In the rugged mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado, a sense of order was kept by men like Night Patrolman Albert B. Smith. At 37 years of age, he was a figure of authority in a place where fortunes were sought and tempers could run high. On the evening of November 10, 1908, a dispute erupted outside the Turf Saloon, a local watering hole. Two men, George Goode and Bob Dalton, were engaged in a heated quarrel over a woman, the tension escalating with each passing moment.
Patrolman
Smith, a male officer on his nightly patrol, became aware of the disturbance. As he approached the two men, he saw Goode brandish a firearm, a dangerous escalation in the already charged atmosphere. With a steady voice of authority, Smith issued a warning to the armed man, stating, 'You have to stop dashing guns on the street.' His words were meant to quell the situation and restore the peace, a duty he had sworn to uphold.
Goode, however, was not inclined to back down. In a brazen act of defiance, he retorted, 'I'll show you whether or not you can make me put up my gun.' Without further warning, he turned his weapon on the officer and fired a single, fatal shot. Patrolman Smith fell, his life cut short in an instant. In the immediate aftermath of this violent act, Goode then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life on the dusty street. The tragic event left no suspect to be arrested, as the perpetrator had also become a victim of his own violent impulse.
