Notas del episodio
In February 1914, Taylor County Coroner Lyle George Mathews joined a deputy coroner and the county jailer to carry out an eviction on a farm that had been sold to satisfy a debt. The occupants warned the officers that anyone who entered the property would be shot.
The warning was ignored.
Moments later, gunfire erupted, leaving Coroner Matthews dead and another officer wounded. More than a century later, Matthews remains the only peace officer killed in the line of duty in Taylor County and is believed to be the only Kentucky coroner ever killed in the line of duty.
In this episode of Buried in the Bluegrass, we explore the life of Lyle Matthews, the unusual role coroners once played in Kentucky law enforcement, and the deadly confrontation that became one of Taylor County's most forgotten tragedies.
Buried in Taylor County: The Death of Coroner Matthews. A story of duty, debt, and a warning that proved deadly.