El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-02
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g BRAVE TEXAS RANGERS. IS
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MES were mustered into service la te
that year or early the next.
Senator Roger Q. Mills has said that
it is unfortunate for the glory of the
west that history of the Texas ran
gers cannot be written with any salts
faction. The chief actors and partici-
pants in the body are all dead, aud
they have left no material for correct
account of their deeds of cold heroism.
Then, too, the achievements and acts
of the rangers-their supremest tests
of valorous duty-occurred away out on
the plains of Texas, many miles re-
mote from the border of civilization,
and the homely, every day heroes had
no idea they were doing things as sub
timely brave as any Theban band or
Spartaus or Six Hundred at Balaklava
ever did.
1t is only by piecemeal that one can
get an iGea nowadays of the dangers
the Texas rangers have faced as easily
as daily duty. In the summer of 1S47
the rangers followed the Comanches,
mberiug over 5000, ceaselessly for
two months. Seven times there were
engagements of several hours length.
Then when the Comanches had been
temporarily subdued the even more
hostile Apache on the west had to be
attended to for three months more,
UuL III VIC uluco otoUCo eIOOpo
were the leaders. In October half
dozen bands of Mexican bandits, who
had burned, murdered, and marauded
along the Rio Grande while the ran
gers .were engaged with the
Indians 300 miles away, had
to be searched out amid
vast stretches of arid wastes and track
less foothills, and fought under all i'm
aginable hazardous circumstances. In
one week twenty-five rangers were kill
ed by the intrenched half-breed bandits
campaigning against Comanches,
Apaches and marauders lasted ten
months, and there WAS not a rest day
no time when the rangers felt secure
from danger-in all those months. In
that campaign of 1913 fourteen out of
every hundred rangers were killed.
Seventeen per cent more were wounded
by poisoned arrows and bullets so that
they became invalids for life. No dan
the Texans. Little squads of rangers
had no thought of the fearful
chances they were taking in going for
miles into hostile Indian region
where hundreds of braves might be
for massacre at any moment.
81 have heard from the lips of reliable
said Gen. Miles last year,
when the rangers were eulisting in the
rough riders troops for Gu a, "tales of
daring by the Texas rangers that are
1t is, indeed, too bad
that the world knows so little about
these marvellous men. There have
been hosts of men among the Texas
who were just as nervy as
Davy Crockett, Travis or Bowie were
1t the Alamo"
Statistics are kept in the Office of
the adjutant general of Texas regard
ing the rangers, and they give some
thing of an idea of the constant dangers
and the almost constant campaigning
that these hardy men have experienced
along the Texan frontier. In 1852 900
rangers were engaged in a fight with
over 1000 Cherokees. The latter were
Intrenched near where Denison, Tex,
now f1Ourishes. Scouts re-
ported the size of the Indian body to
the rangers and said that if certain
hill seven miles Off to the left could
be gained in the face of the terrible
odds against such movement the
rangers would master the situation.
The desperate chance. was accepted.
With a whoop of defiance to the In
1ians the Texans rode forward. Ex-
but the hill was taken land held
until the United States troops
came fewa hours later to take
,he brunt of the battle. From
1865 until 1883 the Texas rangers eff
followed I2S parties OF Ind ian
narauders, had 81 fights with Indians
and Mexicans, killed 80 Indians. wound
ed 81 and captured 6; killed q Next
cans anc wounded 5; recovered nearly
5000 stolen horses, mules and cattle
and three citizens carried off by In
lians and desperadoes. During those
years 1876 citizens were killed and 81
carried off by Mexicans or Indians; u
'angers were killed aud 81 1900 horses
Ind mules, 43 400 cattle and 24OO sheep
ind goats were stolen. There were in |
addition homes of settlers burned, /!
prairie fires purposely started, many
people lynched and vast number of |
minor outrsges which the rangers
we're called upon to redress.
Conditions had so far changed in |
Texas by the year 1889 that the rang
,rs were no longer needed for defense
against hostile Indians, as Indian
aids had ceased. But the force, now