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Guard

J R McCall

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division — Huntsville, TX

Felonious

End of Watch August 27, 1933

Age 43

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

The Vigil Panel 147 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 123

Incident

Guard J R McCall was on duty in the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug 27, 1933 in a dormitory with 120 convicts at the Central State Prison near Sugar Land in Fort Bend County. He heard inmate Beaumont King, 26, shouting to awaken the druggist because the inmate wanted medicine. As Guard McCall approached to assist King, King pointed a pistol at him and ordered him to raise his hands. Before McCall could comply, King shot him once in the chest. McCall returned fire wounding King in the chest. King was transported to prison hospital and survived. McCall was transported to a Sugar Land hospital and died at 145 pm that day.

Prison officials learned that some unknown party planted the German Lugar in a cotton sack left on the prison farm outside the walls. King was serving a 15-year sentence and was not considered a dangerous inmate. It was learned that 15 desperate lifers had convinced King to lead the escape attempt. King was unfamiliar with the pistol and it fired before he was ready.

Guard J. R. McCall had worked at the prison 3 years. He was 43 years old and single. He was survived by a sister in MS and a brother in FL. He was buried in Stonewall, MS.

Survivors

He was survived by a sister in MS and a brother in FL.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Guard McCall gave the Texas Department of Criminal Justice 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Guard McCall.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division

Type Corrections

Location Huntsville, Walker County, TX

Platform Identity tdcjcidcorr.walker.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 27, 1933

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Age 43

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun; Luger

The Sacrifice · Felonious

J is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1933, 184 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 15th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

J was 43. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. J had served 3 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

August holds 8.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun; luger, in 0% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded