Joe Epperson

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

Felonious

End of Watch April 29, 1889

The Vigil Panel 10 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 123

Incident

Joe Epperson, prison guard at the convict coal camp in Alto in Cherokee County, was seized by three convicts, disarmed and killed by a convict named James Roach. Roach had snatched the pistol away from another guard. After the killing Roach and another convict named Spears, both from Parker County, and a convict named Ellis Bybee, from San Saba County, made their escape with horses and weapons. A posse quickly apprehended Spears and Bybee in Leon County. The Texas Prison Museum reported that Roach and Bybee were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. Roach and Bybee were pardoned on December 25, 1902 by outgoing Governor Joseph Sayles. The disposition of Spears case is unknown at this time.

Virtually nothing is known about Epperson. One newspaper article reported he was from Henderson County. His place of burial is unknown.

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Last updated: September 9, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

137 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Guard Epperson 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 April 29, 1889

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Joe 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 1889, 46 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 142nd heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

When

April holds 8.4% 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 officer's handgun, in 5.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded