Night Watchman Pinkney Lambert Barnhill

Pinkney Lambert Barnhill

Night Watchman Pink Barnhill succumbed to a gunshot wound he received while patrolling near the train tracks at Kenedy Avenue in Kingsville.

At 10:30 p.m., two fugitives arrived in Kingsville and attacked Night Watchman Barnhill. He was hit over the head, and they took his pistol, shooting him in the stomach. The sound of gunfire alerted other officers, who warned surrounding officers and the state patrol. The subjects robbed the Edwards Grocery Store before overpowering a car, taking three people hostage, and forcing them to drive to Corpus Christi. When the car stopped at a blockade, the subjects shot and killed the female passenger and fled on foot.

The subjects were killed after firing on two highway patrolmen and a deputy sheriff at dawn. The fugitives started their criminal spree on June 27, 1940, in Nacogdoches by hijacking vehicles and robbing stores as they traveled south, which resulted in one of the most costly manhunts in Texas at the time.

Night Watchman Barnhill was transported to Kleberg County Hospital where he passed away after surgery the next day.

Night Watchman Barnhill had served with the Kingsville Police Department for 14 years and previously served with the Texas Rangers for six years and the United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service for four years. He was survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters, a niece, a nephew, and four grandchildren.