Roll of Honor
Incident
C. B. Willingham was the first sheriff of Oldham County when he was elected on January 12, 1881. Sheriff Willingham appointed Henry McCullough as a Constable of Precinct One. On June 1, 1882, Sheriff Willingham asked and received permission to appoint McCullough as a deputy sheriff of Oldham County and as the town marshal of Tascosa. He was paid $25 per month.
On Monday, July 17, 1882, Deputy Sheriff Henry McCullough attempted to arrest Frank “Mexican Frank” Larque (also appears to be spelled Larqus, Larques and Largus) for a gambling violation at the Jenkins and Donnelly Saloon and Dance Hall in Tascosa. Larque was not going to jail, so he didn’t remove his pistol from his holster, but fired the revolver from inside the holster, hitting McCullough in the stomach, which killed him.
Henry McCullough was buried in Tascosa’s Boot Hill Cemetery apparently in an unmarked grave. No personal information is known about McCullough who had been on the wrong side of the law before becoming a lawman.
The outlaw was quickly captured fleeing to the New Mexico Territory. Frank Larque was convicted on September 12, 1882, and sentenced to 22 years in the state prison.
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- April 2, 2026
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- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
144 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff McCullough served with the Oldham County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Vega community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Henry McCullough 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. Henry McCullough's cause is highlighted.
How Henry McCullough Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 22 years in prison
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry McCullough is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Henry McCullough was killed by handgun.