The story of David L. Anderson:
DEATH OF A GOOD MAN
by C. W. (Bill) Smith
David L. “Doc” A nderson
O
ur local sheriffs and deputies are
of great importance in keeping
our homes safe, aiding us in
20
times of difficulty and watching out for
our community. Many officers of the
law have made the ultimate sacrifice
Cenizo
First Quarter 2019
while upholding the law and protecting
our community in times of disaster.
Many of those officers received their
training in the military. Terrell County is
very fortunate. We have lost only one
officer in the line of duty over the years,
but he was a very interesting man.
David L. “Doc” Anderson, a Dryden,
Texas rancher and livestock inspector,
was the fourth sheriff of Terrell County.
An able lawman, he was beloved by his
constituents, but he was a tough sheriff
in the difficult period of the Mexican
Revolution, which raged just twenty
miles from Sanderson. During his
watch there were murders, cattle
rustling, gun-running and smuggling, in
addition to train robberies and the gen-
eral mayhem of a wild little town. It was
a tough time, but he was a tough man.
Doc Anderson had a complex past,
much more complex than people knew
at the time. Before he moved to Terrell
County, at age 20, he fell in with Billy
the Kid in New Mexico under his real
name, Billy Wilson, and was convicted
of passing counterfeit currency. He
escaped to Texas and disappeared. In
1896, Pat Garrett found him, but
secured a presidential pardon for him
from Grover Cleveland because he had
led an exemplary life after his escape.
In his justification for the pardon,
Cleveland remarked, “Since his escape
he has established a new home and has,
by his reputable conduct, gained the
respect and goodwill of his neighbors,
who numerously certify to his good
character and standing. He was very
young when convicted, and develop-
ments upon his trial and representations
now made to me cause very great doubts
in my mind as to his guilt. I am entirely
satisfied that the ends of Justice will be
answered and a desirable citizen saved to
society by the act of clemency I have
determined on.”
Doc Anderson moved out to Terrell
County and became a respected cattle-
man in the area. In 1915, he was asked
by the county commissioners to fill out
the term of Sheriff J. J. Crawford, who
had recently resigned. Doc agreed, and
at the next election he was elected to
office.
On June 4, 1918, Anderson was
called to Harrell’s Ex-Pecos County
Saloon in Sanderson to deal with a
drunken cowboy, Ed Valentine, who was
threatening bystanders and taking pot-
shots at the citizenry. Anderson knew
the man and realized that he was in a fit
of depression. He felt he could just talk
with the distraught young man and get
the gun away from him.
Ed Valentine had lived in Sanderson
for some time and was well known and
liked by a number of people, including
Anderson. His wife had died recently,
and his mother was helping raise his two
little girls. Local reports were that
Valentine had lost badly at the gambling
table and that, for a cowboy who need-
ed money and had drunk too much
liquor, events probably pushed him
beyond the point of no return.
When Anderson reached the estab-
lishment and entered, Ed Valentine
immediately fired two rounds at the
sheriff, the first taking off his trigger fin-
ger and disabling his shooting hand, and
a second shot that pierced Anderson’s
heart. Anderson died instantly, falling
back into a chair at a table. In a
moment, gunfire began to pour into the
building as outraged citizens took up
arms outside. Valentine fired back.
The real hero of the story was Bob
Gatlin. Gatlin had run stock with
Anderson in Dryden and had been
appointed deputy there. When he got
word that his friend and boss had been
killed, he came immediately to
Sanderson, coming upon the chaos at
Harrell’s Saloon. Citizens were still fir-
ing wildly, with Valentine returning fire.
Gatlin calmly went across the street
to Joe Kerr’s store, borrowed a new rifle