SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 35

(By Senators Swope, Beach, Plymale, and Stollings)

[Introduced February 22, 2018]

Requesting the Division of Highways name bridge number 28-77-13.73 NB-SB (28A203, 28A204), locally known as I-77 Over Mercer 7 Bridge, carrying I-77 NB-SB over Route 7 in Mercer County, West Virginia, the “Constable Joseph H. Davidson Memorial Bridge”.

Whereas, After serving several years as a peace officer in Mercer County, both as a deputy sheriff and as a private security officer for Mercer County coal mines, Constable Joseph H. Davidson was duly elected to serve as constable of the east river district in 1932; and

Whereas, On October 9, 1934, Constable Joseph H. Davidson was shot and killed in the line of duty while guarding two individuals who had been arrested on charges related to a southern West Virginia crime spree; and

Whereas, Less than 24 hours after Constable Joseph H. Davidson was murdered, on October 10, 1934, the Mercer County Commission worked with Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney, Roscoe H. Pendleton, to offer a $500 reward for the capture and conviction of the two fugitives suspected of killing the “very capable” and “well known” peace officer; and

Whereas, The funeral for Constable Joseph H.  Davidson was conducted at his home on the corner of Bluefield Avenue and Bee Street in Princeton. A large outpouring of family members, law- enforcement officers, and local citizens attended the funeral service and participated in the funeral procession that stretched out for a mile on the way to the Davidson family cemetery on New Hope-Sand Lick Road in Mercer County. The number of mourners at the service attested to the level of respect and appreciation Constable Joseph H. Davidson had in the county he served; and

Whereas, Law-enforcement officers in Virginia captured one suspect who was convicted in January 1935 and sentenced to life in prison. The second suspect was captured in Oklahoma in April 1935. The second suspect’s capture was aided by fingerprint identification through the help of the U. S. Department of Justice; and

Whereas, The discussion surrounding the recognition of Constable Joseph H. Davidson, the only Mercer County constable who was killed in the line of duty through the county’s 180-year history, has led to additional discussions into the concept of creating a Wall of Honor to memorialize all of Mercer County’s law-enforcement officers who have fallen in the line of duty; and

Whereas, It is fitting that an enduring memorial be established to commemorate Constable Joseph H. Davidson and his contributions to our state; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 28-77-13.73 NB-SB (28A203, 28A204), locally known as I-77 Over Mercer 7 Bridge, carrying I-77 NB - SB over Route 7 in Mercer County, West Virginia, the “Constable Joseph H. Davidson Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to have made and be placed signs identifying the bridge as the “Constable Joseph H. Davidson Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways.