Regarding the murder of Albert P. Crigler, Constable of the Cloverdale Township, Sonoma County, California on April 28,1888, who was shot and killed while in the performance of his duties while attempting to arrest suspected stage coach robbers.

On Saturday, April 28,1888, at about 1:30 p.m., two masked men held up the Lakeport stage and removed the Wells, Fargo & Co.’s box. Constable Crigler was notified of the robbery, and he and Sam Allen of Cloverdale started after the robbers. Crigler and Allen found the trail of the robbers and tracked them to a wooded area off the Geyser Spring Road.

Sam Allen, in sworn testimony, described the encounter with the robbers. Allen said, ‘ In Cloverdale Township, Sonoma County, on April 28,1888, at about 5:30 p.m., at a location 200 yards west of the Toll House on Geyser Spring Road, Crigler and I found the suspected robbers sitting under a tree. Crigler called to them to surrender, they refused and broke and ran into a small ravine. Crigler and I pursued them and when we caught up with them, they began to shoot at us. Crigler and I were side by side when Crigler was killed by the first shot fired. The robbers continued to shoot at me and I returned fire, shooting twice. I was about ten feet from them when I fired, I don’t know if I hit anyone. The robbers were armed with six-shooters and a musket; they did not use the musket. I do not know where they went after the shooting stopped.’

Constable Albert P. Crigler, 33, was a native of Missouri. He was appointed by the Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County on April 7,1885, to be the Constable of the Cloverdale Township. Constable Crigler was administered the oath of his office on April 13,1885, by D.B.Morgan, Justice of the Peace.