In the summer of 1910, a young lawman in Greenville, South Carolina, met a tragic and untimely end. Edgar Cleveland Waldrop, a 24-year-old male, served his community as a Special Constable with the Piedmont Police Department. On the night of June 26th, he was on duty, tasked with assisting regular deputies in handling disturbances.
Alongside several other officers, Waldrop was investigating reports of an illegal gambling game near Piedmont, on Pelzer Road.
Shortly after midnight, as they were returning to Greenville, the officers came upon a group of men engaged in a game of craps. When the constables moved in to detain the individuals, the situation escalated with shocking speed. One of the men confronted Special Constable Waldrop, shoving the barrel of a shotgun into his abdomen and firing.
The blast inflicted a mortal wound. Waldrop was rushed to a nearby hospital, but the damage was too severe. He succumbed to his injuries several hours later, leaving behind a wife, a young daughter, his parents, and seven siblings. The promising life of a young man dedicated to upholding the law was violently cut short.
The search for Waldrop's killer was swift. Just two days after the shooting, a suspect was apprehended. The man was subsequently tried and convicted of murder. In a final act of justice for the slain constable, the convicted murderer was sentenced to death. On October 7, 1910, he was executed by hanging in Greenville, an event that would mark the last public hanging in the city's history. The swift resolution brought a close to the case, but the loss of Edgar Cleveland Waldrop left a lasting scar on his family and the community he served.
