Roll of Honor
Sam Abbott Mosley
Incident
Around 10:30 p.m., Deputy Constable Sam Abbott Mosley was waylaid and shot with a load of buckshot near the Fort Worth and Denver railroad track east of Wichita Falls. Seven buckshot struck his body and Mosley returned fire with his pistol before dying. On September 2, 1898, Wichita County Sheriff Lee McMurty and Constable Tom Pickett arrested ex-deputy marshal Josh Cook and placed him in jail charged with complicity in the assassination of Deputy Constable Mosley. During the examining trial of Josh Cook it was discovered that Dorsey Wilson, reportedly a local gambler, was the principal suspect. He was in the courtroom at the time and was immediately arrested.
Josh Cook and Dorsey Wilson were indicted by the Grand Jury for the murder. Josh Cook was convicted at Wise County of complicity in the murder of Deputy Constable Mosley and given 5 years in prison even though he was not present at the shooting. Dorsey Wilson was tried for the actual murder, but he was acquitted.
At this time there is no personal information about Mosley. His name was also reported as Sam Abbott, Mosely and Moseley. He was reported to have previously been a Wichita County deputy sheriff and assisted Texas Rangers in the arrest of one of the Joe Beckham gang.
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Constable Mosley served with the Wichita County Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Wichita Falls community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Constable Sam Abbott Mosley is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Sam Abbott Mosley's cause is highlighted.
How Sam Abbott Mosley Compares
Offender Outcome
one acquitted and one convicted
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Sam Abbott Mosley is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Sam Abbott Mosley was killed by shotgun; 12 gauge.