Canfield police officer made the ultimate sacrifice at Canfield Fair in 1880

The Canfield Fair is always a festive time when Mahoning Valley residents can pay the last respects to summer with some fun, food and entertainment in one large venue to resembles many state fairs across the land.

But the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation recently told the story of the ultimate sacrifice of Chief Marshal John M. Cone of the Canfield Police Department on Saturday, July 17, 1880.

This story was reposted on the social media by Joe Morbitzer:

Chief Marshal John Cone was shot and killed by two brothers who were seeking revenge for previously been thrown out of the county (Canfield) fair. When the fair returned to town, the brothers attended with the intention of getting revenge.

The two siblings created a disturbance at the fairgrounds which drew the attention of Marshal Cone. Cone was able to take the two to the center of town, where one of the brothers tried to hit the officer with a beer bottle. Cone was able to dodge the first attack, but the other brother then pulled out a gun and shot the marshal in the face. Marshal Cone was taken to his home where he died six hours later. The two brothers were later apprehended and eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The one brother who did not fire the fatal shot was pardoned on June 18, 1891.

At the time of his death, Marshal Cone was survived by a wife and their two children.

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This story was originally published August 28, 2023 at 4:00 AM.