Fallen Heroes
Patrolman Otto Flieth died on December 17, 1908, of injuries sustained in a crash with a streetcar eight days earlier.
Patrolman Flieth and three other officers were traveling in a horse-drawn police ambulance en route to aid a man who had fallen off a roof. As they approached the intersection of N. 12th Street and W. Galena Street, the driver saw the streetcar approaching from the south at full speed. He tried to turn the corner, but the wagon swerved into the fast-moving car.
The impact threw the men from their seats. Patrolman Flieth received the worst of the injuries, with lacerations above his right eye, a fractured skull, and three broken ribs. A sergeant received severe lacerations to his scalp, and two other patrolmen escaped with cuts and bruises.
Born in Milwaukee on February 5, 1858, Patrolman Flieth was 51 years old. He served with the Milwaukee Police Department for over 21 years, having been appointed on October 1, 1886. He was survived by his wife, a son, and five daughters.