The names of two police officers killed more than 80 years ago will join the names of other fallen officers on the Denver Police Memorial on Friday.
Officers William H. Cabler and Willie O. Steam died in the line of duty and both will be honored at the 19th annual memorial ceremony at 10 a.m. Denver Police headquarters.
“I think it’s important, for many reasons, to add Officers Cabler and Steam to the memorial. They gave their lives in the service of this community and should not be forgotten,” said Denver Police Chief Gerald Whitman.
Cabler was patrolling the Denver Union Stockyards, at what is today the National Western complex,on the night of April 21, 1916, a Denver Police spokesman said. Cabler heard gunfire and went to investigate, and determined that an attempted robbery had taken place.
Cabler, 64, pursued two suspects, one of whom shot him during an ambush. Cabler told a cowboy who came to his aid to “take my gun and my horse” and continue the pursuit. Cabler died in the hospital about an hour later.
A posse of cowboys continued the pursuit, and both suspects were apprehended.
Steam, a black officer assigned to patrol dance halls and saloons frequented by black patrons, was playing cards with a dance hall proprietor on Feb. 18, 1921 when a suspect gunned him down from behind.
The suspect held a grudge against the 48-year-old Steam because Steam had closed down an illegal dance operation the previous week.
To qualify for the memorial, officers must have had full arrest authority and must have died in a police action.
Kyle Glazier:303-954-1638 or kglazier@denverpost.com
