Bishop in Inyo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
History of "Dangerous Arrest"
Inyo Register
— Thursday, March 10, 1887 —
The Shooting
For the first time in many months the peace and calm of the town were disturbed by a succession of pistols shots last Saturday night. The shots were fired by Officer Plumley in arresting one Phillip Staiger for disorderly conduct and it was certainly a justifiable case.
The Circumstances
Staiger went into Springsteads Saloon, and being drunk became abusive. Officer Plumley was appealed to and put Staiger out. Staiger was quiet for awhile, but went away and hunted up a pistol. He afterwards commenced to threaten persons on the street, in fact, did draw his pistol on David Hall. Plumley went to hunt him up and found him in the Headquarters Saloon. He searched Staiger, but found no weapon. Staiger went out into the street and became abusive. Plumley started to arrest him. Staiger presented a gun, and told him to stop. Plumley then drew his pistol and fired a shot by way of a frightener. It didn’t work that way though. Plumley fired three more shots to scare his man, but this man refused to scare. Concluding that it was time to act decidedly, the next shot was fired to hit. The bullet just furrowed along his neck, not seriously injuring him. The officer at once closed in on Staiger and handcuffed him. The charge against the prisoner is for resisting an officer. Had his pistol worked satisfactory, Plumley could not have afforded to waste so much time. Staiger’s examination commenced Tuesday before Justice I.P. Yaney and it is not yet concluded. District Attorney Forbes is prosecuting and W.P. George is engaged in the defense.
Erected 2001 by Bishop Mural Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events.
Location. 37° 21.702′ N, 118° 23.787′ W. Marker is in Bishop, California, in Inyo County. Marker is on West Line Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 207 West Line Street, Bishop CA 93514, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Ernest Kinney Teamster Family Mural (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Old Inyo County Jailhouse (about 800 feet away); The Little Kittie Inn (approx. 0.2 miles away); Whiskey Creek History (approx. 0.2 miles away); Slim Princess (approx. ¼ mile away); "Atlas Copco Mucker" (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Mule (approx. 0.8 miles away); Project Sierra Wave (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bishop.
More about this marker. Mural painted by Robert Thomas, John Knowlton, and Rich Perkins. Located on the Police Station.
Additional commentary.
1. What happened to Phillip after his arraignment?
Are there court documents available online that show how long he was in jail or what happened to him thereafter? Did he stay in Bishop?
— Submitted October 21, 2022, by Philip Staiger of San Diego, California.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2014, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. This page has been viewed 832 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 26, 2014, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.