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Deputy Sheriff

Robert Widdowfield

Carbon County Sheriff's Office — Rawlins, WY

Felonious

End of Watch August 19, 1878

Age 32

Tour of Duty

The Vigil Panel 6 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Robert Widdowfield and Special Agent Henry Vincents, of the Union Pacific Railroad Police Department, were shot and killed from ambush while pursuing a suspected train robber in Carbon, Wyoming. The officers were ambushed and shot as they approached the suspect's campsite. The suspect was later arrested and sentenced to death for the murders. Before being executed he was lynched by an angry mob. Deputy Sheriff Widdowfield had been deputized that day to join a posse to search for the suspect.

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Permanent identifier: BO-US-WY-0D3016E9
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 Sheriff Widdowfield served with the Carbon County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Rawlins community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department Carbon County Sheriff's Office

Location Rawlins, WY

Platform Identity ccso.carbon.wy.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 19, 1878

Tour of Duty

Age 32

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Lynched

Deputy Sheriff Robert Widdowfield 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 WY, 41 of 63 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.1% of this state's fallen. That is 10.9 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Carbon County Sheriff's Office

of 1 officers

100% Felonious

WY — Statewide

of 63 officers

65.1% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Widdowfield's cause is highlighted.

Felonious

17,623 (54.2%)

Accident

10,088 (31%)

Illness

2,974 (9.1%)

Cardiac

1,306 (4%)

Undetermined

260 (0.8%)

Suicide

256 (0.8%)

vehicular

1 (0%)

How Robert Widdowfield Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Years of Service

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Lynched

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Widdowfield is highlighted in Aug.

Jan

1,392

Feb

1,295

Mar

1,373

Apr

1,517

May

1,505

Jun

1,443

Jul

1,587

Aug

1,516

Sep

1,553

Oct

1,371

Nov

1,447

Dec

1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Robert Widdowfield was killed by gun; unknown type.

Gun; Unknown type

5,083

Handgun

2,077

Shotgun

922

Officer's handgun

909

Automobile; Alcohol involved

530

Rifle

518