Patrolman Richard Roy Marler - Miami Police Dept. - FL - True Life Hero

Richard Roy Marler
- Nov. 28, 1921 -

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Miami Police Dept. Patch

Resided:	Miami (Dade County) FL, USA
Born:	Jan. 07, 1887
Fallen:	Nov. 28, 1921
Race/Sex:	Caucasian Male / 34 yrs. of age
	Agency
Dept:	Miami Police Dept. - FL 400 NW 2nd Avenue Miami, FL 33128 USA (305)603-6640
County:	Miami-Dade
Dept. Type:	Municipal/Police
Hero's Rank:	Patrolman
Sworn Date:	8/1921
FBI Class:	Accident - Police
Agency URL:	Click Here

Bio: Richard Roy Marler's death certificate filed in Miami indicated that he was born in Missouri on Jan. 7, 1887, to Sion W. Marler and Abgorth Whalen Marler (who were both born in Tennessee). His exact place of birth (county) is unknown though an extensive, but fruitless, search of census indexes at the Mormon Geneological Library in Salt Lake City was conducted. Likewise, no listing of his siblings was located.

Newspaper accounts at his death indicated that Richard Roy Marler worked in his youth for several railroads and apparently first came to Florida to work as a locomotive engineer on the Florida East Coast Railroad. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotion Engineers. The 1920 U.S. Census listed Richard Roy and his new wife, Clara Louise, in Beaumont, TX, where he probably worked for the railroad. His father, Sion Marler, and Fred T. Marler (perhaps a cousin), 25, and his wife Pearl Work Marler, 18, and their son Frederick, 1, also lived in Beaumont at this time.

Richard Roy Marler, 32, married Clara Louise Vaughan, 20, on Oct. 28, 1919, in Jefferson County (Beaumont) Texas. W.S. Parker, the Pastor of the First Baptist Church in nearby Nome, TX, performed the marriage ceremony. Clara was also born in MO as indicated by the censuses of 1900 (MO) and 1920 (TX). She was the daughter of George S. and Alva Vaughan who are listed in the 1900 MO census as residents of the Van Horn Township in Carrollton County along with their children Augustina, 15, George, 13, Elliott, 11, Quincy, 9, Bertha, 7, Sally, 6, Wilbur, 4, Clarence, 2, and Clara, 1. George S. Vaughan, 20, was also listed in Carrollton County, MO, in the 1880 census and lived with his parents Cornelius Vaughan, 58, and Mary Vaughan, 51.

Richard Roy and Clara Louise Vaughan Marler, moved to Orlando later in 1920 and then to Miami in Aug. of 1921. The Sunday before his death R.R. and Clara Louise transferred their church membership from a Baptist church in Orlando to the First Baptist Church of Miami. Clara was employed at the "Exotic Gardens" in Miami.

Richard Roy Marler joined the Miami Police Department on August 22, 1921. Officer Marler was first assigned to direct traffic at East Flagler St. and Second Ave. (there were no traffic lights in 1921 and thus many downtown intersections had to be manned by a police officer). He was later transferred to patrol duty in Buena Vista. He was on duty in Buena Vista the evening of Feb. 28 when he was assigned to duty as a lookout at the Deering Estate.

The Miami Police Department was comprised of 40 officers in Nov. of 1921 and was headed by Howard Leslie Quigg who had been appointed Chief on August 15, 1921. Pay for police officers ranged from $2,700 per year for Chief Quigg to $1,500 for new officers.

Physically R.R. Marler was a large man (6'1" and 210 lbs.) and was described by the Miami Herald as "a perfect specimen of physical manhood." The Herald also stated that Marler was one of the most popular members of the force, and was a man of exceptionally good character. He had many friends here. (Miami Herald, 11/29/1921) The body of Robert Roy Marler lay in state in the parlor of King Undertaking in the early hours of Nov. 30. The body was "viewed by several hundred friends of the dead policeman." The funeral was conducted in the same location with the Rev. J.L. White of the First Baptist Church officiating. "Many handsome floral tributes were banked about the steel gray casket." The police, fire and sheriff's departments sent "offerings" and "an individual offering" was received from Det. Jack Adams with a card "on which 'Sincere Sympathy' was written." Also, every member of the police department who was not on duty attended the services.

