William Franklin "Bill" Jones, Constable/Deputy Sheriff

City of Frederick/Tillman County Sheriff's Dept

On Sunday, July 15, 1934, Constable Jones, 52, was attending a picnic at Manitou Twin Lakes Park when two men got into a knife fight. As the two men, Virgil Jones, 28, and Claude Meadows, 32, crashed into a concession stand, Tillman County Deputy Sheriff Roy Reddin stepped in to break up what he thought was a fist fight. Constable Jones came over to assist him. As the constable stepped up behind Meadows, Meadows swung his fist around and struck Jones on the left side of his throat above the collarbone. Meadows then said “Don’t hit me, Bill, I didn’t know it was you”. Constable Jones began leading Meadows, who continued to apologize, through the crowd but collapsed after a short distance. It was discovered that he had been stabbed, his jugular vein had been severed and he died in moments. Claude Meadows was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. His wife and two daughters survived Constable Jones.