Thomas Ferdinand Goslee
Agency patch
Officer

Thomas Ferdinand Goslee

Hot Springs Police Department — Hot Springs, AR
Felonious
End of Watch March 16, 1899
Age 47
The Vigil Panel 15 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Thomas Goslee, Officer J.E. Hart, and Chief Thomas Toler were shot and killed by a neighboring sheriff, his son, and three of his deputies, during an argument over a mayoral election. The sheriff and his deputies came into town and started arguing with the officers and a local bartender. The men left, but later returned. A gunfight ensued when the bartender attacked one of the deputies with a knife. All three Hot Springs officers, the bartender, and one of the deputies were killed. The sheriff, his son, and his other two deputies were arrested and charged with murder. Two were tried and acquitted. The trials of the other two ended with hung juries.

Survivors

Officer Goslee was survived by his wife and three sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-19AEBE2A
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

127 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Officer Goslee served with the Hot Springs Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Hot Springs community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Hot Springs, Garland County, AR
Platform Identity hspd.garland.ar.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 16, 1899
Age 47
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer Thomas Ferdinand Goslee 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 97,756 officers honored here.

In AR, 249 of 372 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.9% of this state's fallen. That is 66.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Hot Springs Police Department, 8 of 9 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 88.9% of this agency's fallen.

Hot Springs Police Department
8
of 9 officers
88.9% Felonious
AR — Statewide
249
of 372 officers
66.9% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,756 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Ferdinand Goslee's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Thomas Ferdinand Goslee Compares

Age at Death
47
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Ferdinand Goslee is highlighted in Mar.

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. Thomas Ferdinand Goslee was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909