Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Rhodes and Constable Frank Walters of the Tyler County Precinct 2 were shot and killed while attempting to arrest a suspected cattle thief.
A Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff had been pursuing a man for cattle theft for four days. He was 10 miles from the community of Warren in Tyler County when Tyler County Precinct 2 Constable Frank Walters and Polk County Deputy Sheriff Rhodes attempted to arrest him for the Montgomery County cattle theft. The suspect was driving a wagon with his wife and two children when the lawmen approached him. The two lawmen were shot through the head and died immediately. The suspect remained on the scene for nearly an hour and prohibited anyone from removing the dead bodies until he saw fit to leave. Then he took the best horse, abandoned his wife and children, and fled through the Big Thicket towards the Louisiana border.
On September 27, 1889, shortly after daybreak, the lawmen got word that the suspect was at a cabin near the Texas-Louisiana border. As they approached, they saw him riding a horse ahead of them on the trail. The suspect surrendered without a fight and was transported to the Tyler County jail in Woodville. The suspect was reported to have been about 30 years old and was rumored to have killed six men prior to shooting Rhodes and Walters. The suspect was acquitted in January 1890.
The only certain information about Walters was that he was elected constable for Precinct 2 in Warren on November 6, 1888. His age, family, and place of burial are not known at this time.
No information has been located regarding Polk County Deputy Rhodes, including his first name. His family and burial place are not known at this time.
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- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
137 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Rhodes served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Livingston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff X. Rhodes 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. X. Rhodes's cause is highlighted.
How X. Rhodes Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. X. Rhodes is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. X. Rhodes was killed by unknown weapon.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Polk County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.