The
Tale of
Diamond
Dick
by C. W. (Bill) Smith
A
s a writer of local history, I often
deal with persons who were larger
than life, who had achieved leg-
endary status in their own time. Ernest
St. Leon, aka “Diamond Dick,” was just
such a man. He worked all over West
Texas, including a stint as a railroad
watchman at Sanderson.
St. Leon earned his nickname
because of a prominent diamond stick-
pin that he always wore. He was not a
sentimental man when dealing with per-
petrators and suspects, but he had a soft
side indicated by wearing the stickpin
given to him by his mother. It was a
charm for him and he was never without
it.
St. Leon was born to French
Canadian parents who brought their
family to Texas. When his parents died,
a San Antonio judge was appointed
guardian. He was sent to college to pre-
pare for a life of commerce.
But, as so often happens to young
men, the lure of the military enticed him
to drop out and join the U. S. Cavalry,
where he eventually attained the rank of
sergeant.
His military career was illustrious,
having fought during the turbulent peri-
24
od of Texas history when settler incur-
sions on Native American lands caused a
serious threat to the health and safety of
all.
At his discharge from the service, St.
Leon eventually joined the famed
Company D of the Texas Rangers,
under the leadership of Captain John
Hughes.
There, he served throughout the late
1880s.
Unfortunately, his love for alcohol
got him dismissed from the Rangers, but
Hughes wisely kept him on a contin-
gency basis as a covert, free-lance opera-
tive.
He became widely known along the
border regions, and assisted in the cap-
ture of the Carrasco Brothers, infamous
silver thieves who heisted a load of silver
ore from the Fronteriza Mining
Company outside Shafter, Texas.
In 1890, St. Leon was reinstated to
Company D of the Rangers and
remained to the end of his life.
Diamond Dick had a tough reputa-
tion. He was not afraid to use his guns,
and his devotion to duty was legendary.
Chasing a man who had stolen a
horse and buggy in El Paso, St. Leon
Cenizo
Third Quarter 2018
boarded a train and got ahead of the
man, three times, eventually bringing
him to justice out of pure “doggedness.”
When Diamond Dick got on your trail,
you might as well give up because he
certainly wasn’t going to let you get
away.
He was instrumental in arresting Inez
Gonzalez, who at the time was the most-
wanted fugitive in Texas. He did the
detective work, discovered Gonzalez’
whereabouts, then simply went to
Gonzalez’ father-in-law’s ranch without
back up (certainly enemy territory for
St. Leon) and arrested him.
The El Paso district attorney summed
up the feelings of many when he said,
“‘Diamond Dick,’ who made the arrest,
is one of the most diligent Rangers in
the Service, and there is not a man bet-
ter liked by his brother officers. It was he
who broke up the big gang of thieves
which had for so long a time been rob-
bing the Mexican Central box cars down
between Chihuahua and Torreón.”
Another time, he brought two mis-
creants to justice, catching them in the
act of trying to wreck trains outside of
Sanderson.
The infamous “Baxter’s Curve” near
Sanderson was named for the engineer
who lost his life when train wreckers