San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-27
AUSTIN LETTER.
Anstin. Tex.. Jan "a, 1s93

AUSTIN, lex, Jan ~ lcJo'
Special Correspondence to the LIGHT.
"The Texas Rangers" are body Of
men that few If any people known any
thing about save thatthe are connected
with Texas and her history. From the
days of its early infancy 10 the present
day when 1T stands forth as the grandest
state in the Union. Texas has had her
bands of rangers who have patrolled her
frontiers. Quite frequently doing so
much damage themselves as the Marun-
derS who they were hunting. The burn
ing OF the old Adjutant General Office in
this city in 1855 destroyed all files OF the
department up to that time and during
the reconstruction times all such matter
was sent to Washington. So really Texas
has no written history of her standing
army" as it were up to 1870. What little
Is known about the forces previous to
that time places their organization away
back yonder in the days when she was
fighting for her liberty with Mexico. The
band of 1patriots huddled together then
and called rangers were all volunteers
but they really fought harder and were
better soldiers than the Tom, Dick and
Harry rangers that took their place at a
later day or stipulated salary OF $500 a
day.
In the year 1s70,12 companies comprised
the entire Texas force, and in 1872 these
companies were disbanded and new COM
panies, known as minute companies, were
organized. These companies were only in
active duty in time of danger, and when
any donger was threatening they were
ordered out on ten day service and paid
500 day for every day of active service.
At other times they were at home tending
their farms and cattle. In the following
year Gov. E. J. Davis organized four new
companies and added them to the list,
though there was no necessity for them.
1t was political move on his part, and
that same move cost Texas cool hun
dred thousand dollars, though the four
companies were only in existence six
months.
In the year 1874 an organization known
as battalionS was formed out of the old
minute companies, and that style still eX-
lists. In this year there were formed six
companies, with muster roll of rs men
each. An appropriation of $500, was
| made for the annual support of these
companies, but that was found to be eX-
| pensive. even for Texas, and little by lit
| tie the forces were cut down until now
only four small companies, OF Is men
| each, comprise Texas force of rangers.
These companies are located at Realities,
Alice, Ansinello and Marathon, extreme
boundary posts, and do little or nothing
| to pass away the time, having no occasion
| to do active field service, save in the case
of fence cutters getting on the rampage.
There has been over S3.000.O00 spent on
| rangers by Texas and this in addition to
the million and a quarter received from
the general government makes a grand
total of over four million dollars that have
been expended on Texas frontier police
| work. As the rapid advance of immigra-
| tion spreads over Texas brook rolling
prairieS these rangers become less and less
a necessity and the day will doubtless
| come in the near future when they will
be done away with altogether.
SHOOT.