Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Walter Collins was shot and killed while investigating a gambling house, known as the Cattle Exchange, located at North 1st Street and Pine Street in Abilene.
The proprietor of the gambling house was a known gunslinger who had previously attempted to murder two deputies just for notoriety. In 1878 at the Flat, the riotous civilian settlement below Fort Griffin in Shackleford County, he and some other cowboys had planned to kill two special deputies for nothing more than notoriety. One of the deputies disrupted the plot by hitting the man in the head with his pistol before any lawmen were killed.
Deputy Sheriff Walter Collins and his brother, Frank, entered the man's saloon. New gambling ordinances were in place that had upset the gambling house owners. Words were exchanged between the Collins’ brothers and the man before a gunfight erupted. Deputy Collins and the subject were killed outright and Deputy Collins' brother, Frank Collins, was mortally wounded. Frank died on Friday, March 14th, 1884.
Deputy Collins was buried in the Abilene City Cemetery. No wife or children were reported in the 1880 census. He was a private in the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers between the years of 1878 and 1880.
Another of Deputy Collins' brothers, Patrolman James Collins, was shot and killed in the line of duty while serving with the Meridian, Mississippi, Police Department on October 28th, 1888.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-6B3E6D75- 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
142 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Collins served with the Taylor County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Abilene community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Walter Collins 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%.
At Taylor County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Walter Collins's cause is highlighted.
How Walter Collins Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Walter Collins is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Walter Collins was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Taylor County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
