J.C. Snead - Hillsboro, TX - Graves Mentioning a Cause of Death on Waymarking.com

Mr. Snead's marble headstone looks like it may have supported an urn at one time, and while it is old and weathered, a good cleaning would reveal that it's in fairly good condition. The compass and square of the Freemasons is above the inscription:

J.C.
Snead

Born
June 13, 1835.

Died
July 22, 1869.

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A small granite slab in front of his headstone notes his fate:

John C. Snead
Sheriff Hill Co. 1867 - 1869
Killed in the line of duty

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Oddly, there's not much to be found about Mr. Snead, and even the Officer Down Memorial Page lacks an entry for him. His Findagrave page has a couple of photos of him, noting that he was a native of Mississippi, and that he came to Texas as a boy in 1840. Sometime before 1860, he moved to Hill County with his family, and saw service during the Civil War. After the war, he returned to the area and raised cattle, and was elected as the sheriff of Hill County in 1867.

On July 22, 1869, Snead arrested a horse thief by the name of Alex Bell. As Snead brought his charge to Hillsboro, Bell fatally shot him with a revolver that he had hidden under his saddle, somewhere near Mt. Calm. Courteous thief and killer that he was, Bell stopped at a house near the scene to alert the residents what had occurred before he fled. Findagrave also notes that Snead was buried with "Masonic honors."

Type of Death Listed: Murder Cause of death inscription on headstone: Killed in the line of duty Website (if available): [Web Link]

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