Today in Barrington , Ill. a bronze plaque, mounted on a red granite rock, carries the following: “You cannot choose your battlefield. The gods do that for you, but you can plant a standard where a standard never flew.” A flagpole flys the Stars and Stripes; it all sits in the shade of locust tree.

The plaque sits at the location where Inspector Sam Cowley and Herman Hollis died in the shootout with “Baby Face” Nelson, also killed. Present with Nelson was John Paul Chase who would later be convicted of the murder of Cowley; he was never tried for the Hollis killing and died in California in the early 70’s after being paroled.

Historically, Cowley remained out of the limelight of the Dillinger shootout, the Bremer and Lindberg kidnappings, the Kansas City Massacre, and many more of the notorious incidents of the day, even though he was the appointed Inspector in Charge of it all.

Cowley was born in Idaho in 1899 and was the fifth son to Latter Day Saints parents. He came into a family of 9 sons and 6 daughters, and ironically was the product of a “plural marriage.” Something the Bureau “overlooked” at the time of his hiring. Cowley’s father served as a missionary for the Church, and traveled later as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

“Sam Cowley was baptized into The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on his eighth birthday. At the age of 12, he was duly ordained a deacon and later a teacher at age 15. He fulfilled his priesthood duties, becoming a counselor in the presidencies of both quorums.”

“At age 17, he was ordained as an elder, and left for Hawaii to serve a Church mission. Mastering the language, he baptized converts, blessed children, and administered to the sick and afflicted.”

An honor grad in 1923, he made his way through George Washington U in Washington, D. C. and passed the bar exam in 1928, receiving his LLB degree in the spring of 1929. In April, 1929 he was appointed as a Special Agent; In 1932 he was appointed as Inspector with Mr. Hoover describing Cowley as “the sort of man who never could be found in the limelight, and his excellence was his intelligent persistence and his thoroughness at doing what ought to be done. I never had to check a job done by Cowley.”

Within 5 years of joining the FBI, Inspector Samuel Cowley met his god in the presence of one of the most vicious killers in American gangster history. “A valiant soldier in the Royal Army of God who remained true to his high standards through his final hours,” as described by author Richard Emery. He left behind a wife and two sons. (sources include: “Sam Cowley” by Richard Emery)

Samuel P Cowley