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Deputy Sheriff

Robert Widdowfield

Carbon County Sheriff's Office — Rawlins, WY

Felonious

End of Watch August 19, 1878

Age 32

Tour of Duty

The Vigil Panel 6 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Robert Widdowfield and Special Agent Henry Vincents, of the Union Pacific Railroad Police Department, were shot and killed from ambush while pursuing a suspected train robber in Carbon, Wyoming. The officers were ambushed and shot as they approached the suspect's campsite. The suspect was later arrested and sentenced to death for the murders. Before being executed he was lynched by an angry mob. Deputy Sheriff Widdowfield had been deputized that day to join a posse to search for the suspect.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-WY-0D3016E9
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

148 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Widdowfield served with the Carbon County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Rawlins community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Carbon County Sheriff's Office

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Rawlins, Carbon County, WY

Platform Identity ccso.carbon.wy.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 19, 1878

Tour of Duty

Age 32

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

Deputy Sheriff Robert Widdowfield 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 WY, 41 of 63 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.1% of this state's fallen. That is 65.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Carbon County Sheriff's Office

of 1 officers

100% Felonious

WY — Statewide

of 63 officers

65.1% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Widdowfield's cause is highlighted.

Felonious

1 (0%)

Accident

1 (0%)

Illness

1 (0%)

Cardiac

1 (0%)

Undetermined

1 (0%)

Suicide

1 (0%)

How Robert Widdowfield Compares

Age at Death

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Years of Service

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Widdowfield is highlighted in Aug.

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. Robert Widdowfield was killed by gun.

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 Carbon County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.