Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-20
PEACE ON RIO eRANDE BORDER.
Bad Men Extinct-Used to Be an In
quest Every Monday Morning.


quest Every Monday Morning.
Peace, sweet peace, has settled
down upon the lower Rio Grande bor-
der region. In this section, which
In former days was the hotbed Of
Mexican revolutionist and American
smugglers and the rendezvous Of des-
perate Mexican and American thiev-
ing cutthroats, the Industrial invasion
has swept the six shooter aside, and
acts Of lawlessness now rarely take
place No one is better able to ap-
preciate these changed conditions.
says a Hildago correspondent Of the
st. Louis Globe Democrat, than John
Closner, for the last sixteen years
Sheriff Of Hildalgo county and for
four years before his election as Sher-
iffa deputy sheriff
For twenty years Sheriff Closner
has been In close touch with the
criminal element Of the lower border.
The building Of railroad into this
section two years ago caused an ex-
odus Of the bad men, and since that
time there have been but TWO terms
of court held in this county. There
has not been a criminal case on the
court docket for more than a year.
Alfalfa fields and irrigated farms now
cover the region which was formerly
cactus covered desert and the hid
ing place for bandits.
81 remember one summer, a few
years ago." said Mr.. Closner, when
there was an inquest every Monday
morning for eleven consecutive
weeks. The inquestswere not the re-
suits Of accidents. although the ver-
diets the jurors brought In when they
met in the justice Of the peace's office
may have been to that effect. hTere
hasn't been a killing for four or five
years, and not an atrocious murder
for many years.
Closner noes not look like person
one would expect in a man who had
been Sheriff on the border for six
ten years. Being Sheriff Of Hidalgo
county these days is only incidental
with managing large sugar plan
tation and looking after the care Of
hat and chaps have been abandoned
In Hidalgo county. The Sheriff OF
Hidalgo would be mistaken for a bank
cashier or a man Of business.
mo never had to kill man In my
life," said Ciosner. There was once
in 1892, I think It was, when 1t came
nearly to the place where had to
kill or get killed It was wheen Pan
cho Garcia and his band Of Mexican
outlaws were stealing and terrorizing
along the American border. Several
men had been killed by the reckless
bandit. We learned where he made
visits to a Mexican's womaRs house.
and on a certain night, when he was
expected, I had two men stationed
in the house where the woman lived.
That same night Garcia and one COM
panion held up and robbed a party
Of seven persons and tied them to
mesquite trees. The travellers were
|reiievd- of -tiller- 4valuables and - the
horses were stripped Of the saddles
and brides.
We don't want to hurt you,'
Garcia said to them. All we want Is
what you've got, but there is one thing
we are going to do. We are going to
Hidalgo and kill the Shorthand his
deputy and the woman who has given
us away Leaving the men tied
Garcia and his companion went to the
house where he had visited the wo-
man. When he knocked at the door
he was covered with gun from
window and commanded TO surren-
der Replying that he never sur
rendered he started to run. Clos
ner's deputy filled him with buck
shot, killing him instantly.
"Pancho Garcia Is the same bandit
who made an appointment with the
chief of police Of Reynosa, just
across the border, one day 70 meet
him In a lane not far out from the
town. With a dozen picked men he
went to the appointed spot Garcia
soon appeared, walked toward them.
fired several times, wounded the chief
of police and two Of his men and got
away before the officers ever got
shot at him.
"It may have been the same ban
dit who killed a tenderfoot. 1t
seemed that a pedler In travelling
had made the acquaintance or the
band, had learned of its methods and
Indignantly said he intended pre-
senting what evidence he had before
a Grand Jury The pedler was taken
out and literally cut to pieces and
burned.