Roll of Honor
Incident
McLennan County operated a convict farm (work camps) for prisoners convicted of misdemeanors. These farms were correctional facilities. Some operated under the county sheriff and some operated under the direction of a county agency answering to the County Judge and Commissioners’ Court. Many of the work camps for the state and counties leased out the convicts to work for private lessees.
On Wednesday, June 8, 1892, a gang of convicts were chopping cotton on the Steiner farm about 12 miles downriver of Waco, McLennan County, Texas, near the Brazos River. The river was swollen from flooding and the current was swift. One of the convicts, Sam Johnson, made a break for freedom and started swimming across the river. County Guard William H. (Will) Camp and the lessee, George Oglesby, were on horseback and started following the escapee in the river. Oglesby and Camp’s horses became tangled in debris and started struggling. Oglesby managed to make it back to the bank, but was too injured and exhausted to go back into the river to save Camp. Camp had his pistol in one hand and never released it as he struggled in the current. Oglesby offered to pay any of the convicts who would attempt to rescue Camp. Andy Wash went into the river in an effort to save Camp, but both Camp and Wash perished. Their bodies were found two days later floating near each other. The escapee, Sam Johnson, made it to the other side, but seeing the tragedy he had caused, swam back across the river and returned to the convict gang.
No personal information was discovered about Will Camp. The newspaper stated he was well known. His place of burial is unknown. Hopefully, future research will uncover more about this officer.
Rest in Peace Convict Farm Guard William (Will) Camp. Thank You for your Service and Sacrifice Protecting the citizens of McClennan County, Texas.
I Pray for Peace for your Family and Ancestors. I also Pray that the hounds of hell forever gnaw on the bones of those responsible for your death.
Amen.
Senior Special Agent B.L. Sherwood (Ret) Port Terminal Railroad Police Houston, TX June 8th, 2016
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
134 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Guard Camp served with the McLennan County Convict Farm.
Thank you for your service to the Waco community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Guard William H. "Will" Camp is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William H. "Will" Camp's cause is highlighted.
How William H. "Will" Camp Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William H. "Will" Camp is highlighted in Jun.