both <br />the motorcycle and auto were traveling without lights. <br /> <br />The driver of the customs vehicle, W.E. Prince, who was an <br />inspector in charge of the customs border patrol service in Miami, <br />reported that he was driving north on the ocean road and was <br />watching the road while the other three men (Inspectors John A. <br />Hannock, Floyd A. Tucker and Donald E. Yund) were watching the <br />beach for the reappearance of "flashes" (indicating a bootlegger/ <br />boat) which they had seen earlier. Another report said that the <br />four men were "trying to trace signal lights which they had seen in <br />the distance." <br /> <br />Apparently Langworthy was also driving without lights and was <br />either looking for the same flashes on the beach or came upon the <br />customs vehicle without seeing it. The two vehicles collided and <br />Prince, feeling but not seeing the collision, stopped the car. <br />we jumped out and ran back about 10 feet. There we found <br />Langworthy's motorcycle still on the road. He was lying a few <br />feet off the road in a ditch. We rushed him to the hospital <br />and waited there until X-rays had been taken to determine the <br />extent of his injuries. <br /> <br />................... <br /> <br />As the customs men took the injured marshal to the <br />hospi tal, Inspector Prince said Monday, he complained of <br />injuries to his leg and chaffed the customs men fo~ being in <br />such a hurry to qet him to the institution that they proceeded <br />without changing tires after the collision had blown ou~ one <br />of those in front. <br />At the, hospital he was found suffering fractures of the <br />