Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-02-20
THE RANGERS STORY.


We were sitting out on the long,
wide hotel gallery after supper, en-.
joying the pleasant evening air.
We were stockman, a travelling
salesman. an ex-member of the
State Rangers. whom people ad.
dressed as .Captain, = and myself.
Impelled somehow by a certain mu-
tnsl attraction, We brought our
fchaifs closer toesther and were soon
deeply engaged in friendly CONVEX
sation, says Birdsall James, in the
st. Louis Globe Democrat.
After much discussion of abstract
subjects and certain relations of
experiences, personal and otherwise,
the talk turned to unfortunate cir
cumstances circumstances which
one had taken an active part in
bringing to pass and then had SER
ious reason to regret the participa-
tion. The captain had not had
much to say, but was good listen
er, when his turn in the converse
tion took place, and he remarked
with evident feeling.
Il helped in a matter once down
on the Rio Grande border, and il |
had all the wealth in Texas I'd give
it up to turn time back and not
have it happen when things rolled
forward again
We kept quiet, hoping for details,
and the captain proceeded:
Several years ago, when was one
of the Rangers, about thirty of us
were ordered to the Rio Grande
border to put a stop to the cattle
stealing, numbering and general
deviltry going on over there
The captain spoke slowly, en-
phasizing the number thirty, and
then paused, in order to perceive
the effect of the preposterous idea
conveyed in the statement. The
cattleman was alone appreciative,
for he laughed softly. Seeing no
gleam of comprehension from the
drummer and me. the captain clear
ed the road to his narrative by a
short explanation.
From Ell Paso to the Gulf, as
the Rio Grande runs, is more than
1000 miles, and we call the country
on our side, AID also on the Mexi-
can side. 'the Border Ever since
anybody has lived IN that country
there has been lawlessness going on,
and there always will be trouble
there. Thirty thousand men could
not stop it not If every man had
been born there, had ridden the
country all his life, knew every rock,
trail and water hole, was dead game
and was a sure shot. This is SO,
and I'll tell you why.
Cattle stealing-that is the main
crime of the border. Arson and
murder follow as its incidents.
There is a good deal such a condi-
ton as we used to read about in the
novels and history books, how the
Scotch Highlanders used to harry
the low country.
along the whole stretch of coun-
try up and down the river, settle
ments are so few that you can
scarcely call them scattering-a few
towns, nearly all on the lower 300
miles of the river; a ranch now and
then, some pretentious, with store
and many buildings. and occasional
Mexicans, living the Lord only
knows how, in their jacals. Now
man can only have his opinion on
such matters, for the truth is i'm
possible to be got at, but ] am sure
that from Ell Paso to the river
mouth there are at least l, 500 men
who take q turn some time or other
at cattle lifting. Most people think
they are all Mexicaps, but some of
the meanest devils among them are
of our breed. You see, everything
down there conspires to make the
thing so easy, and the profits beat
honest labor away yonder. Three
or four men meet somewhere over
on the Mexican side, or this side
either, for that matter. They ride
into this country twenty-five or fifty
or 100 miles. All the cattle they
come across they round up. When
they get as big bunch as they can
handle, back they drive them across
the river and down into Old Mexico.
The country is so vast and SO thinly
peopled that the chances are loo to
1 against anybody running cnto
such y raidiug party going or COM