Roll of Honor
Incident
On Tuesday, June 9, 1874, Bosque County Deputy Sheriff Jabez C. Pierson was transporting prisoner M. H. "Bud" Galbreath by horse and wagon from Comanche to Meridian where Galbreath was to be tried for rape. Galbreath was chained. Somehow during the trip along the Bosque River, Galbreath gained possession of Deputy Pierson's pistol, then shot and killed Deputy Sheriff Pierson. Pierson's body was found in the wagon.
M. H. "Bud" Galbreath, 17 years old, AKA: Gelbrath and Galbraith, had been running with the notorious John Wesley Hardin gang when he was arrested by Texas Rangers in Comanche County. Galbreath escaped from the scene where he murdered Deputy Pierson and fled to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
Galbreath was arrested in the Indian Territory in 1897. He was brought back to Meridian and tried in 1898, twenty-four years after the murder of Deputy Pierson. The jury gave the following ruling: "We the Jury find the defendant guilty of manslaughter and as the offense was committed more than three years prior to the finding of this indictment we find him not guilty of that offense, signed Ed M. Kisick, Foreman". and "It is therefore considered ordered and adjudged by the court the defendant M. H. Galbreath be immediately discharged from all further liability upon the charge for which he has herein been tried and that he go hence without delay".
Jabez C. Pierson was a Confederate War Veteran. He served in Co. B, 31st Texas Calvary C. S. A. In 1875 Bosque County Sheriff John A. Biffle while writing about Galbreath said...."he killed one of the best men in Texas [J.C. Pierson]". Jabez C. Pierson is buried in Section M, Meridian City Cemetery, Meridian, Texas.
Galbreath was arrested in the Indian Territory in 1897. He was brought back to Meridian and tried in 1898, twenty-four years after the murder of Deputy Pierson. The jury gave the following ruling: "We the Jury find the defendant guilty of manslaughter and as the offense was committed more than three years prior to the finding of this indictment we find him not guilty of that offense, signed Ed M. Kisick, Foreman". and "It is therefore considered ordered and adjudged by the court the defendant M. H. Galbreath be immediately discharged from all further liability upon the charge for which he has herein been tried and that he go hence without delay".
Jabez C. Pierson was a Confederate War Veteran. He served in Co. B, 31st Texas Calvary C. S. A. In 1875 Bosque County Sheriff John A. Biffle while writing about Galbreath said...."he killed one of the best men in Texas [J.C. Pierson]". Jabez C. Pierson is buried in Section M, Meridian City Cemetery, Meridian, Texas.
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- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
152 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Pierson served with the Bosque County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Meridian community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Jabez C. Pierson 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%.
At Bosque County Sheriff's Office, 4 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jabez C. Pierson's cause is highlighted.
How Jabez C. Pierson Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Jabez C. Pierson is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Bosque County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
