The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1911-01-06
HE TEXAS RANGERS, who
have had a prominent part In
trouble along our southwestern
border. constitute a force that

trouble along our southwestern
border. constitute a force that
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 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,
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
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 1t
comes to putting to test real fight
ing qualities. The presence Of one
ranger upon a scene of disorder and
threatened lawlessness is usually suf-
icient 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 the saddle; they must be of good
moral character which means that
they do not drink or gamble When
a vacancy in 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
err" Captain w j. (BilD Mcdonald,
who saw many years in the service.
said the other day Il never made
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 or
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,S3S head of cattle, 1881
horses and 2.'36 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 obje.t OF
he raids, the lawless bands engaged
/ IN them have been necessarily lied 10
| he preparation of other and greater
| rrimes. The lawless spirit engendered
/ by their trade, and their own protec-
/ ion. caused them to murder travel
ers who happened to meet them on
heir raids. and those whom they
/ thought might inform against them.
In fact. these raids were soon turned
nto general robbery and murder.
The conditions on the lower Rio
Srande border region began to i'm
prove as soon as Captain L. II Nc.
Nelly and his company of rangers
we're sent down there to run down
he outlaws. McNelly adopted the
policy of giving no quarter He asked
hone 1t was a figh' TO the death
when he and his men got within
lhooting distance of the Mexican
.hieves
The men who won distinction in the
Texas ranger service were the fore
runners of the present era of peace.
development and prosperity that the
state is enjoying Most of the many
-angers 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
'rs succumbed to natural causes. A