The Death of Game Warden Gus Engeling

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

ANDERSON COUNTY –  Texas Game Warden Gus Engeling was shot and killed in the line of duty in December 1951 at what is now the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area near Palestine.

Engeling was assisting a work crew repairing a broken pipeline at the Darden Wildlife Management Facility when he heard a gunshot from a nearby marsh. Though unarmed, Engeling went to investigate and encountered an illegal duck hunter who had already shot two ducks.

When Engeling attempted to make an arrest, the poacher fled on foot. During the pursuit, the suspect turned and shot Engeling with a shotgun, killing him.

The suspect returned to the scene the following day and concealed Engeling’s body beneath a submerged tree in the marsh. A large search effort involving local residents and law enforcement later recovered the body.

The suspect was apprehended, confessed to the murder and was convicted. He was sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair on Dec. 2, 1952.

Engeling was a U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II and had served with the Texas Game and Fish Commission for 12 years at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife and three children.

In his honor, the Darden Wildlife Management Facility was later renamed the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area.

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]