Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-29

| though both sides numbering hundreds OF
! men, were arrayed against us. We made
! 100 arrests in that county in one month
| most Of them for murder. We pursued and
| captured stage robbers, train robbers, bank
| robbers and any number OF lesser criminals
! who had successfully defied the efforts OF the
| sheriffs and other peace officers, and once
we put down serious railroad riot by
simply riding the scene, giving a few
| yells and firing siXshooters in the air.
! The rioters disappeared so quickly that we
| laughed.
A number of were encamped at one
| time in one of the suburbs of San Antonio.
We were resting after months of hard rid
! ing on the plains. A message came to Cap
! tain McNelly saying that many desperadoes
| had banded together for the purpose of mas
sacreing ten OF our men who under Ser
geant R. p. Orrell were in camp on the
| Nueces river, about $50 miles distant Nc
| Nelly called for two men to ride to Orrells
| camp and warn him of his danger. We were
| all eager to go and we drew lots for the
| privilege. George Boyd, Ranger from
| California, and | were the lucky ones and
| in ten minutes we were in the saddle and
| on our way 1t was late in the afternoon
| when we started, and we rode all night at
rapid a pace as we could keep up without
killing our horses We stopped to make a
cup OF coffee in the morning and to let our
| horses Craze for awhile. Then we rode on
We reached the Nueces river on the after
noon Of the third day only to find it so swol-
len by recent rains as to be impossible. and
| Orrell and his men were on the other bank
We rode up the river for miles trying to
| find place where we could cross.
Finally We reached a place where it SCENE i
practicable, although even there the stream
was full half mile wide and very rapid.
But we took off our boots and tied them to
our saddles and urged the horses into the
water We managed all right until we
reached about mid stream. Then the horses
had to swim. The current was very swift
and the poor animals, tired as they were.
could not make any headway. We let them
go and by tremendous exertious managed
} to reach the bank mora dead than alive.
In our bare feet we walked five miles be
: fore we reached the Rangers camp, and by
that time 1t was long after dark and they
were all asleep. They didn't even have a
man standing guard. We woke them up and
explained why we had come orrell looked
us over and laughed:
Didn't Need the Warning.
, "You boys are dun fools" he said
y "Why ddn't you stay on the other side
! OF the river till it went down a bit sos
( you could CROSSE"
4 "Wo were told to hurry and warn yor
e about the desperadoes," said Body
Il thought you and the captain had bet
r ter sense" said Orrell. you ought t
know that there are not enough desperadoe
= in Texas to tackle ten OF McNelly's Rang
+ ers, even when we're asleep. The bes
n thing you can do is to turn in and ge
: scme rest after you've had something Il
eat"
: We knew that he was right about thu
desperadoes and We felt a little ASHAMED
OF ourselves, although We had only obeye'
orders. There was no guard rel that nigh
and the Rangers were never attacked. w
found our horses the next day, for they hat
reached land after all.
Never were men more obedient to thei
| superior officers in time of action than tn
J Rangers, and probably in no like organiza
| tion was there ever such lack of mil
itary discipline" when there was work I
f. do The officers treated the men as thei
1 social equals, as they were. We were no
D soldiers and hardly OF the material o
I which soldiers are made.
!, l remember one incident OF our camp llf
! which will illustrate our lack OF so-calle
discipline in times OF peace, although a
!, said We would cheerfully and unques
tionably obey any order when danger wa
afoot.
We were encamped at the upper end OF tn
: long, struggling village of Las Rucias, o
( the bank OF the Rio Grande, some fort
!, miles above Brownsville. The boys wer
y restless for they had not been on a scou
Q for two weeks and time hung heavy on thei
hands. At the lower end Of the vill?ge, aboI