The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office was founded in 1850. In it's 169 year history, there have been three deputy sheriff's killed in the line of duty. This cache is one in a series of three, each paying tribute to the deputies who have given their lives in protecting El Dorado County.
On Friday, July 1, 1864, Deputy Joseph Staples was shot and killed and a constable was seriously wounded when they attempted to arrest six stagecoach robbers.
The previous day six men wearing Confederate uniforms halted and robbed two stagecoaches in Pollock Pines. The next morning Deputy Staples and a local constable followed the robber's trail to a hotel in the nearby town of Somerset. Once inside the two were met with a fusillade of bullets. Deputy Staples was killed instantly. The constable, who ran back outside was shot three times and left for dead.
Seven weeks later all six suspects were apprehended in Santa Clara County. One suspect was convicted of first degree murder and hanged in Placerville on September 29, 1865. Another suspect was convicted of second degree murder and sentences to 20 years hard labor. The other four suspects were tried and acquitted.