Cunningham, Daniel W.

Passed: 1942-02-05

Age: 92

Source:

Death Notice:

Obituary Date: 1942-02-06

Information: DEATH ENDS EVENTFUL CAREER OF 'UNCLE DAN' CUNNINGHAM    The aventurous career of a man who swam rivers, climbed mountains, invaded the haunts of criminals to enforce the law and figured in senstional gun battles in West Viginia during his 36 years of service as a police officer ended with the death Thursday of Daniel W. (Uncle Dan) Cunningham.    Mr. Cunningham died at 1 p.m. at his home, 1410 Cunningham drive, after a year's illness.  He was 92.    Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the residence.  Rev. Joe B. Overmyer, pastor of Bream Memorial Presbyterian church, will officiate.  Owen and Barth mortuary will direct burial in Spring Hill Cemetery.  The body is at the residence.     Upon his retirement as a sergeant in the city police detective bureau on April 15, 1933, he left a record unusual in merit, not only with the city government but with the United States government as a deputy marshal.    The veteran officer was born in a log cabin at Beech Fork, near Belgrove, Jackson county.  He received his education in district schools, walking four miles to the schoolhouse.  There were 11 in the family of Joel Cunningham and ""Uncle Dan"" learned early in life something about self dependence.     While still in his teens, Mr. Cunningham began teaching school in a county district, going from Jackson into Putnam and Kanawha counties.  He was chosen a member of the board of examiners for teachers in Kanawha county and served eight years.    His first service with the federal government began under District Attorney G. W. Atkinson, when he was employed to do special work for the government prosecutor.  Later he was appointed as a special deputy marshal and subsequently a regular deputy. He served 16 years through the administrations of Marshals H. S. White, Frank Tyree and Capt. Frank Thompson.     Subsequently, ""Uncle Dan"" became a city detective during the administration of Mayor George E. Breece, who died recently in New Mexico.  He also served four years as a special officer for the Kanawha and Michigan railroad between Columbus, O., and Gauley Bridge.     He then again joined the police department, serving through six of the eight years of the Wertz administation and continuing his work in the DeVan administration until his retirement.    He had served three years with the state game, fish and forestry commission as a deputy game warden.    Mr. Cunningham won national attention in 1903 when he was sent by Marshal Thompson to Adkinsville, a mile south of Beckley, to arrest the men who had been charged with tearing up tracks of the C. and O. railway company.    When he arrived at Adkinsville with a guard, he found 50 men at the post office armed with rifles.  The deputy was told by a spokesman that he would not serve any capiases in that town.    The officer returned to Beckley and the following day returned with Edwin Keatley, then federal court clerk; Samuel Burdette, a lawyer, and the marshal, but failed to find the men they sought.  Mr. Cunningham stayed that night at a Thurmond hotel.         SEVERAL DIE IN BATTLE     The next day, Feb. 23, 1903, 300 armed men crossed the bridge to Adkinsville and Mr. Cunningham received a report that they were tearing up the railroad track on Piney creek and that one man had been killed.  The marshal directed ""Uncle Dan"" to arrest the men and with 85 deputized assistants he advanced on Adkinsville.  The officers met the trouble-makers at Stanford City.  A pitched battle ensued, resulting in several men being killed and wounded.    When the battle was over, the deputy had nearly 200 guns and 69 prisoners.    In another strike episode, ""Uncle Dan"" narrowly escaped death.  A mob in Raleigh county was being led by a man who had once gone to school taught by ""Uncle Dan"" at Poca, Putnam county.  The deputy and others had been sent to arrest those violating federal laws, and a fight ensued.  The leader escaped.       TRAILED THROUGH 4 STATES    Mr. Cunningham trailed the man from West Virginia into Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and back to West Virginia and finally caught his man at Catlettsburg, Ky.    Mr. Cunningham also made an unusual record in seizing moonshine stills.  One he confiscated was placed in the Smithsonian institution at Washington, D. C.    He once followed a moonshiner's trail to Alaska, but lost his man.    In the four years he served as an officer for the Kanawha and Michigan railroad, ""Uncle Dan"" broke up a notorious gang of hi-jackers near Hobson, O.  Twelve of 13 in the gang went to prison.    In later years with the city police department, Mr. Cunningham worked modestly on juvenile cases.  He was credited with breaking up many boy gangs.    Mr. Cunningham is survived by his widow, the former Beulah Greenleaf, whom he married Jan. 27, 1893; two sons, Clarence and William, and a daughter, Mrs. Pearl Munson, and 11 grandchildren, all of Charleston.