Deputy Sheriff Eugene Reardon

Eugene Reardon

Deputy Sheriff Eugene Reardon and District Attorney E.T. Manwell were shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with striking hop pickers near Wheatland. Yuba County Sheriff George Voss was fatally injured.

A posse of several officers were attacked and fired upon when Sheriff Voss ordered the striking workers to disperse. Deputy Reardon and District Attorney Manwell were killed instantly. Sheriff Voss, shot in the leg and beaten about the head, would die from injuries 21 months later.

The California state militia arrived on the scene the next morning and restored order. Four workers were charged with murder. Two were found guilty of District Attorney Manwell's murder and sentenced to life. Both were paroled in 1924. The other two were acquitted.

Deputy Reardon was a veteran of the Spanish American War and was deputized by the Sheriff Voss of the Yuba County Sheriff's Department to help with the riots. He was survived by his wife, son, and three daughters.