Charles Stewart
Railroad Detective
Santa Fe Railroad Police Department
End of Watch: August 13, 1908
Railroad Detective Charles Lee Stewart was shot and killed in the line of duty on August 13, 1908, while patrolling the railroad yards in Amarillo, Texas. His death remains one of the earliest recorded law-enforcement fatalities in Potter County and reflects the dangers faced by railroad police during the era of expanding rail lines and increasing freight theft.
Born in Texas on February 17, 1881, he followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a railroad detective. Charles was the son of C.M. Stewart, a special detective for the Santa Fe. Upon learning of his son’s death, C.M. Stewart said, “If the boy had an enemy in the world, I did not know of it. He was never in trouble in the world. He always got along well with anybody.”
His death sent shockwaves through the railroad community and the town of Hereford, where his family was well known.
Detective Stewart was laid to rest in Cleburne Memorial Cemetery in Cleburne, Texas. His grave remains a solemn reminder of a young officer whose life was cut short while performing his duty.
Though relatively unknown today, his sacrifice is part of the earliest history of railroad policing in the Texas Panhandle, a time when night watchmen faced armed thieves, dangerous yards, and isolated patrols with little backup.
END OF WATCH: AUGUST 13, 1908
Detective Stewart was working as a night watchman for the Pecos Valley Lines, patrolling the company’s yards in Amarillo. Around 11:00 p.m., he approached a boxcar during his rounds. A man hiding inside the car, believed to be a trespasser or boxcar thief, shot Detective Stewart in the head, killing him instantly.
The killer fled into the night. No clues were left behind, and despite efforts by officers in Amarillo and surrounding towns, the murderer was never identified. Newspaper accounts at the time reported: “It is thought he was killed by some car robber or trespasser that he had intercepted in the company’s yards.”