William Maxfield married ALICE K. SNOW at Portland, Maine, on 22 November 1898 (Me M). Alice was born at Maine on 21 January 1874 (SSDI; Ca D). The 1900 census (591:2:3) reported William and Alice at 6 Trowbridge Place, Portland, living with his mother and step-father:
| Name | Related | Race | Sex | Born | MS | B | FB | MB | Occupation |
| Moore, Edward | head | W | M | Jun 1855 | M | ME | ME | ME | cabinet maker |
| Moore, Sarah | wife | W | F | Dec 1858 | M | ME | ME | ME | |
| Maxfield, Frank H. | stepson | W | M | Oct 1872 | S | ME | MA | ME | cook |
| Maxfield, William A. | stepson | W | M | Mar 1876 | M | ME | MA | ME | carpenter-house |
| Maxfield, Alice H. | daughter-in-law | W | F | Jan 1874 | M | ME | ME | ME | |
| Maxfield, Donald R. | step-grandson | W | M | Oct 1899 | ME | ME | ME |
According to this record, Edward and Sarah had been married fifteen years, and Sarah had two children, both living; William and Alice had been married one year, and she had one child, who was living.
William and Alice Maxfield moved West, to Red Cliff, Colorado, in 1901, then to his father's ranch at Sweetwater in 1903, and to Gypsum about 1910.
William Maxfield was murdered at Pando, Colorado, on 15 December 1912. The Salt Lake Tribune described the incident as follows (News Archive-SLT)
The Oakland Tribune added some more details (News Arch--OT):LONE BANDIT HOLDS UP RAILWAY STATION Tragedy at Pondo, Near Leadville; Murderer Captured by Bridge Gang LEADVILLE, Colo., Dec. 15.--A lone bandit, suspected to be "Big Frank" L. Smith, a murderer who escaped from the Brighton jail a week ago, entered the Denver & Rio Grande station at Pondo, a small station twenty miles west of Leadville, last night, held up the station agent, C. N. Kinney, and three other men, marched them down the track, and apparently, without provocation struck one of his victims, William Maxfield, over the head with the butt of his revolver, and shot him dead as the man fell in his tracks.
Robs the Agent and Marches Three Other Men Down Tracks as Train Nears
KILLS ONE WHO IS SLOW
In an hour and twenty minutes after the holdup and murder the bandit had been captured by members of a bridge crew, and is now in the jail at Red Cliff. He gives his name as Burns.Men Lined Up Robert Miller and Herman Hermes were waiting for westbound passenger No. 5 when the bandit, wearing a black handkerchief tied over the lower portion of his face entered. He covered the two men and Kinney with his revolver, and fired one shot at the ceiling to extinguish the light, and another shot inside the room where Kinney was working. This shot just grazed the agent. While the robber was thus engaged, Maxfield, an employee of the ice pond, entered the building and was promptly ordered to line up with the rest.
Securing Kinney's watch and $1.50 in cash, the bandit lined the four men up and ordered them to march ahead of him down the track. He allowed Kinney to return, however, as a train was approaching.Maxfield Killed Maxfield did not move fast enough, and, being slightly deaf, failed to hear the command of the holdup to "hurry." The robber then struck him over the head with the butt of his weapon and fired one shot into his breast as the man fell.
The others were released after proceeding a short distance down the track, and the robber disappeared.
In the meantime Kinney had given the alarm, and a gang of bridgemen, heavily armed, boarded an eastbound freight train, suspecting that the bandit was hidden in one of the cars.
When the freight stopped at Tennessee Pass, the train was searched and the man found hidden in the ice bunker of a refrigerator car.
He was taken to Pando and identified as the bandit, and later taken to jail at Red Cliff.
At the jail after giving his name as "Burns," the bandit refused sullenly to answer questions.
The obituary in the Eagle Valley Enterprise provided more details of his life (Eagle Val Ent):SAYS HUNGER WAS CAUSE OF CRIME RED CLIFF, Colo., Dec. 16.--James Burns, arrested by trainmen and charged with murder and robbery at Pando station, Saturday night, confessed last night to the killing.
Prisoner Confesses to Murder of Deaf Man at Railway Station
"Man, if you had gone without something to eat for 48 hours and didn't have a nickel in the world you would get desperate, too," he said.
Burns declared he regrets killing W. A. Maxfield, the deaf ice house worker.
"I would never have shot that poor devil, if I had known he was deaf," he said. . . .
Maxfield, W. A., Jr. -- W. A. Maxfield, Jr., who was killed at Pando last Sunday, was buried at Gypsum last Tuesday. He was born at Bryant Pond, Maine on March 20, 1876, the son of W. A. Maxfield Sr. and Sarah F. Tucker Maxfield. He received his earlier education at Public schools at Rochester, New Hampshire, and subsequently at Rumford, Maine, taking afterwards a two year course of study at the University of Maine, preparatory for the college at East Maine Conference Seminary, Bucksport, Maine. It was at the latter place that he met Alice Snow, also a student at the Seminary, who afterward became his wife, the ceremony taking place at Portland, Maine, November 22, 1898.William's widow, Alice (Snow) Maxfield, married ALFRED MAGNUS at Maine on 19 July 1914 (VR Me--Br). the record indicated they were both of Bucksport. Alfred Magnus was born at Illinois about 1882 (1920 census). The 1920 census (172:2A-2B) reported the family at Victor City, Teller County, California. Alsved Magnas, age 37, born at Illinois to Swedish born parents, was proprietor of a gold mine. Alice Magnas was 39 years old. The household included Alsved Magnas' step-children, Donald R. Maxfield, 20, born at Maine, a gold miner, and Wilda A. Maxfield, age 10, born at Colorado. Another gold miner, William E. Wilson, also lived in the household.
The deceased, with his family, moved to Colorado in 1901, locating at Red Cliff, where they lived until 1903. They then moved to his father's ranch on Sweetwater, moving to Gypsum about two years ago.
Two children, Donald, aged thirteen and Wilda aged three, survive the murdered man also a wife, one brother, E. H. Maxfield of Gypsum, and his mother, Mrs. Sarah Moore of Delaware, Ohio. Both in his native state and here in Colorado the deceased had a wide circle of friends who sincerely mourn his tragic death.
The Enterprise joins the friends of the bereaved relatives in extending sympathy.
The 1930 census (178:6A) reported Donald R. Maxfield as head of a household at Grass Valley, Nevada County, California. Donald was a janitor for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph. Also in the household was Donald's mother, Alice Maxfield, and his sister, Wilda A. Maxfield. Alice, age 56, reported as a widow, worked as a maid at a hotel. Wilda, age 21, was a telephone operator for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph.
Alice (Snow) Maxfield died at Nevada County, Colorado, on 8 May 1969 (SSDI; Ca D). Her last residence was Grass Valley.
William A. Maxfield, Jr., and his wife Alice Snow had the following children:
Donald Rupert Maxfield
313 N. Third Street, Victor, Teller Co., CO
18, b. 28 Oct 1899 white
miner, gold soverign mine, Victor
mother: Mrs. Alice Magnus, 313 N. 3d St., Victor
tall, slender, gray eyes, black hair
Information on this family is found in:
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