Archives: Fallen Officers

William F. Smithson

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.

Lucius C. Smith

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.

John “Jack” Hewitt

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.”

Joseph D. Price

On March 2, 1907, Joseph W. Grayless, a rancher of Temperance Colony, reported the theft of a fall-top buggy and a white horse from the Courthouse Park.  Dep. Joe Price was assigned to investigate the case.  Dep. Price recovered the buggy in the Centerville area on March 9, 1907, and developed James ‘Jim’ Richardson, aged 20-22, originally from Rayville, Missouri, as a suspect.

On March 13, 1907, Dep. Price, accompanied by Joseph Grayless, served a search warrant at the Farrabee wood camp, on the Millwood Rd. 1 ½ miles above the Squaw Valley Post Office, where Richardson was living with his sister and brother-in-law.  Items stolen from the buggy were discovered in the tent where Richardson was staying.  Dep. Price advised Richardson that he was under arrest.  Richardson wheeled around on Price with a pistol and pulled the trigger several times.  Richardson’s gun misfired and he surrendered when Price pulled his gun.  Price, who had no handcuffs, had Richardson kneel and had Grayless bind him with a rope.  Price and Grayless then placed Richardson in their buggy and departed. A short distance from the Farrabee camp they came across the stolen horse.  Grayless got out of the buggy and saddled his horse as Price continued on.

During the trip down the hill, Richardson loudly complained that he was hungry, and Price stopped at the Ockenden Store in Squaw Valley, untying Richardson and getting him food to eat.  When they started back down the hill, Price apparently did not tie Richardson back up.  Grayless had also stopped in Squaw Valley for a meal, and it was 5 PM when he came upon Price’s buggy on the Centerville Rd. at Dunnigan’s Gap, 5-6 miles above Centerville.  Grayless discovered the body of Dep. Price in the buggy with a fatal stab wound to the neck.

Richardson returned briefly to his relative’s home to collect some food and clothing before fleeing and told them that he’d killed Price.  Posses of officers and mountaineers combed the area fruitlessly for a month before conceding that Richardson had slipped out of the area.  Wanted posters with Richardson’s picture were sent across the country, and several look-alikes were arrested over the next several years.  In December, 1912, Fresno  Special Deputy W.A. Hanks, who had gone in search of Richardson, was shot and wounded, possibly by Richardson, in the mountains 25 miles from Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Richardson was never arrested on Price’s murder.

Joe Price was born in Academy, where his father was a rancher.  He had been the Sanger Constable for four years prior to being appointed Deputy Sheriff.  He was murdered on his 32nd birthday.  Price was survived by his mother, a sister and a brother.  His funeral was held March 17th, at St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church South in Fresno and he was laid to rest in Mountain View Cemetery on West Belmont Avenue.