Roll of Honor
Incident
Private Ernest St. Leon went to the town of Socorro with an attorney from Ysleta to transact some business with the local Justice of the Peace.
The justice asked Private St. Leon to serve warrants of arrest on two men for forcibly removing horses from the city pound. Private St. Leon arrested both men and after hearing that they were recovering their own horses, the matter was settled and the two cowboys left town just before dark. Shortly thereafter St. Leon heard shots being fired. The justice asked Private St. Leon not to pursue the men alone.
Private St. Leon deputized Dr. Oscar J. Breaux and went to arrest the cowboys. Three men riding two horses approached in the dark, and when St. Leon ordered them to surrender, they opened fire. Dr. Breaux was shot in the right ear and died instantly. Private St. Leon was shot in the shoulder with the bullet passing through his chest into his lung. The three men fled and were later arrested by the captain of Texas Rangers - Company D. The third man had been wounded in the thigh by Private St. Leon.
Private St. Leon was transported to Ysleta and then by train to El Paso where he died on Wednesday, August 31st, 1898, after giving a dying statement. The final disposition of the three suspects is unknown but they were charged with both murders.
Private St. Leon had enlisted in the Texas Rangers - Company D in 1890 and had served off and on until his death. His nickname was "Diamond Dick" for the diamond stick pin he always wore on his shirt. He was buried in Concordia Cemetery in El Paso, Texas.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-E684605E- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private St. Leon gave the Texas Rangers 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Private Ernest St. Leon is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Texas Rangers, 104 of 122 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ernest St. Leon's cause is highlighted.
How Ernest St. Leon Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Ernest St. Leon is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Ernest St. Leon was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
121 officers from Texas Rangers are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
