The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-12-17
A BOLD TEXAS RANGER
Smiling SiIas, the PIuckiest Of
Simmons Band.
HIS FIGHT WITH cALDERoNE.
The Sensational Finish That Came to
the Pursuit of the Mexican Terror
and the Remnant Of His Gang of
Murderers Across the Rio Grande.

The Sensational Finish That Came to
the Pursuit of the Mexican Terror
and the Remnant Of His Gang of
Murderers Across the Rio Grande.
"The pluckiest chap ever saw was
young Texas ranger known as Smil-
ing Silas, one of Simmons band, on
the Rio Grande border, and never
will forget the way that lad, single
handed, rounded up Pantaleon Calde-
rome, a Mexican terror, and three of
the greasers followers. l didn't see
the sensational finish to the chase
across the plains-no; wish had-but
it was given to me by half breed boy
who'd looked on from a safe distance.
at was back in the early eighties"
began the Texas cattleman, that Sim
mons rangers came down to the river
to round up Calderone and his cut
threats. The Mexicans made life on
the border miserable and were capable
of all sorts of dark deeds. No, they
weren't brave in the same way that
American road agents were coura-
geous, but they possessed a certain
amount of daring, which, combined
with the craftiness of Satan himself,
made them desperadoes of the worst
type:
'They worked principally on the
American side, and after raiding a
lonely ranch and numbering every
man, woman and child in their way
they would swim their horses across
the river, gain Mexican territory and
laugh at pursuit. Simmons men struck
their trail and followed it for about ten
miles along the river, and they were
just in time to see the greasers walk
ing their dripping horses up the oppo-
site bank of the yellowish stream.
"Ca1derone had burned q ranch, kill
ed the ranchero, man named Day
ton, from Michigan, and ruthlessly
slaughtered about fifteen or twenty
head of cattle, and Simmons wanted
him the worst In the world, but Sim
mons wasn't for running chance Of
international complications by crossing
that river and invading Mexican terri
tory. He dispatched a messenger over
to the alcalde of a little sun baked
town, and the drowsy official assured
the Senior Americana that he would
send word to Ell Captain Barrios, who
would soon get the murderers with his
rurales. That was all there was to 1t,
though. 1t is true that Ell Captain
Barrios, little sallow faced, cigarette
smoking chap, did cross the river and
confer with Simmons, but despite the
fact that Barrios made himself out to
be a hero of the Sir Galahad type the
rurales never stirred from their COM
Portable barracks in the shade of the
palm trees.
Simmons and his rangers spent a
few days in Looping back and forth
along the border, keeping sharp look
out for Calderone and expecting every
hour to receive some word from Bar
rios, but no sight Of the robber did
they get, and never a message came
from the rurales.
while the rangers were In camp
band, numbering twenty, believe, re-
crossed the river with their horses and
struck northward over sweep Of
prairie land. 1t was late the next day
when the rangers were appraised of the
bandits venture, and, saddling horses,
they hit the trail with vengeance.
"The Mexicans looted small ranch,
killed about half dozen people and
then, describing a broad circle, headed
back for the river. Late In the after
noon by cutting across the prairie the
rangers closed In with the band, and
Simmons, urging his ten sturdy fellows
forward, put his straining horse to its
best to get within shooting distance Of
the robbers.
Just when the river was in sight
the greasers, approaching that their
horses were spent and that the Amer,
leans were gaining on them, turned to
fight They quickly dismounted and
fought Indian fashion, resting their
carbines on their saddles and shooting
from behind their horses. They out
mum bered the rangers almost two to
one, but, then, they lacked the sand
and fighting skill that Simmons boys
had. The rangers, seeing the stand
the greasers had taken, drew up their
horses out of shooting range and,
sprlnging from their saddles, advanced
on foot through the long prairie grass
in crouching attitudes Finally when
within good pistol range Simmons yell
ed command to his men, and down
they fell on their faces, while from
their elevated right hands cracked the
deadly pistols. Nearly every shot told,
and half dozen kicking horses went
to the earth, and three or four bandits
yielded up the ghost at the same time.
The Mexicans had reserved their fire
too ong-that is failing with them,
you know. for they either shoot too