Hilton Theodore Smith

Columbia Police Department — Columbia, SC

Felonious

End of Watch May 18, 1910

Age 31

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

The Vigil Panel 24 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 10

Incident

Assistant Jailer Hilton Smith was shot and killed while escorting a prisoner to the city jail.

Jailer Smith lived with his family in a cottage on the grounds of the jail at 1425 Lincoln Street. On the night of May 17th a woman came to his cottage and reported that she had been beaten by her husband. Jailer Smith accompanied the woman to her home where he arrested the man for assault.

As he escorted the man to a police call box to summon a patrol wagon the man attacked him in the area of Taylor Street, between Gadsden Street and Lincoln Street, and gained control of his service revolver. The man shot him, inflicting a wound from which Jailer Smith died the following day.

The subject was apprehended, convicted of Jailer Smith's murder, and sentenced to life in prison. South Carolina's governor commuted the sentenced to 20 years in January 1915. The man escaped from a Richland County chain gang in 1924 but was recaptured.

Hilton, On today, the 110th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of Columbia.

R.I.P. USBP

Anonymous United States Border Patrol May 18th, 2020

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-SC-617568C4
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.
Assistant Jailer Smith gave the Columbia Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Assistant Jailer Smith.

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

Agency

Department Columbia Police Department

Type Other

Location Columbia, SC

Platform Identity cpd.richland.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 18, 1910

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 31

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Officer's handgun

Assistant Jailer Hilton Theodore Smith 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 SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Columbia Police Department, 6 of 11 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 54.5% of this agency's fallen.

Columbia Police Department

of 11 officers

54.5% Felonious

SC — Statewide

272

of 441 officers

61.7% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious