Constable Frank Walters

Frank Walters

Constable Frank Walters and Deputy Sheriff Rhodes of the Tyler County Precinct 2 were shot and killed while attempting to arrest a suspected cattle thief.

A Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff had been pursuing a man for cattle theft for four days. He was 10 miles from the community of Warren in Tyler County when Tyler County Precinct 2 Constable Frank Walters and Polk County Deputy Sheriff Rhodes attempted to arrest him for the Montgomery County cattle theft. The suspect was driving a wagon with his wife and two children when the lawmen approached him. The two lawmen were shot through the head and died immediately. The suspect remained on the scene for nearly an hour and prohibited anyone from removing the dead bodies until he saw fit to leave. Then he took the best horse, abandoned his wife and children, and fled through the Big Thicket towards the Louisiana border.

On September 27, 1889, shortly after daybreak, the lawmen got word that the suspect was at a cabin near the Texas-Louisiana border. As they approached, they saw him riding a horse ahead of them on the trail. The suspect surrendered without a fight and was transported to the Tyler County jail in Woodville. The suspect was reported to have been about 30 years old and was rumored to have killed six men prior to shooting Rhodes and Walters. The suspect was acquitted in January 1890.

The only certain information about Walters was that he was elected constable for Precinct 2 in Warren on November 6, 1888. His age, family, and place of burial are not known at this time.

No information has been located regarding Polk County Deputy Rhodes, including his first name. His family and burial place are not known at this time.