The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-11-28
THE TEXAS RANGER.

THE TEXAS RANGER.
This type Of ranger is all but gone. A few
may yet be found IN outlying ranches. One
of the most celebrated resides near San
Antonio-"Bis-Foot Wallace" by name. He
says he doesn't mind being called Big
Foot because he IS six feet two in height
and is entitled TO big feet. His face is
done of in nest of white hair and beard,
and Is patriarchal in character. In 1896 he
came out from Virginia to take toll'' OF
the Mexicans for killing some relatives of
his in the Fannin massacre, and he coz
siders that he has squared accounts. but
they had him on the debit side for while
Being captured in the Meir expedition, he
walked as prisoner TO the City of Mexico
and die public work for that country with
ball and chain attachment for two years.
The prisoners overpowered the guards and
escaped On one occasion. but were over
| taken by Mexican cavalry while dying of
thirst in a desert. Santa Anna ordered
their defamation" which meant that every
tenth man was shot. their lot being deter
mined by the drawing of a black bean from
an earthen pot containing certain proper
tion of white ones. '.Big-Foot drew a
white one. He was also a member of Cap
tain Hayes's company, afterward q captain
of rangers. and a noted Indian fighter.
Later he carried the mails from San An
tonic to Ell Paso through howling wilder
ness. but always brought it safely through
if safely can be called lying thirteen days
by water hole in the desert waiting for a
broken leg to mend and living meanwhile
on one prairie wolf, which he managed to
shoot. Wallace was a professional hunter,
who fought Indians and hated "Greasers''
he belongs to the past and has been ''out-
spanned" under a civilization in which he
has no place and Is today living in poverty.
The civil war left Texas under changed
conditions. That and the Mexican wars
had determined its boundaries, however,
and it rapidly filled up with new elements
of population. Broken soldiers, outlaws,
poor immigrants living in bull wagons,
poured in. Gone to Texas" had sinister
significance in the sixties. When the rail-
road got to Abilene, Kansas, the cow-men
of Texas found market for their stock,
and began trailing their herds up through
the Indian country. Bands of outlaws or
ganized under the leadership of desperadoes
like Wes Hardin and King Fisher They
rounded up cattle regardless Of their own
ers' rights, and resisted Interference with
force. The poor man pointed to his brand
in the stolen herd and protested. He was
shot. The big owners were unable to pro-
tect themselves from loss The property
right was established by the six-shooter,
and honest men were forced to the wall
In 5Si6 the property-holding class went TO
the legislature, got 1t to appropriate hum
dred thousand dollars for two years, and
the ranger force was organized to carry
the law into the chapparaL At this time
many judges were in league with the ban
dts; sherfffs were elected by the outlaws,
and the electors were cattle-stealers.
The rangers were sworn to uphold the
laws of Texas and the United States. They
were deputy sherifs UnitedStates marshaIs
every power, even to the extent of ignoring
d.sreputable sheriffs At times they were
judge, jury and executioner, when the diff
fculties demaded extremes. When a band
of outlaws was located detectives or spies
were sent among them. who openly joined
the desperadoes and gathered evidence to
put the rangers on their trail. Then, in the
wilderness, with only the soaring buzzard
or prowiing coyote to look on, the rangers
and the outlaws met to fight with tigerish
ferocity to the death. Shot, and lying prone
they fired until the pals;ed arm could no
longer raise the six-shooter, and justice was
satisfied as their bullets sped. The captains
had the selection of their men and the
right to dishonorably discharge at will.
Only nsen of irreproachable character who
were fine riders and dead shots were taken.
The spirit of adventure filled the ranks with
the most prominent young men of the state
and to have been a ranger is a badge Of
distinction in Texas to this day. The dis
play of anything bat a spirit of perfect
willingness to die under any and all circum-
stances was fatal to ranger, and in course
of time they got. the moral on the bal
man. Each one furnished his own horse
and arms, while the state gave him am
munition. grub" one dollar day and ex-
ira expenses. The enlistment was for twelve
months A Est of fugitive Texas criminals
was placed in his hands, with which he was
expected to familiarize himself. Then, in
small parties. they packed the bedding On
their mule, they hung the handouts and
leather thongs about it's neck. saddled their
riding ponies and threaded their way nto
the chapparal-From How the Law Got
into the Chapparal." by Frederic Heming-
ton, In Harper's Magazine for December.