Jourden Alexander Morris

Smith County Sheriff's Office — Tyler, TX

Felonious

End of Watch October 8, 1881

Age 30

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

The Vigil Panel 7 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 7

Incident

Deputy Morris approached a crowd of drunken men in front of Andy Harper's Saloon in Lindale. He attempted to get two of the men to quit creating a disturbance. Three brothers, Jesse Starnes, Pleasant Starnes and Warren Starnes, and Bob Billips [aka: Billups] were in the crowd. Billips and one of the Starnes brothers told Deputy Morris he could not arrest them. Pleasant Starnes then hit Deputy Morris in the head with some object. Morris was then able to cut Pleasant Starnes with a knife. Deputy Morris was then shot twice in the back and once in the foot with a pistol. Morris died from the gunshot wounds and blows to the head. All four suspects were indicted for murder. Jesse Starnes was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to five years in prison. Pleasant Starnes was found not guilty by a jury. The charges against Warren Starnes were dismissed in January 1884, at the request of the Smith County District Attorney. Bob Billips was never arrested and tried for the murder of Deputy Morris.

Morris was survived by his wife, Sarah, and three children. He is buried in the Morris Cemetery, Smith County, Texas.

Survivors

Morris was survived by his wife, Sarah, and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-A44319D2
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

145 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Morris gave the Smith County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tyler community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Smith County Sheriff's Office

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Tyler, Smith County, TX

Platform Identity scso.smith.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 8, 1881

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

Age 30

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Deputy Sheriff Jourden Alexander Morris 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 Smith County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 8 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.5% of this agency's fallen.

Smith County Sheriff's Office

of 8 officers

62.5% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,461

of 2,422 officers

60.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious