Ben J. Hill
Agency patch
City Marshal

Ben J. Hill

Felonious
End of Watch October 19, 1902
Age 28
The Vigil Panel 18 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Ben Hill died from gunshot wounds received the previous day while attempting to arrest a man for firing a gun at an outside church festival. During the arrest the man shot Marshal Hill three times.

The suspect was convicted of Marshal Hill's murder and was executed on December 19, 1902.

He was buried at Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Blossom, Texas.

The badge displayed on his memorial was Marshal Hill's actual badge.

Survivors

Marshal Hill was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-108CDCE7
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
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.
City Marshal Hill served with the Blossom Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Paris community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, City Marshal Hill.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Paris, TX
Platform Identity bpd.lamar.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 19, 1902
Age 28
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

City Marshal Ben J. Hill is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Blossom Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ben J. Hill's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Ben J. Hill Compares

Age at Death
28
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Ben J. Hill is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Blossom Police Department are honored on badge.nw.