| Notes |
- Deputy Marshal of Crab Orchard, Lige Hoskins, died at 10 a.m. on December 24, 1911, as a result of four bullet wounds received in a shootout with the Wallin brothers.
The Wallins were involved in an altercation at John Riddle's soft drink stand on December 23rd. When Deputy Marshall Hoskins arrived, Walter Wallin drew his pistol and shot at Hoskins, striking him in the leg. Hoskins then drew his own weapon and shot Walter Wallin through the heart, killing him instantly. Firing as he backed out the door, Hoskins wounded Dud Wallin and Ben Howard. When he had reached the door, Jake Wallin came from across the street and began firing at Hoskins. Hoskins was out of bullets by that time, and was unable to return fire. Hoskins was shot four times by Jake Wallin. Jake Wallin was placed under arrest by Sheriff W. L. McCarty and charged with murder.
The funerals of both Elijah Hoskins and Walter Wallin were held on Christmas Day 1911.
[1]
- Dreadful Killings at Crab Orchard
Deputy Town Marshal Lige Hoskins Kills Walter Wallin and is Himself Shot by Jake Wallin
Crab Orchard was the scene of a double killing on Saturday night just before Christmas which cast a feeling of sadness and sorrow over all who heard of it during what should prove the happiest season of the years.
Walter Wallin, one of the best known farmers in the east End, and Elijah Hoskins, deputy marshal of Crab Orchard, are the two men who lost their lives in the unfortunate affaire. Wallin was shot thro the heart by Hoskins and died almost instantly, and a few minutes later Jake Wallin pumped four bullets into Hoskins, wounding him so severely that he died a few hours later, Jake Wallin and his nephew Ernest Wallin, a son of Dud Wallin, were arrested, charged with murder. County Judge Bailey appointed Deputy Sheriff W.S. Embry as a guard for them until their examining trial can be held Thursday. Judge J.W. Alcorn and his son, K.S. Alcorn are the attorneys who will defend them.
Reports concerning the affair vary, and the true fats will probably not be known until the testimony of all the eye witnesses is in at the examining trial.
Not until Sheriff W.L. McCarty and Coroner George P. Bright went up to Crab Orchard Sunday morning to make an investigation and hold an inquest were the details learned here concerning the fearful affair. According to the information gathered by Sheriff McCarty, the shooting affray Saturday night had its beginning one day last week when John Riddle, proprietor of a soft drink stand at Crab Orchard, had some slight trouble with one of the Wallin men. It is said that Riddle drew his gun on Wallin, who was unarmed at the time and gave him some stiff talk. The next day wallin is said to have returned to town ready for business, and this time he got the drop on Riddle and made him eat his words of the day before.
Sheriff McCarty was told that on Saturday the next day, quite a number of both the Wallin and Riddle families came to town armed and ready for trouble. It seened that news of the little difficulty between Wallina dn Riddle had become generally know among their friends and kinsmen, and each side was determined not to have to take anything from the other.
When he saw how things were going Saturday, Dud Wallin, who lives in the Cedar Creek section and is one of the most respected and best known members of that family, being the oldest of the eight brothers, went to John Riddle and had a little quiet talk with him. Mr. Wallin and Riddle had always been good friends. He told Riddle that he regretted that affairs had come to the pass that they had; and then asked him as a friend to go home and stay there until Sunday morning. Mr. Walling is said to have told Riddle that his brothers were in town mad and drinking and he was unable to control them and he believed that the best way to avoid trouble would be for Riddle to go home and stay there for the remainder of the day. Riddle at first demurred, it is said, on the ground that he could not afford to leave his business, but Mr. Wallin finally convinced him that it was the sensible thing to do and he went, promising Mr. Wallin that he would not come out any more that day.
Later in the day while Riddle was still at home, Walter Wallin, with who Mr. Riddle is said to have had the first trouble, went to Riddle’s house and tried to get him out, but Mr. Riddle is said to have written him a note, telling him of the promise made to Dud Wallin and refusing to come out for trouble.
Towards evening Dud Wallin, Walter Walling, young Ernest Wallin, a son of Dud Wallin and several other men were in Riddle’s place, and were in front of the bar when Deputy marshal Hoskins went in. Dud Wallin is said to have remarked to him:
“It looks like youhave been following us around all day.”
To this Hoskins is said to hav replied that such had not been his intention.
Mr. Wallin is then said to have asked Hoskins if he was policeman, and when Hoskins admitted that he was, Mr. Wallin is said to have told him to take his hand out of his pocket, if he didn’t’ want to arrest him.
Hoskins is alleged to have answered that he saw no particular reason compelling him to take his hand out of his pocket. Then it is said that Walter Wallin drew his gun and told Hoskins that if he did not do so, he would kill him. Hoskins, in his dying statement is said to have declared that thereupon Walter Wallin fired one shot at him, striking him in the leg. Hoskins immediately came out with his own pistol and shot Walter Wallin thro’ the heart, killing him almost instantly. He then fired four times more, emptying his pistol. The first shot however, had caused the lights to go out, and in the firing in the darkness, Dud Wallin caught a bullet in a leg, a bullet grazed the top of Ernest Wallin’s head and Ben Howard, a bystanders was also wounded in the thigh.
As Hoskins backed out the door, young Ernest Wallin, a boy about 18 years old, threw himself on him and tried to trip him up, it seemed to those who saw it.
Just at that moment, Jake Wallin another brother of Dud and Walter, who had been across the street near the Campbell & Pettus drug store, came running up at the sound of the shooting. He asked a man what was happing inside, but the man was unable to tell him. He then saw Hoskins coming out the door with young Ernest Wallin grappling with him, and Hoskins trying to beat him off, and running up to Hoskins, he emptied his pistol into him, Hoskins falling to the ground mortally wounded.
This is the story of the killings as told to Sheriff McCarty when he went to Crab Orchard to arrest Jake Wallin. As Hoskins did not die until Sunday morning, Walling was released under $1,000 bond. When Hoskins died, however, a writ charing murder, was sworn out, and after the funeral of his brother Sunday, he was brought to Stanford by Sheriff McCarty, arriving early Tuesday morning. Judge Bailey fixed Thursday for the examining trial. Egbert Wallin, another brother, who is a detective on the Q & C railroad, and Arthur Wallin, who now lived in Ohio, but had come back to his old home to spend Christmas, came down with the prisoner, as did also a number of his nephews. Ernest Wallin was also brought down as a prisoner, but it is believed that the charge against him will be speedily dismissed, as he had no hand in the killings.
Friends of Wallin say that he will make a strong defense in his examining trial, and it is expected his attorneys will endeavor to secure his release at that time. It is reported that he will plead that in firing upon Hoskins, he simply did so in defense of his nephew, Ernest Wallin, who he will allege, was being beaten over the head by Hoskins with the butt of his pistol
The deaths of both Walter Wallin and Hoskins came as sever blows to their families. Wallin is survived by his wife and two children, his wife having been a daughter of the former Squire J.T. Roberts, of the Hubble section. Mrs. Wallin was prostrated, and is in a serious condition. The aged mother of Mr. Wallin is also in a serious condition as a result of the great shock.
The death of Mr. Hoskins is a great loss to his family, as his wife and six children were dependent upon him. Both of the dead mean were about 40 years of age. The Wallins have lived in Lincoln county from early days but Hoskins is said to have removed here not many years ago from Bell county.
Interior Journal, Stanford, Kentucky. Friday, 29 December 1911, page 1.
[2]
- Officer Down Memorial Page
http://www.odmp.org/officer/21018-deputy-marshal-elijah-f-lige-hoskins
Name: Deputy Marshal Elijah F. "Lige" Hoskins
Birth Year: abt 1873
Age: 38
Date of Incident: 23 Dec 1911
Death Location: Kentucky
Department: Crab Orchard Police Department
Department State: Kentucky
End of Watch Date: 23 Dec 1911
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Weapon: Handgun
Suspect: Charged with murder
Notes: Deputy Marshal Lige Hoskins was shot and killed while investigating a disturbance at a local soft drink stand. The proprietor of the sand had gotten into an argument with another man the previous week, in which both men had threatened each other. The argument had become more heated and it was believed it would end in violence between the two. A friend of the proprietor had convinced him to go home to avoid any violence. After the proprietor went home, the other subject and several of his family members went to the soft drink stand and started drinking. Deputy Marshal Hoskins, who was aware of the feud, went to check up on them but was confronted by one of the family members who told him to remove his hand from his pocket. When Deputy Marshal Hoskins refused to remove his hand from his pocket the man shot him in the leg. Deputy Marshal Hoskins immediately returned fire, killing the man. He then retreated out of the building, but was attacked by another family member. As the two struggled a third family member came from across the street and shot Deputy Marshal Hoskins four times, killing him. The man who fatally shot Deputy Marshal Hoskins was arrested and charged with murder. Deputy Marshal Hoskins was survived by his wife and nine children. He is buried at Crab Orchard Cemetery, Crab Orchard, Kentucky.
- In the 1910 census Elija and Sarah Hopkins had eight children: Charley, Marris, James, Laura, Lulu, Frank, Gabe, and Ora.
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1873 - 1911 (38 years)
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