Burial was in the Miami City cemetery (at what is now N.E. 2nd Ave. and 18th St.). The funeral procession to the cemetery was headed by a squad of motorcycle policemen. "Automobiles filled with flowers preceded the hearse." At the request of Mrs. Marler, the pallbearers were members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers with members of the Miami Police Department acting as honorary pallbearers. The service at graveside was "simple in character."

Marler was buried next to Frank Croff, a Miami police officer killed in the line of duty 6 months earlier. The 3 foot grave markers for Croff and Marler are almost identical (e.g., each has a brick "fence" marking the grave) and are located just across from the "Jewish Section" of the cemetery. Marler's marker reads simply: B.L.E. R.R. Marler 1887-1921

The letters B.L.E. stand for Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Marler had been a railroad man for several years and a police officer for only three months. Mrs. Marler benefitted from a $3,000 insurance policy with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.

Officer Marler was survived by his wife, Clara Louise Marler of Miami, and his father, Sion W. Marler of Beaumont, TX. The newspapers reported that Marler also had other relatives in Texas and Oklahoma who were notified of his death.

Miami city directories do not list Clara Louise Marler after her husband's death in 1921 and thus it appears that she moved away from Miami. Searches of city directories in several other cities (e.g., Beaumont, TX) failed to find out "what ever happened to" Clara Marler. Newspaper articles by Dr. Wilbanks were published in local newspapers in Texas and Missouri but failed to find anyone with knowledge of Robert Roy or Clara Marler. Perhaps, Clara, at 22, remarried and had children? Since any siblings of Robert Roy Marler are unknown, no descendants of this officer's family have been found. The name of Richard Roy Marler is inscribed (East Wall, Panel 21, Line 6) on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. A plaque bearing his name is in the lobby of the Miami Police Department where his name is read each May in a Departmental ceremony. His name is read each May at the Dade Police Memorial Service in Tropical Park.

Survived by:

