Rufus Springs
Incident
Deputy U.S. Marshal Rufus Springs was shot and killed by moonshiners as he and several revenuers raided a still in South Carolina. During the raid Marshal Springs stood outside of the still looking for suspects when a shot rang out, striking him. The rest of the officers on the scene fled the area. The same suspect had also murdered Deputy U.S. Marshal Alfred Duckworth on March 1st, 1876, in Transylvania County, North Carolina, and had been acquitted of murdering Deputy U.S. Marshal Van Buren Hendrix in Greenville County, South Carolina, on February 12th, 1877. Deputy Marshal Springs is buried in Sardis Methodist Church Cemetery, Buncumbe County, North Carolina.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-7604418A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
148 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Springs served with the United States Department of Justice.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy U.S. Marshal Rufus Springs 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 DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, 251 of 313 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rufus Springs's cause is highlighted.
How Rufus Springs Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Rufus Springs is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Rufus Springs was killed by rifle.
Others Who Wore This Badge
312 officers from United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.















