Deputy U.S. Marshal William C. Watts

William C. Watts

Deputy Marshal William Watts was shot and killed on Admiralty Island, Alaska, while attempting to arrest a gang of outlaws who had broken several inmates out of jail in Juneau eight months prior.

He and a posse surrounded the remote cabin the group was in and called out to the suspects to surrender. The gang opened fire on the posse, killing Deputy Marshal Watts and wounding three other deputy marshals. The posse retreated back to the beach and left the island to seek reinforcements.

The suspects were eventually apprehended by U.S. Marines who had been sent to the island at the request of Alaska's governor.

Deputy Marshal Watts had served with the United States Marshals Service for two years. He was the first peace officer to die in the line of duty in the Alaska Territory, later to become the state of Alaska.