Clara Louise Vaughan Marler - Wife

Father, Sion W. Marler of Beaumont, TX

Fatal Incident Summary

Offender:	Dade County Deputy Sherriff Jack Adams

Location:	FL USA Mon. Nov. 28, 1921
Summary:	Rookie Miami Police Officer Richard Roy Marler, 34, was shot and killed by accident by a Dade County deputy sheriff around 8:00PM on Monday, Nov. 28, 1921, during a manhunt for an armed robber and suspected killer who was "running amuck" with a shotgun. Marler, who had been a police officer for only three months, became the third Miami officer to be killed in the line of duty. One newspaper account stated that around 6:00PM on that Monday evening the sheriff's office was notified that a strange negro had been found robbing a colored tenant dwelling and was armed with a double-barrelled shotgun, with which he had shot the owner of the dwelling in the face, seriously wounding him. Another negro was shot in the arm. (Miami News, 11291921) There were also rumors that the fugitive negro was the same person who had recently killed Deputy Sheriff Douglas of Okeechobee County at Okeechobee City when the deputy and his son went to arrest the man. Further, the sheriff's office was told that the fleeing robber intended to barricade himself in the Deering Estate (east of the Dixie Highway to Biscayne Bay between E. 42nd St. & E 36th St.) and resist arrest. It should be noted that research conducted by the author in 1995 indicates that the rumors of the killing of Sheriff Douglas of Okeechobee County were untrue. There is no record of a sheriff being killed in Okeechobee County in 1921. The Jacksonville FL Times-Union may have been more accurate when it reported that the Negro fugitive was being sought for the shooting and wounding of two other Negroes. Special Deputy Sheriff Morrison, the superintendent of the Deering Estate, also received the report of the robbery and was further told that the robberkiller had entered the Deering Estate armed with a shotgun. Morrison called the sheriff's office and asked for help. In the meantime he posted two men in the grounds to keep a lookout for the fugitive. Sheriff Louis A. Allen met with the participants in the manhunt in nearby Magnolia Park, just south of the Deering Estate. The posse was told that the man they were looking for was a "bad nigger"; that he was armed with a shotgun; and that they "should not take any chances on going into the estate and to be careful." The Sheriff believed that it was too dark on the grounds to conduct a search for the gunman and decided to place deputies on guard around the estate to prevent the fugitive from leaving until daylight when a search could be made. Sheriff Allen assigned Deputy James Flood and Det. Jack Adams to go to the north of the estate on Dixie Highway "to head the nigger off." (Miami News, 113021) The perimeter force was apparently unaware that Officer Marler and Clarence Portier, a black man who knew the fugitive, had been posted as lookouts inside the estate. Marler and Portier hid themselves in a "clump of heavy bushes beside the road....and almost up against the rock fence surrounding the estate." Marler and Portier both "squatted down" behind the bushes with Portier a few feet in front of Marler. Marler and Portier were in their lookout positions for approximately 45 minutes when they heard the sound of an approaching automobile on Dixie Highway. The auto was driven by Deputy Flood with Det. Adams in the passenger seat. A reporter for the Miami Herald, H.B. Martin, was in the rear seat. As the auto passed the corner of E. 42nd St. and Dixie Highway, reporter Martin shouted to Flood that he "saw something move in the bushes on the right side of the road." The car backed up a few feet as Deputy Flood turned the spotlight on the bushes. At this point the two deputies claimed to have seen a black man (who turned out to be Clarence Portier, the lookout posted with Marler) who fit the description of the fugitive and called upon him to stop and put up his hands. Deputy Flood said that he fired first (with a .32 caliber revolver)---while still in the car---and "reached over Adams and fired at right angles from the car to scare the negro." Deputy Adams later testified that he did not fire his weapon until the black man began to run into the bushes. Adams said that while still in the automobile he "fired one shot in the direction the man was going toward one of the bushes. He must have been running in the direction of Marler although I did not see any white man and did not know one was there." He said that he did not see Marler until he came toward the car after the second shot. The shot fired by Deputy Adams from a .38 caliber revolver missed Portier and hit Marler who was still squatting in the bushes by the rock fence. After the second shot, Marler stood up and began walking the approximately 12 feet toward the deputies---who had now jumped out of the auto---with "his hands held at his side, near the stomach." Marler was saying, "Save me, save me, I'm a policeman." Flood responded, "My God, what are you doing here?" At that point Marler reached Deputy Flood and attempted to grab the deputy by the neck to hold himself up. But Marler at 210 lbs. and 6'1" was too big and he slumped to the ground. Portier approached and helped Adams carry Marler to the car which deputy Flood had backed up to a point near them. An autopsy found that the .38 caliber bullet had entered Marler's "side about 10 inches under the right arm and emerged on the left side after penetrating the lower end of the heart." Adams testified later that he kept rubbing Marler's hands and tried to keep him alive as the deputies sped to City Hospital. When they arrived at the hospital Adams ran inside and got a stretcher and he and another man carried the wounded officer inside. Unfortunately, Marler died just as he was carried into the hospital. Nurses at the hospital found the bullet, "which was a lead ball," in the inside lining of his uniform. Officer Marler's wife arrived with friends at the hospital at about 9:30PM "but on account of her hysterical condition was not allowed to see the body of her husband." Deputy Adams was overcome with emotion after Marler died and "could scarcely talk about" the shooting. 'I can hardly bear to think about it,' he said. 'Marler was one of the finest men I ever knew. He always had a smile for me when I passed' (referring to the time when the dead officer was a traffic policeman at East Flagler street and Second avenue. (Miami News, 11291921) Deputy Sheriff M.H. Rolfe, who was on the scene shortly after the shooting, drove to Magnolia Park, the command post for the manhunt, and notified Sheriff Allen of the shooting of Marler. The Sheriff "hastened to a garage in Buena Vista, where he called for several physicians to go to the hospital and drove to the hospital himself." Deputy Rolfe returned to the Deering Estate to continue the search for the fugitive. Deputy Adams recognized Marler as the two had been friends since Marler joined the police department in August of that year. He later testified that "there are just two sad and sorry people because of this and those are his wife and myself."
Disposition:	An extensive search of the Miami Herald for several days after the grand jury met on Dec. 1 did not locate any mention of the results of the grand jury investigation. A search of court records for 1921 at the Dade County Archives also failed to locate any mention of the disposition of this case. Thus the disposition of the charges against Det. Adams is unknown.
Source:	Book Excerpted from Dr. Wilbanks book- FORGOTTEN HEROES: POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN DADE COUNTY, FL, 1895-1995 by William Wilbanks Louisville: Turner Publications 1996

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Last Updated: May. 29, 2019