Special Officer George E. Pray

George E. Pray

Special Officer George Pray was shot and killed while attempting to take a man into custody in the neighboring town of Madbury, New Hampshire.

The subject had escaped from the Concord Insane Asylum several years earlier but had been permitted to live at home in Madbury with a guardian. The subject had become increasingly difficult to control, and the guardian requested assistance from the Dover city marshal.

Special Officer Pray was sent to the home, along with an assistant, to return the man to the asylum. They entered the house and found the subject eating dinner. The man immediately ran upstairs, and the two chased after him. As Officer Pray reached the top of the stairs, the subject exited a room and shot Officer Pray in the chest, inflicting a fatal wound.

The man escaped from the home but was arrested a short time later, hiding in his father's barn. He was returned to the Concord Insane Asylum, where he remained until dying in 1928.

Special Officer Pray was survived by his wife and three children.