Inspector Francis Joseph Fitzgerald
Royal Northwest Mounted Police
End of Watch: Tuesday, February 14, 1911
Tour of Duty: 23 years
Badge Number: 2218
Cause of Death: Exposure
Date of Incident: Tuesday, February 14, 1911
Incident Location: Yukon Territories
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Inspector Fitzgerald was part of a patrol that was lost in the North. Special Constable Samuel Carter was hired to assist and guide members of his group on a patrol from Fort McPhearson to Dawson City to deliver mail and other documents. During the trip the men became lost due to the weather conditions and heavy snow. Three other officers died in this unfortunate incident. Constable George Kinney, Constable Richard Taylor and Special Constable Samuel Carter.
The men left Fort McPhearson, Yukon on December 21, 1910, with three sleds and dog teams. Inspector Fitzgerald noted that they had become lost in his book January 17, 1911. The patrol had then turned around.
On March 21,1911, Constable Kinney and Constable Taylor's bodies were found. Kinney had frozen to death and Taylor shot himself with a 30-30 most likely to hasten his death from the suffering cold. The next day Special Constable Carter and Inspector Fitzgerald's bodies were discovered frozen to death.
The bodies of all the men were emaciated, flesh discolored and skin peeling off their bodies. During the ordeal they were forced to eat their dogs to try and survive. The incident became known as the "LOST PATROL".
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