Killed in the line of duty 104 years ago

Columbus Town Marshal Charles Davison holds a tragic bond with the 10 law enforcement officers killed during the past several days across the country
All were murdered in the line of duty.
Davison’s ultimate sacrifice for the community of Columbus came 104 years ago Sunday.
On July 28, 1912, at 2 a.m., Officer Davison was shot and killed by an intoxicated man who was creating a disturbance and had earlier assaulted a woman. The suspect was an ex-convict named Homer Porter who had already served a prison term for attempted murder.
On that day in 1912, Porter fired two shots in the air after making threatening statements in what the only eyewitness in the case said was meant to draw Davison out. The tactic worked. Officer Davison found Porter and when he tried to arrest him, Porter who open fired with his revolver, hitting the lawman.
Although mortally wounded, Davison returned fire, hitting Porter four times. Porter fled the scene, according to a 1912 newspaper article about the shooting.
The eyewitness went to the lawman to ask if he was hurt. Davison said he was hurt but told the witness to go get someone who could track down Porter.
Porter was found not far from the scene critically wounded. He survived his injuries was charged with first degree murder, convicted of second degree murder and was sentenced to the Montana State Prison for 30 years.
The newspaper article described the incident as Officer Davison being “Ruthlessly Slain” and that he lived for 40 minutes before succumbing to his wounds. His funeral was attended by approximately 500 people.
Davison was 43-years-old at the time of this death and had been in law enforcement for three years. He left behind his parents, a sister and several brothers.
While most Stillwater County citizens know nothing of officer Davison, his death is included in the national Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP).
The ODMP is a national non-profit organization dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty.
It was started in 1996 by a college freshman who wanted to find a way to honor fallen officers. That college freshman went on to become a police officer in Virginia.
There have been more than 22,555 officers killed in the line of duty in the United States since 1791, according to ODMP statistics. Of those, 128 have occurred in Montana, with gunfire accounting for 80 deaths. The officers were from 54 counties as well as the Montana Highway Patrol, Department of Corrections, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Montana Department of Justice.
Under Officer Davison’s listing on the ODMP website are two comments – one from a United States Border Patrol officer and one from the mother of a California police officer who was shot to death 11 years ago.
Marshal Davison is also listed on the Montana Law Enforcement Museum website. Officer Davison is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery off Rapelje Road.