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Correction Officer

H. D. Parsons

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

Felonious

End of Watch July 26, 1898

Age 52

The Vigil Panel 15 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 123

Incident

Corrections Officer H.D. Parsons was shot and killed during an escape from the Donovant Convict Farm near Eagle Lake, Texas.

At 11:30 p.m. H. D. Parsons was working as the night prison guard at the Donovant Convict Farm when he was called to the grated window of a cell and asked to bring some medicine for an alleged sick man. Parsons brought the medicine and placed it on the window sill when his hand was caught by a convict, and he was jerked against the grating. Then another convict grabbed his pistol from his belt and killed him. They then took a bench and knocked the window out, and four convicts made their escape. Another prisoner caught hold of the alarm bell and rang it in the face of a threat from a convict about to shoot him. None of the convicts was serving more than ten years. The convicts crossed the river and made for Scull Creek bottom while being pursued by a posse with bloodhounds.

On August 17, 1898, the doctor was arrested at about 1:30 a.m. near Mayfield in Milam County by the sheriff and a posse of guards. The doctor told reporters he was sent to prison from Polk County about two years ago under a charge of bigamy for a term of 10 years. He was sent to the Donovant convict farm as a surgeon and physician, and he was serving in that capacity when he escaped. He denied being involved in the murder of Guard Parsons. It is unknown if he was charged with the murder. The Texas Prison Museum reported that the doctor was discharged from prison on November 22, 1904.

Corrections Officer Parsons was the son of General George Parsons of Washington, D.C. In 1880 he was living in Bellville, Austin County, with his wife and three children. One child died in 1886 from an accident.

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Tributes

128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Correction Officer Parsons served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— 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 26, 1898

Age 52

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

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

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1898, 89 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 69th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

H. was 52. 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.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

July holds 9.3% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

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 handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded