As Officer James Joseph Fenton patrolled 7th Street between Pine and Wood on the afternoon of Jan. 4, 1908, he observed two suspicious individuals standing together. They caught his attention when they attempted to conceal a handbag from his view, and he stopped them in front of the West Oakland Barber Shop at 1780 7th Street. When the interview deepened Fenton’s suspicions, he advised the two men that they were under arrest. One bolted from Fenton’s grasp and fled down the street. The other struggled to get away, pulled a gun from his hip pocket and shot Fenton twice. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Before the shooter could flee, Thomas Shiell, the proprietor of the West Oakland Barber Shop, seized him. Shiell wrestled the gun away from the suspect who then fled on foot. Shiell fired one round at the running suspect and struck him in the back. The suspect, later identified as the primary suspect in a major postal theft, died in the hospital of his wound. Prior to his death, he told detectives that he shot the officer because he feared going to prison for the theft. The suspect who precipitated the shooting by fleeing was later apprehended and convicted of the officer’s slaying.

Patrolman Fenton was carried by local citizens to the West Oakland Pharmacy to await medical assistance. He died prior to the arrival of a doctor. Fenton, 33, was survived by his wife and two children.

Fenton received a full appointment to the Oakland Police Department on Jan. 1, 1906.

On December 24, 1907, Constable Preston V. Swanguen was summoned from his home during Christmas Eve dinner to investigate a disturbance at Joe Winkels’ Blind Pig Saloon in Temecula.  Swanguen was informed of two men involved in the disturbance.  Because he knew both men, he did not carry his gun.

Constable Swanguen entered the bar and an enraged Horace Magee shouted, “Somebody has got to pay for this.”  Magee had been drinking heavily all evening and argued with the saloon owner and other patrons.  After his initial outburst, Magee seemed to calm down and offered Swanguen his hand.  Swanguen either didn’t see the hand or chose to ignore it.  By the time he turned to take Magee’s hand, it was too late.  Magee had already pulled his gun and began to fire.  Swanguen was struck in the chest and killed.  In his effort to escape, Magee shot and killed bar patron Louis Escallier.  Magee was convicted of the murders and given a life sentence, but served only 12 years at San Quentin before being paroled.

Constable Swanguen was well known and respected in the Temecula community where he had been an officer for approximately 13 years.  He was survived by his wife Cassandra Johnson.

Special Policeman George White was walking his beat in the area of 6th Street and Alice at 11:45 p.m., Nov. 25, 1907. As a special policeman, he was hired to protect all the businesses in Chinatown during the evening hours. Besides checking the doors of the closed shops to make sure they were locked, he also made security inspections of the open businesses to insure that the peace was being kept.

When he reached Hennings Brothers Saloon, he opened the door and stepped inside, never suspecting that two “thugs” were holding up the bartender and rifling the cash register. As he cleared the doorway, the thieves saw the shining star and opened fire. White was struck three times. Shot in the hand and the heart, he fell to the floor unconscious. The robbers made their way over the body of the fallen policeman and made good their escape. Few clues were left at the scene.

The bartender called for assistance, and the police were ordered to “scour the City and arrest all suspicious characters.”

Officer White, 32, succumbed of his wounds before reaching the hospital. He was appointed to his position with the Oakland Police Department in July 1906. He was survived by his wife and son.

On October 19, 1907 Deputy William F. Smithson was visited at his residence by a supervisor from the American Borax Company plant in Daggett.  Newton Millett asked for Smithson’s assistance in arresting one of his employees, Ed Silver.  Earlier in the day Silver assaulted Millett in a dispute over pay.

Deputy Smithson’s assistant John Williams joined the two and they went looking for Silver.  It was near dusk when the three found Silver in front of Millett’s house.  As Smithson stepped forward and addressed the suspect, Silver suddenly shot Deputy Smithson five times in the chest, stomach and shoulder.  Smithson retuned fire before staggering away.  Williams drew his .38 Smith and Wesson and began shooting at Silver.  The two traded shots until both emptied their guns.  Silver was shot once in the leg and fled into the desert.

Newton Millett’s wife had been trying to hold Deputy Smithson up, and as Williams arrived at his side Smithson said, “Don’t let me die here.”  Williams ran to the billiard room to get help and several of the towns’ men carried Smithson to the pool room while another ran to summon the town physician.  It was determined Deputy Smithson’s condition was too grave for transport to Santa Fe hospital in Los Angeles.  With his wife Sharon by his side, Deputy Smithson passed away on the morning of October 20, 1907.

Silver was later apprehended and convicted of the murder of Deputy Smithson.  Although sentenced to death by hanging, Silver died in San Quentin Prison in 1912 of acute peritonitis.

Regarding the line-of-duty death of Special Policeman Lucius C. Smith of the Fresno Police Department, on Thursday, October 10, 1907.

On Thursday, October 10,1907, at 0235 hours, Special Policeman Lucius C. Smith of The Fresno Police Department was shot and killed by a burglar in the alley located between J and K streets behind the Barton Opera House. Officer Smith and his four- legged partner, Jim, were on foot patrol in Smith’s beat, which encompassed the downtown area of the City of Fresno.

The leading newspapers of Fresno; The Republican, The Herald and Democrat reported the following facts about the third murder of a peace officer in Fresno County within a nine-month period in 1907. Smith was patrolling his beat during the early morning hours of Thursday, October 10,1907, when he encountered a male dressed in dark clothing in the alley behind the Barton Opera House located at the corner of Fresno and K streets. The burglar had just exited through a transom and was standing in the alley, or was in the process of exiting through a transom when Officer Smith encountered him. Smith was heard by witnesses, who testified at the Coroner’s Inquest, to have called out to the unidentified male. Smith closed the distance between the unidentified male and himself. A brief and deadly gun battle ensued in which eight shots were fired, one from Smith’s .41 Colt and seven from the assailant’s automatic pistol. Smith was shot four times and died at the scene. A check of the Barton Opera House later that morning by its owner revealed that a burglar had rifled the premises and stolen a clock and an amount of cash. The Opera Saloon, located next to the opera house, had also been burglarized.

Smith was appointed a Special Policeman by the Board of Trustees of the City of Fresno on April 24,1897. Smith, 60, resided in Fresno County for more than 21 years. His wife and four grown children survived him.

On May 8, 1907, Constable Jack Hewitt was on duty in the town of Kennet, California.  At approximately 3:30 a.m., Frank Tast, bartender of the Owl Dance Hall, summoned Constable Hewitt reporting that a man had threatened one of the ladies of the dance hall and Tast, when he came to her aid.  Constable Hewitt went directly to the woman’s room and was confronted at the door by suspect George McMann.  Without saying a word, McMann raised his revolver and shot Constable Hewitt in the chest, killing him instantly.  He then stepped over the body and fled the building.  Responding to the incident was Deputy Frank Littlefield, who confronted McMann in the street.  McMann tried to pull his revolver, but Littlefield was faster, taking him into custody.  As he was being arrested McMann reportedly said, “I’ve done a good job anyhow.”