Peter Erath

On
May 26, 1934, volunteer Special Police Officer Peter Erath died as the
results from injuries received while trying to quell riots at the truck
drivers’ strike. Peter was an unemployed laborer who volunteered for
the job. He was on duty when the worst riots of the drivers’ strike
broke out. A group of sluggers, believed to have been communists from
out of the city cornered Officer Erath in a stall and slug him
mercilessly. He suffered a fractured skull and the doctors at General
Hospital were unable to save him.

Peter Erath was not listed on the plaque in
the Chief’s office, probably because he was a Special Police Officer.
He is listed on the Memorial in Washington and we thought the readers
might be interested in the story.