Anyone in law enforcement understands the dangers associated with becoming a police officer. It’s a profession where you may not make it safely home to your family. Harry Beasley knew this well. Before becoming a police officer in Newark, Ohio, he was a war hero who once served in the U.S. Navy. He took part in a dangerous firefight on April 21, 1914 during America’s occupation of Veracruz. 
For his courageous actions, Beasley received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Good Conduct Medal, the WW1 Victory Medal, and the Navy Expedition Medal. On March 23, 1926, Harry Beasley joined the Newark Police Department as a patrolman. Law enforcement seemed to be the perfect fit for a man who had shown much courage and bravery in the past.
Officer Harry C. Beasley would become a victim in one of Ohio’s longest unsolved murder cases.
On June 30, 1931, Officer Harry Beasley had arrived to work his regular patrol shift (5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.). Sometime around 9 p.m. He saw lights coming from an alley behind the Newark Bargain Shoe Store and Cornell’s retail stores. The alleyway should have been dark.
As Beasley went to investigate, two shots rang out. One struck Beasley in the chest and the other hit him in the ankle. Beasley saw two men trying to haul out a safe. After Beasley returned fire, the two men dropped the safe and drove away. No one knows if Beasley shot either man.
Although witnesses heard the gunfire, they weren’t sure if it was early fireworks or a car backfiring. None of the witnesses got a clear look at the shooters or identified the getaway car’s license plate. Someone had reported the shooting.
Within minutes, police officers arrived on the scene and transported Beasley to the Newark City Hospital. One bullet had become lodged in his spine. Doctors didn’t remove it for fear of worsening his injuries.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Beasley stated the following before his death:
“I was trying the rear store doors when I saw the two men emerge from the shoe store with the safe. When they saw me, one fired two shots.” He added, “I fell to the ground and was unable to rise, but I fired five shots at them as they fled down the alley.” Beasley wasn’t able to describe the shooters.
Officer Beasley didn’t survive his wounds. On July 2, 1931, Officer Harry Beasley died at 12:30 p.m. surrounded by his loved ones. According to Beasley’s autopsy report, a .32 caliber bullet shattered his ankle and a .38 caliber bullet had killed him.
Harry’s death devastated his wife Esther Beasley. They had married in 1917 and had no children. Other than Esther, his two sisters, two brothers and both parents survived him. On July 6, 193, Officer Beasley received a burial with full military honors. Including Ohio’s Governor George White, over 2,000 people attended Officer Beasley’s funeral. Officer Harry Beasley was interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Newark, Ohio. Sometime after Beasley’s death, his family donated his military awards to the Newark Police Department.
During the murder investigation, authorities learned the killers had tried to remove a safe from the shoe store. Law enforcement recovered the safe which had been left behind. It contained $500. The thieves made off with cash from the register. Furthermore, authorities recovered four fingerprints from the crime scene.
The police offered a reward and searched throughout the state for suspects. The police in different parts of Ohio rounded up some promising suspects. None of them, however, matched the recovered fingerprints. Over the years, police have followed leads, but have never charged anyone with killing Officer Harry Beasley. Although the two men who killed Beasley are likely deceased, it’s possible that one of them may have given a death bed confession or confided in someone. Unfortunately, it appears two men in Newark, Ohio got away with murder.
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his Twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.