Cyrus W. Abel
Agency patch
Special Deputy Constable

Cyrus W. Abel

Felonious
End of Watch June 30, 1880
Age 41
Tour of Duty
The Vigil Panel 6 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Deputy Constable Cy Abel was shot and killed while assisting the Precinct 4 constable make an arrest inside of a saloon in Albany, Texas.

The constable had observed one man assault another with a pool cue and told him he was under arrest. He then called upon Special Deputy Abel to assist him. As they neared the man he began to curse them and opened fire. One of the shots struck Special Deputy Constable in the leg and severed his femoral artery.

The subject was also shot but survived. He was acquitted of murder in October 1881. Authorities in Louisiana unsuccessfully attempted to extradite him for an unrelated murder.

Special Deputy Constable Abel,

On today, the 145th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of Shackelford County.

BPA Mike Casey United States Border Patrol(Retired) June 30th, 2025

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-615167AF
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

146 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Special Deputy Constable Abel served with the Shackelford County Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Albany community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Albany, TX
Platform Identity sccop4co.shackelford.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 30, 1880
Tour of Duty
Age 41
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Special Deputy Constable Cyrus W. Abel 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%.

Shackelford County Constable's Office - Precinct 4
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. Cyrus W. Abel's cause is highlighted.

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

How Cyrus W. Abel Compares

Age at Death
41
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Cyrus W. Abel is highlighted in Jun.

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. Cyrus W. Abel was killed by gun; unknown type.

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

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Shackelford County Constable's Office - Precinct 4 are honored on badge.nw.