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Sheriff Singler's sacrifice August D. Singler was the first law enforcement officer and the only sheriff in Jackson County killed in the line of duty. [Photo courtesy Diana Walker] Saturday Apr 29, 2017 at 12:01 AM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat When Jackson County lost its sheriff in the line of duty more than a century ago, Southern Oregon lost a law enforcement innovator, a wife lost her husband and eight children lost their father. Virtually all of Medford came to a halt Wednesday, April 23, 1913, when news spread that 36-year-old Sheriff August Singler had been killed in an exchange of gunfire with an outlaw. He was Jackson County's first law enforcement officer and only sheriff killed in the line of duty. The evening before he died, Singler had tried to apprehend a 19-year-old fugitive named Lester Jones, described by the Mail Tribune at the time as a "desperado." Jones had been on the lam since the previous fall, but word spread that Jones was recruiting others to rob Jacksonville's Beekman Bank, the story goes. Tips led Singler to a cabin outside Jacksonville where Jones was hiding. At just after 6 p.m., while Jones appeared to be cooking his supper, Singler drew his revolver and opened the cabin door. Jones had been waiting for him. He fired three shots at the sheriff, including one into his chest. Singler returned fire, emptying his revolver with six shots that all hit the outlaw. A posse found Jones lifeless by the stove.  Singler was rushed by automobile to Sacred Heart Hospital in Medford, where he died at 8:35 the next morning with his wife, Rose, at his side. It was the beginning of hardships for Rose, who died in 1966 at the age of 91. As early as September 1913, Rose was denied a pension for widows and children because the county pension was intended for women with no income whatsoever. After August Singler died, his brother William was sworn in with the understanding that he'd look after Rose and their eight children. To make ends meet, Rose labored as a cook for jail inmates and later found work for a dry cleaning business, according to a 1979 profile of their eldest daughter, Zita Singler Maddox, who was 8 years old at the time her father died.  Since 1993, the story of his heroism has been etched in marble at the space between the county's justice building and the jail, when it was christened as the August D. Singler Memorial Plaza. A crowd of more than 150, including Singler's surviving daughters, observed the official dedication May 14, 1993. Taps was played, guns saluted the fallen sheriff and then-sheriff C.W. Smith presented the family with a replacement badge. Near the 100th anniversary of his death, April 12, 2013, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden recognized Singler’s service and sacrifice with an entry in the Congressional Record, which reads in part: “It should be recognized that Sheriff Singler deserves a place in history. His pride for his community, concern for his neighbors, and leadership are still reflected in those who understand what it takes to preserve the peace. “He was said to be a gentleman in every way, and carried himself in a way that demanded respect. May his name not be forgotten, but let him be placed among other recognized lawmen of the past.” — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or by email at [email protected].