On July 4, 1889, at 1 a.m., City Marshal Charlie Wilson and his brother Deputy Marshal Keno Wilson were on patrol when they heard gunshots near a downtown hotel. As they approached to investigate, they saw John Murray on horseback holding a kerosene lamp taken from one of the streetlights. As Charlie Wilson grabbed Murray’s horse by the bridle, the outlaw drew his gun and shot him through the heart. The Marshal was dead before he hit the ground. Keno Wilson managed to pull his gun and fire three shots at Murray as he fled into the night. Several hours later a group of armed citizens captured the uninjured killer near the Mission San Luis Rey. Murray was eventually tried but his conviction was overturned on appeal. At his retrial Murray was re-convicted but the ordered death sentence never was carried out. On April 14, 1892, he died in county jail, his scheduled hanging still a few weeks away.

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.

On April 26, 1885, an ex-convict by the name of Gibbons, assaulted and attempted to murder an entire family near Round Mountain in Shasta County.  A warrant for his arrest was issued and given to Constable James Greenlee for service.  Greenlee tracked Gibbons to an area near Lookout in Big Valley.  Just after sunrise on May 27, 1885, Gibbons fled into the nearby woods, where he was pursued by Greenlee and citizens, Charles Fitzwater and John McNemar.  Finding Gibbons in the top of a broken down tree, Greenlee demanded his surrender.  Gibbons responded with shots fired, striking Greenlee just over the left eye.  Despite his mortal wound, Greenlee was able to return fire, striking Gibbons in the left chest, near the heart.  Fitzwater and McNemar took Gibbons into custody and he died a few days later.  Constable Greenlee, a widower at the time of his death, was survived by three children.