New Hampshire Law Enforcement Memorial Page

New Hampshire Police Association
Law Enforcement Memorial Page

Officer Albert L. Colson
1869 - 1924

55 years old
Tour of Duty: 10 Years
Died on July 3, 1924

Cause of Death: Gunfire

Date of Incident: Thursday, July 3, 1924

Weapon Used : Hand-Gun

Suspect Info: J. Patrick McDuffie, guilty by reason of insanity confined to New Hampshire State Hospital, where he died in 1928.

At approximately 10:30 p.m., on July 3, 1924, Officer Colson, along with his friend and neighbor, Arthur C. Bennet, went to the home of J. Parker McDuffy on Franklin Street. The year before, McDuffy had been greatly annoyed by some local boys the night before the Fourth of July, so this night, McDuffy had notified the police that he would protect himself against any intruders.

When the two men arrived, McDuffy was sitting on his steps with a shotgun on his lap. After speaking a few words with him, Colson tried to disarm McDuffy, who pulled out a revolver and fatally shot Colson in the abdomen. Officer Colson died almost instantly. When Mr. Bennett tried to take the shotgun away, he too was shot by McDuffy and died at the hospital a few hours later.

McDuffy was persuaded to surrender to police. McDuffy pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and was confined to the state hospital where he died in 1928.