Colorado County Constable's Office - Precinct 4, Texas
End of Watch: Thursday, January 18, 1894
Age: 22
Tour of Duty: 8 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: January 18, 1894
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Knife
Suspect Info: Not available
Constable Townsend died after being stabbed by an inmate. He was serving food and water at the Weimer Jail when one of the inmates stabbed him as he opened a cell door. He died several hours later while receiving medical attention at his parents' house.
Three weeks later the suspect shot and killed Sheriff Hamilton Dickson, of the Wharton County Sheriff's Department, as Sheriff Dickson and the sheriff of Colorado County attempted to apprehend the suspect.
Constable Townsend had been with the agency for eight months and was survived by his wife. His brother, Constable Thomas Townsend, was murdered in the line of duty six months earlier.