Henry Ward

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division — Huntsville, TX

Felonious

End of Watch July 27, 1928

The Vigil Panel 126 · Column 1 · Line 20 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 123

Incident

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division, TX

Dog Sergeant Henry Ward was shot and killed during an escape at the Imperial State Farm Number 2 (modern-day Central Unit) near Sugar Land in Fort Bend County, Texas.

Several prisoners had attacked another guard and disarmed him of his pistol and shotgun. As the guard retreated on horseback, the convicts began firing at him. Hearing the shooting, Sergeant Ward immediately went to the guard's assistance but was struck by a shotgun blast and fell from his horse. He was then shot through the throat with a pistol and died within minutes.

A total of eight inmates escaped from the farm but were apprehended by a posse. Seven of the inmates were charged with murdering Sergeant Ward and wounding two of the deputies in the posse. Two inmates were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. One of the inmates was pardoned on August 12th, 1943, and the other was pardoned on September 30th, 1944.

Deputy Sheriff Frank Bell, one of the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office deputies who was wounded, died in the line of duty on October 10th, 1930, in an unrelated automobile crash.

One of the inmates who participated in the escape had been involved in an escape on July 22th, 1926, in which Guard William Rader was shot and killed at the Ferguson State Farm. The inmate was released on April 5th, 1940.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Dog Sergeant Ward 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, Dog Sergeant Ward.

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

Agency

Department Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division

Type Corrections

Location Huntsville, Walker County, TX

Platform Identity tdcjcidcorr.walker.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 27, 1928

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Henry is one of 15,742 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1928, 201 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 13th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States