St. Paul daily globe., 1888-01-30

Cd chair, his right
~ foot resting on
pillow and his
left arm lying limp at his side. OF
medium stature, but heavy frame, still
he maintains slightly aldermanic ro-
ing eyes and griZZled muStache form a
striking picture of combined firmnesS
of character and f1exibility and gentle
ness of nature. Confinement to his
room is the result of periodical weak
ness of his right leg and left arm, the
former having been the receptacle
of three bullets and the latter two
during the late ''OnpleasantneSs."
In addition to the five wounds enumer-
ated, Maj. Zimpleman has had bullet
through each lung and two flesh wounds,
one in the thigh and one in the calf of
the left leg-nine in all. He is now in
his fifty-fOurth year, and carries his lead
as lightly as any man of equal age, says
the st. Louis GlObe-DemOcrat.
Maj. Zimpleman is accompanied by
Col. Charles Davis and Judge b. H.
Davis, of Ell PaSO, and the trio are here
to close up some large sales of property
consummated with Chicago and Kansas
City parties, looking to the improve
ment of Ell PasO, Tex. The Davis broth
ers are well-known Texan capitalists
and land owners. They have one of the
most extensive ranches in Mexico, in
Rankin and other prominent St.
LOnisans are interested. They were
also with Terry's Rangers, and from Col.
Davis the Gl0be-Dem0crat reporter OBJ
tanned many points in the career of
Maj. Zimpleman which that gentle
MANS mOdesty precluded him from NEIL
tioning.
FORTY YEARS IN TEXAS.
Maj. Zimpleman, who is now a resi-
dent of Austin, has large interests at
Ell PasO, with extensive cattle ranges in
Texas, New and Old Mexico, and is
director in the Ell Paso National bank.
He has been resident of Texas for
over forty years. ''Zimpleman went
with Terry's Rangers at the breaking
out of the war" said Col. Davis. He
was always popular, owing to his good
nature, magnetism, daring and dash.
He was always in the front line of the
charge, had dozens of hair-breadth es-
capes, and lives to-day with nine wounds
to remind him of his younger days.
After the war he returned to Travis
county and was elected sheriff, when
perhaps no other man in the state could
Travis county when E. j. Davis was de-
feated for the gOvernorship by Richard
Coke in 1874, and when Davis re-
fused to give up the Office it was
Zimpleman who called together
force of trusty deputies and
Ousted him. Austin was then the great
center of trying political battles, and
though Zimpleman bore the brunt for
his side, there was never whisper
against his character or his honor and
sincerity. He never was desperate or
a do
termined man. and there seemed some
thing in his voice which convinced the
hearer that what he said was meant. An
instance of this can be cited. When
Texas cities were miSruled by police
force appointed by the governor, the
people were rebellfous, but Zimpleman
always cautioned the hOt-headed against
any overt act until finally the then chief
of police of Austin, whose name | can
not now recall, caused the arrest of
three prominent young men for some
trivial OtfenSe, and ordered them cast
into filthy Jail unceremoniously.
Then Zimpleman acted. He, as sheriff,
went to the jail and liberated the young
men, and then he sought out the chief
of police and to him quietly said:
You have twenty-five minutes in
which to get outside of the city limits.
If | see you inside of them again shall
kill you on sight
THAT chief of police has not been
seen in Austin from that day to this"
A REUNION OF RANGERS.
The survivors of Terry's Rangers. or
the Eighth Texas cavalry, will hold
reunion at Austin Tuesday, Jan. a.
About 100 of the original 1000 joining
Terry'S regiment at the outset will be
there, and Maj. Zimpleman's eyes
frightened in anticipation of meeting
with his old comrades. This famous
regiment was the flower of the COnfed-
crate army. 1t was composed of the
wealthiest young planters of the state,
and none but large, muscular, nervy
men were accepted; and there were al
ways dozen recruits following the
Hangers, waiting for some one to be shot
in order that they might get into
the ranks. Thus were the saddles
OF this daring cavalry regiment kept
filled for nearly two years, notwith-
standing the desperate fights in which
they were engaged, moving their men
down like grass. Col. Terry was six
feet two inches in height, and perfect
specimen of manhood. Hewas brother
of States Attorney Dave Terry, of Cali
fOrnia, who killed Broderick in a duel
near Sacramento in 1859. The first fight
in which the Rangers were engaged was
at WOOdsonville, sixty miles above
bowling Green, on the Louisville &
Nashville railroad. The engagement
was with Michigan troops, and it was
here that Terry was killed. The battle
is known as the Green River fight. As
Maj. Zimpleman was there, and at the
front, he can best tell the story of the
fight.
Il think it bad taste for me to sit here
and relate my own exploits" protested
the major. Il was young man then,
and did many rash things, possibly, but
wouldn't like to have any imputation
this late day.
1t was only after much insisting. sec
onded by the gallant Col. Davis, that
the major was prevailed upon to talk.
THROUGH THE YANKEE LINES.
"The fight at WoodsOnville was our
first" he proceeded. sour regiment
was brought up to drive in the federal
pickets. We drove them in, and before
we knew it ran right against 4 line of
federal infantry on the side of strip of
timber, and that was more than we had
bargained for. There was but one
thing to do and we did Invent right
through them and were soon pretty we'll
mixed up. You see the trouble was. a
great many of us knew nothing about
warfare with organized troops. True,
had been an Indian fighter, but this was
new to me. The federals. however,
were more surprised at our apparent
daring than we were at find
ing their solid lines where we
least expected it, and thus we
carried the day against great odds.
All the boys went out with a peculiar
notion" and here the major smiled
grlmly. "They said there was no use