Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-12-21
HE TEXAS RANGERS, who
have had a prominent part In
trouble along our southwestern
border. constitute force that
rHE. zxH3 R4/XGER

DOAOVA, NOA0CALOI0 q AOA W SAAS~S
is more feared by miscreants
than any other body of men that civil
lization has ever organized.
They carry law and order to the re-
mote regions along the Rio Grande.
where outlaws of two nations take
refuge. They carry it into the back
woods. where feuds rage constantly,
beside which those of Kentuckys
mountains sink into 1nsignit1cance.
They carry 1t into populous cities.
They carry it into every nook and
corner of that great state of Texas,
the extent of which is such that they
are problems to face such as other
states dream not of.
The Texas rangers are the most
picturesque set of legalized fighting
men in this country. They have no
counterpart in the world. Only forty
In number, they are equal to almost
any emergency that may arise when it
comes to putting to a test real fight
Ing qualities. The presence Of one
ranger upon a scene Of disorder and
threatened lawlessness is usually suf-
dcient to quickly restore peace and
uphold the dignity OF the law. The
ranger is there to do his duty. He
does it fearlessly.
The rangers are picked men, every
one of them. They must be proved
experts in craftsmanship and at home
In tho saddle; they must be Of good
moral character, which means that
they do not drink or gamble. When
q vacancy in a company occurs the
captain selects the man to fill it.
II can look into a mans eyes and
tell whether he has got the right kind
of stuff in him to make a good rang
er," Captain w. ]. (BilD Mcdonald,
who saw many years in the service,
said the other day. Il never made a
mistake In picking my men"
Most Of the rangers were former
cowboys. When a man leaves the
ranger service he usually either goes
back to the ranch or takes a position
as peace officer IN some county OF
city.
The Official reports Of the adjutant
generals department Of Texas show
that during the period from 1870 to
1884 Indians and Mexican thieves
stole 30,e39 head Of cattle, 3,781
horses and 2,436 sheep. The maraud
ers killed hundreds of citizens. burned
many homes and destroyed vast
amount Of property. ALTHOUGH cat
tie stealing was the original object Of
the raids, the lawless bands engaged
in them have been necessarily led tt
the preparation of other and greater
crimes. The lawless spirit engendereG
by their trade, and their own protec
ton, caused them to murder travel
ers who happened to meet them or
their raids, and those whom the,
thought might inform against them
In fact, these raids were soon turned
into general robbery and murder.
The conditions on the lower Ri<
Grande border region began to i'm
Prove as Soon as Captain L. H. Nc
Nelly and his company Of ranger.
were sent down there to run dow1
the outlaws. McNelly adopted thu
policy Of giving no quarter. He aske;
none. It was fight to the dealt
when he and his men got within
shooting distance of the Mexican
thieves.
The men who won distinction in tn,
Texas ranger service were the fore
runners Of the present era of peace
development and prosperity that tn,
state ss enjoying. Most Of the man,
rangers who won distinction for the1
bravery xnd notable exploits in tn,
performance of their duty are dead
Some were killed in the service. 9th
ers succumbed to natural causes
few Of them are still alive and active
Rangers Carnes, Lawrence, Yves
and Craighead recently rode into
jungle that skirts the Rio Grande nea
Its mouth. Mexican renegades wer,
hidden in the thickets and the rang
ers knew the deadly peril into whicl
they rode.
+ Despite tho disadvantage unde
which they worked, the rangers rod
into the thicket. They could die bu
once and their business was to cou1
death. A road had been cut throug
the Jungle and following this the ranl
err were ambushed. The outlaw
opened on them at close range wit
/ |shotguns and every man went dow1
carnea and 1awrenoe vere killed a