Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-04

scene of his outrages. and the United
States submitted to the insult.
THE whole country from Browns
vile to Rio Grande City. 13O miles.
and back to the Arroyo Colorado, has
been laid waste. There is not an
American, or any property belong
| ing to an American, that could not be
destroyed in this large tract of coun-
try. Their horses and cattle were
driven across into Mexico and there
Soda COW with a calf by her side
for a dollar.
Although cattle stealing was the
original object of these raids, the law
less bands engaged in them have been
necessarily led to the perpetratlon or
other and greater crimes. The law
less spirit engendered by their trade,
and their own protection. caused
them to murder travellers who hap
pened to meet them on their raids.
and those whom they thought might
inform against them. In fact, these
raids were soon turned into general
robbery and murder"
The conditions on the lower Rio
Grande border region began to i'm
prove as soon as Captain l.. H. Nc
Nelly and his company of rangers
were sent down there to run down the
outlaws. McNelly adopted the policy
of giving no quarter. He asked none.
II was a fight to the death when he
and his men got within shooting dis
tance of he Mexican thieves. Tn"
Rio Grande offering no barrier to the
operation of these rangers. lnterna-
tional law had no meaning to them.
One of their exploits was chasing
band of about fifty cattle thieves
across the river into Mexico, where
the rangers killed twenty-nine OF
them without a man of their own be-
ing killed or wounded. Captain Nc
Nelly'S field reports to the governor
were brief In November. 1875, he
wrote:
Just spent three days on Mexican
soil after cattle thieves and herd of
25O stolen cattle. Killed five MeNi-
cans; wounded one"
Ills other reports were of the same
brpvity. In most of them he told or
killing a few MeXicans.
There is a long list of men who have
performed noted services as rangers.
A quarter of a century ago the very
mention of Captain Lee Halls name
was sufficient 10 strike terror into the
heart of a border criminal. Hall was
for many years at the head of a COM
pany of rangers which covered a ter
ritory as large as two or three Ordi-
nary states. They were a flying
squadron that rode fearlessly into any
kind of trouble where duty called
them. They were in the field before
the Indian raids had entirely ceas-
ed. and, with the battles that they
fought with the redskins, and the en-
counters that they had with lawless
white men and Mexicans, their time
was usually fully occupied. Captain
Hall has now passed the three-score
milestone Of life, but the call of the
frontier still has its hold upon him.
He served through the Spanish
American war and was through the
two years campaign in the Philip
pines. He was a member of the Gill
more relief expedition. Returning to
Texas. he found things too dull to
suit him. A mining company offered
him a position as commander of the
guard of supply train that was be-
ing run twice a week to the mines
through the Yaqui Indian country in
the mountains of western Mexico.
Captain Hall held the position for two
years and killed mal : Indians during
that period When the Yaqui rebellion
ended two years ago, he took a posi-
ton as manager of a ranch in re-
mote part of lower California. He
is there to this day.
Many attempts were made to as
sassinate Captain Hall while he was
in the ranger service. Several times
the room in which he was sleeping
was fired into at night.
One hot midsummer day about
fifteen years ago company of Texas
rangers, commanded by Captain
Hughes. was camped in the lower part
of the Big Bend country, wild and
remote region covered with Scant
desert vegetation, bordering the Up
per Rio Grande. The rangers had
been on the hunt for Mexican cattle
thieves. The Big Bend is a section
Of territory embracing more than 49,
900 square miles. II takes its name
from its peculiar shape. formed by
the tortuOuS course of the interna-
tional boundary stream. 1t was then,
and is now, ninety miles from the
furthest dip of the river to the near
est railroad point. In the early days
it was the rendezvous of many des-
perate outlaws. murderers. robbers,
smugglers and a great variety of other
kinds of criminals made the Big Bend
region their place of refuge for many
years. 1t was the scene of many dar-
ing exploits on the part of brave
bands of rangers, who finally sue
Ceeded in capturing or killing many
of the lawless element. until it was
no longer found a desirable place for
men of that sort.
On this particular day Captain
Hughes and his men were taking a
few hours rest in camp. which was
pitched in a little thicket of scrubby|
trees on Tornillo creek, after long
chase after the thieves who had made
their escape by crossing into Mexico.
Knowing that they were in the heart
of the Outlaw-infeSted country, the
ranger camp was picketed to prevent
any unexpected attack from being
made on it. y horseman rode down
into the gulch and crossed over to|
the camp. He was a messenger from
Alpine. so miles to the north.
Il have telegram for Captain
Hughes" he said.
Opening the yellow envelope and
taking out the message. the captain
read its contents
Get your horses ready, men," he
quietly said. "A Southern Pacific
train has been held up and robbed
over near Dryden; we've got to hit
the trail
No tent or chuck wagon were there
to hinder quick departure from the
camping spot. The rangers sleep
upon the ground with their saddle
Tor Il pillow and Il blanket for a COW
usually carry all their commisSary
supplies. In ten minutes the men
were i'm their saddles. headed across
a trailleSS country i'm the direction of
Dryden. $50 miles away. They made
sixty miles of the journey by daylight
next morning. Here they left their
tired horses ut a ranch house. snatch
ed an hours sleep under the shade
of Il cottonwood tree at water Seep.
and. roping fresh mounts i'm the cor
raj. Saddled them and We're off again.
They picked up the trail of the train
robbers twenty miles from Dryden.
The outlaws were headed north.
posse of United States marShalS were
already on the chase. The rangers
made a detOur and again struck the
trail ahead of the deputy marShals.
The fourth day after they had broken
camp. far down i'm the Big Bend
country. the rangers came within
sight of two of the outlaws. In their
haste to get away the robbers had
dropped sack of silver coin. The
shooting began as soon the rangers
and the fugitives were within firing
distance. one of the robbers was