John Dillingham, center, spoke with Chaplain Rusty Savage after the ceremony.
On a cool summer morning with rain in the forecast a small group gathered at the Platte City Cemetery to honor one of Platte County’s fallen heroes.
Sheriff John Henry Dillingham was shot and killed in the line of duty in Farley on Aug. 20, 1900. More than a century later, his sacrifice was remembered by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office and Dillingham’s descendants.
Major Erik Holland recounted the story of that August day. On Aug. 19, 1900, Dr. Sterling Price Harrington attempted to kill his wife, Mary. She fled to Platte City. The next day, Harrington shot and killed his mother-in-law and his uncle in front of his 10-year-old daughter, Maude. With the child in the buggy, Harrington went to Leavenworth, Kan. where he purchased a rifle and ammunition and traveled back to Platte County.
Sheriff Dillingham rallied a posse, including his son, Deputy Henry Dillingham, and the posse traveled to Farley to locate and arrest Harrington.
Harrington, with his child in the buggy, robbed the Farley General Store of four dollars and got into a shoot-out with the store clerk. The clerk’s shot struck and disabled Harrington’s revolver and he discarded that weapon for another and stepped into the store’s doorway, where he was confronted by Sheriff Dillingham and the posse.
Dillingham and Harrington exchanged gunfire, with Harrington’s shot striking the sheriff in the forehead, killing him instantly. Harrington was only grazed and stepped over the sheriff’s body out into the street.
Deputy Henry Dillingham attempted to shoot Harrington but his gun misfired. He then reached down and grabbed his fallen father’s gun, shooting Harrington three times and killing him in the street.
The 22-year-old Henry Dillingham finished out his father’s term as sheriff and later served as the United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri.
Dillingham’s family has remained in the Kansas City area and continues to serve the community.
Jay Dillingham, the sheriff’s grandson, was a former president of the Kansas City Stockyards and the Chambers of Commerce for both Kansas City and Kansas City, Kan.
Interstate 670 is named the Dillingham Freeway in his honor.
John Dillingham, who was at the ceremony, is the sheriff’s great-grandon and serves as the co-chair of the Regional Law Enforcement Memorial Garden. He also served as a commissioner on the board of the Kansas City Police Department.
The Dillingham family recently had Sheriff John Dillingham’s gun, the sheriff’s belt and holster and a set of handcuffs mounted in a display case.