T. L. Fuller

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX

Felonious

End of Watch October 15, 1900

The Vigil Panel 41 · Column 4 · Line 15 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 121

Incident

Texas Rangers had been sent to Orange to quell what was described as riotous disturbances. Ranger Fuller arrested a man causing trouble and was trying to get him to jail on December 21, 1899, when he was jumped by another man. Either the prisoner, Denny Moore, was part of the gang, or Fuller’s attacker just hated any authority; whatever the reason the Ranger was attacked with a knife and had to shoot his assailant in self-defense. The slain man was identified as Oscar Poole, one of the gang leaders. Poole was a son of Orange County Judge George F. Poole. Ranger Fuller was arrested and jailed without bail; however, he was cleared in the shooting. The Poole family filed a complaint of false arrest in Orange County against Ranger Fuller over the death of Oscar Poole. Ranger Captain Bill McDonald protested that the charge was nothing more than a ploy to get the Fuller back in Orange, but he was overruled by superiors acutely concerned with maintaining good will.

Captain McDonald and Private A. L. Saxon were in Orange as witnesses in a case involving newly promoted Lieutenant Fuller. During a break in the trial, Fuller and Saxon decided to get a shave. At 5:30 p.m. Fuller was standing in Adams’ barber shop washing his face at a basin in the center of the room when the shot was fired. The ball from a Winchester struck him in the back of the head and exited through his eye. Fuller fell to the floor and expired in a few minutes. Ranger Saxon was in the chair being shaved at the time and there was no one else in the shop but Barber Adams. Immediately after the shooting Tom Poole ran into an adjoining butcher shop with a Winchester rifle in his hand and was placed under arrest. Poole was a brother of Oscar Poole.

Thomas Poole was tried for the murder of Ranger Fuller and was acquitted on May 4, 1901. In March 1902, Orange City Marshal James A. Jett shot and killed Tom Poole. On May 12, 1902, City Marshal James A. Jett became engaged in a personal dispute with George H. Poole. George, Claude and Grover Poole shot and killed the city marshal in a downtown gun battle.

Very little is currently known about T. L. Fuller’s personal history. His first name may have been Lawrence. His remains were shipped to Fulshear in Brazoria County, but no grave has been located. Fuller was the last member of the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers to be killed in the line of duty. In 1901, the Texas Legislature abolished the Frontier Battalion and established the Texas Rangers as a state police force.

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Last updated: September 9, 2026

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Lieutenant Fuller served with the Texas Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Fuller.

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

Agency

Department Texas Rangers

Type Other

Location Austin, Travis County, TX

Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 15, 1900

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle; Winchester

The Sacrifice · Felonious

T. 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 1900, 86 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 74th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

When

October holds 7.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Mondays: 13.8%.

By month

By day of the week

III

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; winchester, in 0.4% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded