Archives: Fallen Officers
William Cottle
William E. Tibbett
Bakersfield City Marshal Thomas Jefferson Packard and Deputy Marshal William E. Tibbet were shot and killed in a shoot out with outlaw Jim McKinney. McKinney was also killed in the shoot out.
“McKinney’s head shattered with a load of buckshot. But not before city Marshal Jeff Packard and Deputy Marshal Will Tibbet had been done to death by the murderer.” (headline in the Daily Californian evening paper April 20, 1903)
Jim McKinney is in the morgue with his head shattered by a charge of buckshot fired by Bert Tibbet. City Marshal Packard lies cold in death from wounds received from the outlaw McKinney. Will Tibbet is dead from a rifle ball supposed to have been fired by Al Hulse. Hulse is in the county jail.
Bert Tibbet, brother of the dead officer, (William Tibbet) and who shot McKinney to death tells graphically the story of the battle in the back yard of the Hop Joint on L Street. He said “We left the jail at about ten o’clock, there were in the party Sheriff Kelly and Deputy Baker, Tower, my brother Will and myself, Sheriff Collins and Lovin, and City Marshal Packard, and Deputy Etter. Kelly and Lovin rode together, and Jeff and Bill were in Jeff’s buggy, Quinn was in the hack with the rest of us.
It was agreed that Jeff and Bill should search the house while the rest of us guarded the corners. Kelly and I took up our station in front of the house. It seemed to me that it was 15 minutes after the boys entered the house, before the shots were fired. I ran across towards the rear entrance, Etter was ahead of me. He had broken down the gate and was firing at McKinney, who stood in the doorway, I saw Jeff standing at the turn of the closet. He was bleeding with his arms shattered. I thought McKinney was in the closet and called to Jeff asking, “No he isn’t in here, look out Bert look out for God’s sake he’ll get you. He’s in the door.” Just then I saw Mc Kinney standing in the door and I fired hitting him in the neck. He staggered back and went over to the window where Tower shot him.
Packard fired through the open door and McKinney shot him in the neck, knocking him out through the rear door. Tibbet was shot from the side, the ball passing through the kidneys. When Bert Tibbet and Etter broke into the back yard, Will Tibbet was lying on the ground and McKinney was shooting at Packard who was at the corner of the closet. It was here that the Marshal was so grievously wounded in the arms.
Thomas Jefferson Packard
Bakersfield City Marshal Thomas Jefferson Packard and Deputy Marshal William E. Tibbet were shot and killed in a shoot out with outlaw Jim McKinney. McKinney was also killed in the shoot out.
“McKinney’s head shattered with a load of buckshot. But not before city Marshal Jeff Packard and Deputy Marshal Will Tibbet had been done to death by the murderer.” (headline in the Daily Californian evening paper April 20, 1903)
Jim McKinney is in the morgue with his head shattered by a charge of buckshot fired by Bert Tibbet. City Marshal Packard lies cold in death from wounds received from the outlaw McKinney. Will Tibbet is dead from a rifle ball supposed to have been fired by Al Hulse. Hulse is in the county jail.
Bert Tibbet, brother of the dead officer, (William Tibbet) and who shot McKinney to death tells graphically the story of the battle in the back yard of the Hop Joint on L Street. He said “We left the jail at about ten o’clock, there were in the party Sheriff Kelly and Deputy Baker, Tower, my brother Will and myself, Sheriff Collins and Lovin, and City Marshal Packard, and Deputy Etter. Kelly and Lovin rode together, and Jeff and Bill were in Jeff’s buggy, Quinn was in the hack with the rest of us.
It was agreed that Jeff and Bill should search the house while the rest of us guarded the corners. Kelly and I took up our station in front of the house. It seemed to me that it was 15 minutes after the boys entered the house, before the shots were fired. I ran across towards the rear entrance, Etter was ahead of me. He had broken down the gate and was firing at McKinney, who stood in the doorway, I saw Jeff standing at the turn of the closet. He was bleeding with his arms shattered. I thought McKinney was in the closet and called to Jeff asking, “No he isn’t in here, look out Bert look out for God’s sake he’ll get you. He’s in the door.” Just then I saw Mc Kinney standing in the door and I fired hitting him in the neck. He staggered back and went over to the window where Tower shot him.
Packard fired through the open door and McKinney shot him in the neck, knocking him out through the rear door. Tibbet was shot from the side, the ball passing through the kidneys. When Bert Tibbet and Etter broke into the back yard, Will Tibbet was lying on the ground and McKinney was shooting at Packard who was at the corner of the closet. It was here that the Marshal was so grievously wounded in the arms.
Charles H. Cummins
On June 4, 1902, Constable Charles Cummins and his wife were in their front yard in DeLaMar, as Benjamin Williams approached the area, intoxicated. Williams fired a rifle shot at a dog walking with two men on the road. Constable Cummins led his wife to the side as Williams approached, recognizing the Constable. Without a word, Williams raised his rifle and shot Deputy Cummins in the chest and ran for the nearby woods. Mrs. Cummins took her husband’s revolver from his pocket and fired five shots at Williams as he fled. Williams was pursued by a number of armed men. A lynching was avoided by the actions of two special officers who captured Williams as the angry mob tracked him. Williams was described as “a strapping mountaineer whose naturally lawless nature needed only the incentive of bad whisky to move him to the awful crime” Williams was tried and sentenced to twenty-five years imprisonment.
John H. Delaney
Eugene Robinson
At an early hour on January 21, 1902, San Francisco Patrolman Eugene C. Robinson of the southern station was mortally wounded by three burglars, whom he surprised in the act of breaking into a hardware store on Valencia Street, near Sixteenth.
He died soon after being taken to the hospital.
One of the trio of safecrackers, supposed to be F. Daly, was badly wounded by shot from the policeman’s pistol and captured.
Robinson discovered the burglars just as they were entering the store and immediately crossed the street to arrest them, calling upon them to surrender.
Instead of obeying they opened fire upon him simultaneously, and three bullets struck the policeman in the abdomen.
As he fell he opened fire with his revolver and struck one of the burglars, who ran for a short distance into the arms of another policeman, attracted by the shooting. The other two men escaped meanwhile, and although a posse of policemen soon took up the scent, they managed to elude their pursuers. Daly refused to tell the identity of his companions.
Herbert S. Walker
On May 10, 1901, Constable Herbert S. Walker was contacted by Shasta County Sheriff Charles Behrens requesting his assistance in capturing two armed escaped prisoners. E.A. Illingsworth and B.H. Dorland had escaped from the Shasta County jail in Redding on April 9, 1901.
The following day Sheriff Behrens received a tip that the escaped prisoners had been seen about two miles north of Adin. The Sheriff and Constable Stanley of Siskiyou County invited Constable Walker to accompany them in capturing the two fugitives. A team of horses and a driver were hired along with a tracker. After spotting the fugitives along a river, the tracker signaled the law men. Illingsworth approached the tracker and engaged him in conversation. Constable Walker left his position of concealment and ordered Illingsworth to throw up his hands. From a distance, Dorland saw Sheriff Behrens approach Walker and Illingsworth and started shooting. Numerous shots were fired with Dorland’s second shot hitting Constable Walker. Walker fell to the ground and the tracker picked up his Savage rifle and shot Dorland, killing him instantly. The tracker then attempted to shoot Illingsworth as he fled.
Three hours passed before medical assistance arrived to treat Constable Walker. He had lost a significant amount of blood. Constable Walker died on Sunday, May 12, 1901. The treating physician said Walker’s wound would not have been fatal if the blood loss had been controlled.
Constable Walker was survived by his wife, son, and father, as well as numerous siblings.