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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
3Assembly pays honor and respect to individuals who have given
4their lives in the line of duty; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Marshal Enoch T. Hopkins was born in Jefferson,
6Maine on March 22, 1824; he began his long career as a law
7enforcer shortly after coming to Morris, Illinois in the
8summer of 1854; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Marshal Hopkins' honorable service was tragically
10cut short when he was killed in the line of duty on September
1114, 1878; and
 
12    WHEREAS, On the night of September 14, notorious roughs
13Frank Foster and Charles Miller came to town, where the pair
14shortly became intoxicated; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Marshal Hopkins advised the men several times
16over the course of the evening to go home as they became
17disorderly; the pair ignored the multiple warnings they
18received and persisted with their drinking until late into the
19evening; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Around midnight, Marshal Hopkins found it

 

 

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1necessary to arrest the two intoxicated men and caught them in
2a downtown alleyway; as he was leading them out of the alley,
3the men fled on foot; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Marshal Hopkins pursued the men when Charles
5Miller suddenly drew his revolver and fired twice at the
6officer, who was hit by one of the shots and died almost
7instantly; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The funeral for Marshal Hopkins was the largest
9seen in Morris at the time; he was an honored member of the
10Masonic Order, a great, noble man, and a respected citizen of
11the community; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
13ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
14REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the
15portion of Illinois Route 47 over Interstate 80 from Romines
16Drive to Illinois Route 6 East as the "Marshal Enoch T. Hopkins
17Memorial Road"; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
19is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
20State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
21giving notice of the name of the "Marshal Enoch T. Hopkins
22Memorial Road"; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Marshal Hopkins, the Secretary of
3the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Morris Police
4Department, and the Mayor of the City of Morris.