⬥︎Doris was born Feb. 26, 1911, in Denison. She was a member of Eastern Star. Doris was preceded by her husband, Arthur.

Survivors: Son, Robert Sandlin and wife, Helen; daughter, Sandra Cannon and husband, Jim; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.

Published by Star-Telegram on Jun. 11, 2007.

⬥︎Doris Brown Edwards: Last Bonnie and Clyde widow,

undercover Petticoat Ranger 07:52 AM CDT on Saturday, June 23, 2007

By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News

Doris Brown Edwards was married for less than two years when her

highway patrolman husband was gunned down by Clyde Barrow's bank-

robbing gang near Grapevine on Easter 1934.

Lacking survivor's benefits, the 23-year-old widow went to work as a

secretary with the highway department in Austin. She became a

Petticoat Ranger, an undercover position that helped the agency

investigate illegal gambling. She helped infiltrate gambling dens

across the state including operations in Galveston, Arlington, Dallas

and Fort Worth.

Mrs. Edwards, 96, died June 10 of natural causes at Lexington Place, a

Dallas assisted-living center. Her family gathered in her memory June

11 at her favorite restaurant, Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth. She was

buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Fort Worth.

Mrs. Edwards was believed to be the last surviving widow of the

infamous bank robbers' victims. It was upsetting for her when

reporters requested interviews as the anniversary of her husband's

death approached, said her son, Robert Jefferson "Jeff" Sandlin of

Denton.

Mrs. Edwards said popular culture had made heroes of the gang that

killed her husband.

"She said nobody ever thinks about those of us who were left behind by

their antics and their law breaking," her son said. "It just really

bothered her a lot.

"It really never ended - the anguish. That was just a sad, sad part of

her life."

Mrs. Edwards was described as a sweet, loving person who enjoyed many

pastimes. She painted, played the piano and organ, cooked and often

shot her first husband's .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

"He taught her how to shoot it," her son said.

Born in Denison, Mrs. Edwards moved at age 9 to Arlington, where her

father was superintendent of the Home for Aged Masons. The family

lived in quarters behind the home.

She graduated from high school and attended the two-year college that

is now the University of Texas at Arlington.

She met her first husband, Edward Bryan Wheeler, when he pulled her

over in traffic, allegedly because her car had a faulty taillight.

In 1997, Mrs. Edwards gave this account of the flirtatious traffic

stop:

"He said, 'Did you know your taillight's out?' I told him no," adding

that her lights were just fine, thank you.

"It was just an excuse to stop me and get my name," she said.

The two were married in 1932.

On April 1, 1934, Mr. Wheeler and H.D. Murphy, a rookie, were killed

by the Barrow gang on Dove Road east of State Highway 114.

The officers intended to help the occupants of a car parked on the

dusty road but were ambushed as they approached. Historians disagree

about which of the Barrow gang members killed the officers. Some

speculate the killings may have resulted from a misunderstanding of

Barrow's order - "take 'em" - to kidnap the lawmen.

Patrolman Murphy's fiancée attended his funeral in her wedding dress.

Mrs. Edwards had little to fall back on in 1934. State Highway

Commissioner Harry Hines, for whom a Dallas boulevard was named, used

his influence to get her a secretarial position in Austin.

From that job, Mrs. Edwards and Bernice Ellis were selected to be

sworn in as Texas Rangers to help battle gambling in the state.

"They called us the first two women Rangers," Mrs. Edwards said.

The single women accompanied undercover officers on visits to

suspected illegal gambling sites.

"If we saw gambling in progress, I would go to the telephone and call

the Rangers," Mrs. Edwards said. " 'We're having such a nice time

here,' I'd say. 'Why don't you join us?' Then the Rangers would raid

the place.

"I suppose I could have been in danger, but I didn't have enough sense

to be afraid," she said. "I enjoyed it."

Mrs. Edwards went to work for the Texas Department of Public Safety

after it was organized in 1935. Her duties sometimes included

chauffeuring Gov. James Allred.

In 1940, Mrs. Edwards married Bob Sandlin and left the DPS. They had

two children. Mr. Sandlin died in 1950.

Mrs. Edwards was later employed as a secretary for the International

Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Fort Worth.

She retired in 1976 and married A.E. Edwards, a retired IBEW vice

president. They moved to a ranch near Santa Fe, N.M., where they

raised German shepherds. In 1981, the couple moved to North Texas to

be closer to her son. Mr. Edwards died in 1997.

Mrs. Edwards was a member of the Eastern Star.

In addition to her son, Mrs. Edwards is survived by a daughter, Sandra

Cannon of Port Ludlow, Wash., seven grandchildren and four great-

grandchildren.