05/13/2026
In honor of National Police Week, we remember the second Columbia Falls Police officer killed in the line of duty - Marshal Leslie Green.
Marshal Leslie Green was appointed as the town Marshal and water superintendent in a special session of the town council on April 25, 1931, only six days after his good friend Jacob Neitzling was killed in the line of duty.
On October 2, 1937, Justice of the Peace Tom Caverly sought out the fearless Marshal Green and asked him to investigate a possible arson. Marshal Green accompanied the judge and the complainant to an area known as Morton Springs, approximately three miles north of town, where they encountered the burned cabin and the suspect.
The suspect was with a companion and the judge began questioning him while Marshal Green began questioning the suspect. According to Judge Caverly, Marshal Green found a pistol on the suspect. Caverly made the individual relinquish the firearm for inspection. Afterward, the firearm was returned, but instead of placing it back in his waistband, the suspect set the gun on a bench between himself and Marshal Green.
When Marshal Green and Judge Caverly determined the stories were not matching up, Marshal Green informed the men they would be escorted back to Columbia Falls for additional questioning. The suspect suddenly grabbed the firearm from the bench and what Judge Caverly later described as a “vicious shootout” began. Caverly testified that Marshal Green and the suspect were “blazing away at each other” and reloaded their weapons at least twice during the exchange.
The suspect fled into the woods with Marshal Green pursuing close behind. Judge Caverly later testified that although he could no longer see the men, he could hear what would become their third exchange of gunfire. After a period of silence, the judge followed the trail and discovered Marshal Green mortally wounded in the woods.
Judge Caverly returned to Columbia Falls and notified Sheriff Robinson, who was also Marshal Green’s brother-in-law. A posse was formed, and the suspect was later arrested.
Marshal Green gave his life in service to this community while protecting others, and his courage and commitment remain part of the Columbia Falls Police Department’s history nearly nine decades later.
Today, we are grateful to have Marshal Green’s great-great-grandson, Officer Austin Green, serving as a member of the Columbia Falls Police Department, continuing a family legacy of service to this community.
“I serve in honor of the generations before me, my great-great grandfather who was killed in the line of duty, my grandfather who served as a reserve officer, and my father and uncle who both volunteered in the fire service. Their example inspires me every day and I am proud to carry that legacy forward,” says Officer Austin Green.
During National Police Week, we honor the sacrifice of those who came before us and remember that their legacy lives on through the officers who continue to serve today.
End of Watch: October 2, 1937
