The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-12-23

trouble along our southwestern
border, constitute a force that
is more feared by miscreants
shan 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 Kentucky's
mountains sink into insignificance.
They carry it into populous cities.
They carry 1t into every nook and
corner Of that great state Of Texas,
Inc 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-
ficient to quickly restore peace and
uphold the dignity of the law. The
ranger is there to do his duty. He
loes 1t fearlessly.
The rangers are picked men, every
one of them. They must be proved
experts in craftsmanship and at home
In the saddle; they must be of good
moral character, which means that
they do not drink or gamble When
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 stun in him to make a good rang
er," Captain W. j. (BilD Mcdonald,
VINO saw many years in the service,
said the other day. Il never made a
5qistake 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 or
city.
The official reports of the adjutar.
generals department of Texas show
that during the period from 1870 to
1884 Indians and Mexican thieves
stole 30,838 head of cattle, 1881
horses and 2,436 sheep. The maraud-
ers killed hundreds of citizens, burned
many homes and destroyed a 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 to
the preparation of other and greater
crimes. The lawless spirit engendered
by their trade, and their own protec-
ton, caused them to murder travel
ers who happened to meet them on
their raids, and those whom they
thought might inform against them.
IN fact, these raids were soon turned
Into general TSbbery and murder.
The conditions on the lower Rio
Grande border region began to i'm
prove as soon ms 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 1t was fight to the death
when he and his men got within
shooting distance of the Mexican
thieves.
The men who won distinction in the
Texas ranger service we're the fore
runners of the present era of peace.
development and prosperity that the
state is enjoying Most of the many
rangers who won distinction for their
bravery and notable exploits in the
performance Of their duty are dead.
Some we're killed in the service, 9TH
FRS succumbed TO natural causes. A
few Of them are still alive and active.
Rangers Carnes, Lawrence, West
and Craighead recently rode into a
jungle that skirts the Rio Grande near
its mouth. Mexican renegades were
hidden in the thickets and the rang
ers knew the deadly peril into which
they rode.
Despite tho disadvantage under
which they worked the rangers rode
into the thicket They could die but
once and their business was to court
death. A road had been cut through
the jungle and following this the rang
ers were ambushed The outlaws
opened on them at close range with
Bhotguns and every man went down
Carnes and Lawrence were killed and