Roll of Honor
Dewitt Frisby Oliver
Incident
Assistant Warden Dewitt F. Oliver was working at the “Walls Unit” in Huntsville, Walker County. Oliver was standing on the east wall when convicts Maximo Vega and Ernest Conner approached him from behind. The convicts were armed with knives and slashed Oliver’s throat. They bound his hands and used Oliver as a shield and threatened to kill him if other guards fired at them. They seized the picket guard’s guns. They then pushed Oliver off the wall and escaped through the railway gate. Oliver fractured his left leg and suffered internal injuries. Early reports had him recovering rapidly.
Vega and Conner were chased by bloodhounds but stole a horse and later boarded a train. They were captured on September 3rd on board the train as it arrived in Houston. Both men were returned to the prison. On September 12th Vega allegedly tried to escape from a prison work gang and was shot and killed. The Justice of the Peace held an inquest and declared the death as justifiable homicide. Vega was from El Paso and considered one of the both dangerous prisoners in the system. Conner was serving two years for burglary out of Fort Worth and was reportedly charged with the murder. The disposition of the case is unknown.
On September 17 Oliver died from his injuries in the local hospital. Oliver’s body was shipped to Henderson, Rusk County, for burial. He was survived by his father, a brother and a sister. The place of burial is unknown.
Survivors
He was survived by his father, a brother and a sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-A6AA27C7- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Assistant Warden Oliver served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Assistant Warden Oliver.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Assistant Warden Dewitt Frisby Oliver is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division, 32 of 124 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dewitt Frisby Oliver's cause is highlighted.
How Dewitt Frisby Oliver Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dewitt Frisby Oliver is highlighted in Sep.
Others Who Wore This Badge
123 officers from Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
