Ernest St. Leon
Agency patch
Private

Ernest St. Leon

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Felonious
End of Watch August 31, 1898
Age 29
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
The Vigil Panel 15 ›
Gender Male

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

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August 2, 2026
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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

Department Texas Rangers
Type Other
Location Austin, Travis County, TX
Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 31, 1898
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 29
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Ernest is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1898, 89 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 69th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Ernest was 29. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Ernest had served 9 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

August holds 8.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Wednesdays: 12.9%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun; unknown type, in 9.5% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Texas Rangers has at least 120 officers remembered here, Ernest among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Private Ernest St. Leon

Texas Rangers · End of Watch August 31, 1898

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 55-E

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