Archives: Fallen Officers

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.

E.E. Dixon

On December 26, 1898, as Constable E.E. Dixon was attempting to arrest E.H. Ellsworth on a warrant for libel, he was shot and killed by Ellsworth.

This warrant had been issued after Ellsworth, the editor of the local paper, had written several derogatory articles. In this incident the article had been written criticizing the manner in which Justice of the Peace Howell conducted his court. Howell had then sworn to a complaint and the warrant was issued and delivered to Constable Dixon to serve. Ellsworth was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 21 years in prison.

George C. Woodsum

Oakland Tribune
July 19, 1898

Six blown to eternity

This morning at 5:18 o’clock the works of the Western Fuse and Explosives Company at Melrose, east of Fruitvale, were blown to atoms by a Chinese operative, who, after murdering a brother Celestial yesterday, took refuge in the powder magazine of the place. At the house mentioned he offered to surrender, and when deputy sheriffs went to receive him, he fired the magazine. The explosion blew the murderer and Deputies White, Cameron, Woodsum, Koch and Lerri into eternity. Mrs. Hill of San Francisco was also killed. Forty houses around were wrecked.

Gung Ung Chang, who was employed in the works, had killed Ham Si Sing yesterday afternoon in a quarrel over Chinese lottery tickets. He then defied the officers of the law who went to arrest him.

The murderer fled into the magazine, which contained five tons of giant powder, barricaded the door and threatened to blow up the magazine if any one came to arrest him.

Deputy Sheriff Charles White, son of Sheriff White, in charge of a posse, consisting of Constable Gus Koch, Deputy Sheriff George Woods, Deputy Sheriff D.C. Cameron, Deputy Sheriff Smith and Deputy Sheriff Manning, Deputy Constable J.J. Leery, and Deputy Constable Harry Cramer, were on the scene of the shooting shortly after the murder, and kept guard all night over the Chinese, who was within his stronghold. All the officers were armed with rifles.

After repeated demands to surrender had been made, to all of which the same reply came, “If you come in here I will blow up the magazine,” the officers retired for the night within the private office of the company about twenty yards away.

This morning at 5 o’clock Deputy Sheriff Chas. White, with several of the others, returned from breakfast and the Chinese said he wanted to talk with him. White spoke to him. The Chinese said he was willing to come out. White and the others approached him, when the explosion took place.

This was at 5:18 o’clock. In an instant a terrific explosion occurred, killing Deputies White, Koch, Woodsum, Cameron, Lerri and Mrs. Sadie Hill, and blowing the Chinese to atoms, so small that few pieces have been found.

Charles White’s body was fearfully mutilated. It was found nearly 300 yards away. Gus Koch was also badly disfigured and was killed instantly.

D.C. Cameron was fearfully disfigured, but lived long enough to be taken in the patrol wagon to the hospital, where he died.

Mrs. Hill was visiting a Mrs. Pride, who lived across the street from the magazine. The dead woman lived in San Francisco at the King’s daughters’ home, and was killed in the falling debris of the house, which burned down. All the buildings soon were on fire. The works are completely wrecked. Four houses are also blown down and forty wrecked.

Deputy Sheriff Fred Sherrott and Deputy Sheriff Ed White escaped, but are painfully wounded.