John L. Southall
Greenville, Hunt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(June 11, 1869 - Oct. 6, 1912) Assistant chief of police of Greenville. Was killed in line of duty in attempt to arrest drunken gunman. Southall's soft nosed bullets were ineffective in battle, as his practice was to wound and stop, not kill. Also killed was Special Deputy Sheriff Emmett Shipp.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John L. Southall was assistant chief of police in Greenville when he was killed in the line of duty in 1912 trying to arrest a drunken gunman. His marker notes that he loaded soft-nosed bullets meant to wound and stop rather than kill—a practice that left him at a fatal disadvantage in the gunfight. Special Deputy Sheriff Emmett Shipp died alongside him.
Why it matters
It memorializes the everyday peril and restraint of small-town law enforcement in early-20th-century Texas, honoring an officer whose humanity may have cost him his life.
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Related people
- · John L. Southall
- · Emmett Shipp
Themes & tags
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