The Penn's Grove record., 1897-07-09
THE RANGERS OF TEXAS.
A UNIQUE FORCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

A Body of Men Noted for Their Seif-Re'
lance, Tenacity of Purpose and Fear
Iessness-Their Dnty Was to Hunt Down
Desperadoes and Evil-Doers.
There is nothing exactly similar
among the forces of the world like the
Texas Rangers, writes N. 8. Garfield
in the Chicago Times-Herald. The
mounted constabulary of South Africa
bears, perhaps, a closer resemblance
than any other, though there are wide
divergences. In the Texas band the
military factor or personal equa-
ton" is at its strongest and best, be-
cause, although under semi-discipline,
each member depends pretty much
upon himself. Literally his hand
guards his head. This teaches self
reliance, decision, tenacity of purpose
and stoicism. Physical courage and
endurance are, of course, necessary.
So are obedience, Workmanship, 30
briefly, n knowledge of firearms, clear
eyes and steady fingers. E..
The Texas ranger wears no uniform.
His dress is composed of stout dark
trousers, sometimes protected by
o~veralls, a wooden shirt, heavy sack
coat, sombrero, boots, stout gloves
and spurs. His arms are a single
action 45-caliber Colts six-shooter
and a Winchester carbine-not rifle.
He furnishes his own horse and bed.
ding. If the horse is killed in action
the state replaces it. If it dies or is
stolen the ranger must get another.
The pay is $50 a month for privates,
$40 for sergeants, S75 for lieutenants
and 500 for captains. The state feeds
them. Their supplies include -four,
coffee, sugar, lard, bacon, beef, NUT
ton and canned goods. They shay
much game and add variety to the bill
Of fare in that way. The men do
their own cooking. A colored man
acts as cook and rough-handed valet
for the captain. Also he is q driver
and handles the four-mule team when
it is necessary to take q wagon.
Owing to the settlement of the from
tier and the gradual establishment of
law and order the ranger force has
steadily decreased for some years
past. Formerly it consisted of six
companies, numbering approximately
100 men each, and lettered A, b, @,
ID, L and F. Company A had charge
of the Panhandle country in the north
west and Company + was stationed
on the lower Rio Grande. To-day
there are not more than fifty men in
the service, all told, nor are they of
so high a class as those who risked
their lives back in the eighties. In
those days the composition of the
companies was unique. No native
Texans were in the ranks. They were
not enlisted, because it was feared
that their home affiliations would in
terfere with their work. The men
came from all sections of the Union,
lured by the spirit of adventure. They
we're young andhardy, and in the veins
of most of them flowed the best blood
of America. With such men it went
without saying that greatthings could
be accomplished.
Many of them were collegians. In
Company + fifteen years ago were two
graduates of Yale, one of Harvard,
one of Princeton, three from the Uni
v%ersity of Virginia and a dozen from
the smaller southern and western uni
yersities. Some Of them now are
high in political place in the state of
their adoption. Others sleep in the
sandy stretches that sweep down to
the tawny river and evefrtA1r graves,
have been leyeled by the constant
winds.
From far above Ell Paso to Browns
vile on the gulf they pacified and held
still through fear a frontier of more
than a thousand miles in extent, along
which lived two populations most
turbulent. 1t was wonderful, but it
cost blood. When Coke was governor
Sergeant Parrot of Company F, then
stationed at Brownsville, rode up the
river on a lonely Grand. He was a
photographer in q way and took with
him an outfit competent to produce
''tintypes." This he had in a light
wagon along with a small tent and
cooking utensils. The inhabitants of
that wild region had never before seen
an artist" They focked to PARROT
when he pitched his tent. To them
his name was Wilson and he came
from eastern Texas. Always, when
his sitter was male, he took two copies.
One he kept and marked with the
name. He made quite a collection, as
well as a tidy sum of money, which
went subsequently for aguardi-
ente and accessories in gay Mata-
moras. When Parrot returned q de-
tachment of men went out from camp
under sealed orders from the execu-
tive. They were commanded by Lieu
tenant Armstrong. The archives Of
Texas INC held the records Of that
wild journey, but they were destroyed
in the burning of the old capitol. To
this day the people along the Rio
Grande call it ''the red ride"
Their instructions were to slay and
spare not. When one of their victims
was met he vas asked his name and
promptly lied. Parrott was called to
the front with his case of 'tintypes.n
He showed the portrait with the name
written across the back. The corpse
was left upon the prairie, Maybe
some of its relatives came along and
buried it, and maybe they did not.
The yellow-trimmed Mexican vul-
lures are plentiful. 1t is estimated
that between Brownsville and Iona
Vista, where the ride ended, not less
than one hundred desperadoes were
removed" After it a purse hung up
by the roadside would have remained
untouched for a year. The lesson was
fearful, but effective. The last 'kill-
ing" was made on the banks of Espen-
tosa Lake. Camped there was John
Martin and with him five companions.
The rangers rode upon them at 10
O'Clock at night and opened fire.
Martin and his men rose from their
blankets, six-shooters in hand, and
answered with hopeless gallantry.
They all went down.
One of them, McAllister by name,
furnished a remarkable example of the
tenacity of human life, AS the troops