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Deputy U.S. Marshal

Charles H. V. Fusselman

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service — Washington, DC

Felonious

End of Watch April 17, 1890

Age 23

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 10 mo

The Vigil Panel 10 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 312

Incident

Deputy Marshal Charley Henry Vanvalkenburg Fusselman was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend rustlers stealing cattle. On April 17, 1890, Sergeant Fusselman was in El Paso to attend court. While at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, a rancher complained that some bandits had stolen a number of his cattle. The deputy sheriff could not leave the office, so Fusselman agreed to accompany him and a 60-year-old former ranger and lawman in chasing the rustlers. They quickly captured one of the rustlers who was a lookout. The three men found the cattle and assumed the rustlers had fled, but they were ambushed. Deputy Marshal Fusselman was killed instantly. The two other men fled and the posse could not find the rustlers. Ultimately, a well-known rustler along the Mexican border was identified as the man who killed Charles Fusselman. On October 6, 1898 - over eight years after Fusselman’s death - the suspect was convicted and sentenced to hang. He was executed on January 5, 1900. Charley Fusselman was promoted to Sergeant in the Texas Rangers and given an appointment as a Deputy U. S. Marshal, where he served for almost two years. He was buried in the Lagarto Cemetery in Live Oak County. The canyon in the Franklin Mountains in El Paso County where Fusselman was killed is now named Fusselman Canyon.

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Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

136 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Fusselman gave the United States Department of Justice 1 year.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service

Type Federal Agency

Location Washington, DC

Platform Identity usms.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 17, 1890

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 10 mo

Age 23

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Charles is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1890, 65 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 113th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Charles was 23. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Charles had served 1.9 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

April holds 8.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Thursdays: 14%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was rifle, in 5.9% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded