The Singler-Jones Fight

What Really Happened?
by C. A. Nilsson

Newspaper articles are all that remain as a record of the pistol duel which took the lives of Sheriff August D. Singler and Lester Jones in a small cabin "three-quarters of a mile south of the crest of the first long hill as one leaves Jacksonville on the Ashland road" (1) on April 22, 1913. If a transcript was kept of the coroner’s inquest and if a written record of Sheriff Singler’s death bed statements was made, those pieces of evidence no longer exist to aid in the investigation of these few moments of Oregon history; instead of first-hand testimony, second-hand (and often conflicting) accounts must be used.

Newspaper reports of the Singler-Jones gunfight agree on certain basic facts. Sheriff Singler had a warrant for Jones’ arrest and was attempting to carry out his duty when Jones opened fire from inside his two-room cabin. The first shot entered Singler’s body just under his left armpit, passed through both lungs and lodged against the ribs on his right side. The second bullet hit a knuckle of his right hand and a third hit the stove in the center of the room. Singler returned fire after receiving the first wound and hit Jones with all six rounds from his revolver: one to the right cheek, one through the scalp, and four to the abdomen. (2) Jones died almost instantly, while Singler managed to stagger from the cabin and down the hillside to a fence at the edge of a plowed field.

Accounts describing the actions of the combatants immediately preceding the shooting and the part played by George Launspach differ on several points. According to The Medford Sun story published the next day, Sheriff Singler "was reading a warrant for his arrest when the young thug whipped out his revolver" and fired as Singler was standing on the steps just outside the door. "John Launspach(3), living half a mile away heard the shooting and rushed to the aid of Singler" who was lying beneath a tree. After making Singler as comfortable as possible, Launspach returned to his home and telephoned for help. (4)

A Medford Mail Tribune account states Launspach guided Singler to Jones’s cabin and waited at the bottom of the hill while the sheriff went up to arrest the "young desperado" alone. As the sheriff approached the cabin he saw Jones at the stove inside preparing dinner. Singler walked "up the steps, with his gun drawn" and "opened the door with his left hand. As he did so Jones shot." Singler emptied his revolver at Jones "then turned and walked down the hill nearly one hundred yards, when he reeled and fell." (5) Yet another account in The Medford Sun of April 25 (page 1), places Launspach 150 feet from the cabin and calls him an eye witness.

At Sacred Heart Hospital, Doctors Golden, Pickel and Stearns removed the bullet from Singler’s chest, treated the wound and pronounced the operation a success. (6) The sheriff was conscious for several hours; he was visited by his family and friends, and "talked to those helping him about the affray,"(7) giving a "disconnected account of the tragedy." (8)

If Singler gave his own account of what happened at the cabin and if the story placing Launspach within view of the shooting scene is true, the coroner’s inquest on April 24 should have provided an accurate description of events leaving no doubt about the sequence of moves made by the two men. However, the Medford Mail Tribune reported the next day: "The coroner’s inquest ... failed to bring out any new facts or to conclusively clear up the story of the revolver duel ..." (9) So, the known facts seem only to raise more questions.

If Jones had warning the sheriff was approaching the cabin, why didn’t he take cover behind the stove before firing? Jones "...was considered one of the best shots in Jackson county" (10) yet he only hit Singler with one death-dealing bullet before the sheriff returned fire; did he hesitate after his first shot, unintentionally allowing Singler time to "...empty(ing) his gun"? (11) If Jones’ second shot, "fired as (he) was falling," (12) hit a knuckle on Singler’s right hand,(13) how did Singler continue to shoot? Was he left-handed? Or, had Singler already emptied his revolver by the time Jones fired his second and third shots?

August Singler was regarded as a man whose "...most striking characteristics were his industriousness, optimism and integrity." (14) Perhaps, as a Medford Mail Tribune article published the next day stated, ";The true story will probably never be known." (15) Perhaps the only important fact is that a respected man died "...while in the performance of his official duty." (16)

Bibliography:

1. Medford Mail Tribune, April 24, 1913, page 1. (This location, approximately one mile from the present Jacksonville city limit south of South Stage Road, was confirmed using the tax assessment records for the period of 1904 to 1917.
2. Medford Mail Tribune, April 23, 1913, page 1.
3. Launspach is referred to as John in two Medford Sun reports dated April 23, and as George in all Medford Mail Tribune stories as well as most subsequent Sun accounts.
4. The Medford Sun, April 23, 1913, page 1.
5. Medford Mail Tribune, April 23, 1913, page 1.
6. The Medford Sun, April 23, 1913, page 6.
7. Medford Mail Tribune, April 23, 1913, page 2.
8. The Medford Sun, April 23, 1913, page 6.
9. Medford Mail Tribune, April 25, 1913, page 5.
10. The Medford Sun, April 24, 1913, page 1.
11. Medford Mail Tribune, April 23, 1913, page 1.
12. The Medford Sun, April 24, 1913, page 1 and page 6.
13. Medford Mail Tribune, April 23, page 1.
14. The Medford Sun, April 24, 1913, page 6.
15. Medford Mail Tribune, April 25, 1913, page 5.
16. The Medford Sun, April 25, 1913, page 1., page 1.